Mercedes Benz India EQS Review, First Drive

It is only some manufacturers that respond to changing times as quick as Mercedes Benz in India and globally. The Mercedes EQS is a product of the same project. A full size luxury sedan with a large battery pack claiming a lot of range, power, torque and other numbers, it took the world by surprise on how Mercedes responded to the electric market demand. Mercedes did respond to its customer request more than anything else. European markets begged for electric cars and Mercedes delivered in style too. Sedans and SUV’s both were crafted with large battery packs and delivered high range because of many aspects that Mercedes got right. What are those things in the EQS? We find out as the product is launched with much fan fare, sold out quite well already and bookings are open for more. We did 700 kms in a week to tell you all about it.

On the outside, the sedan is high on length and width. The design elements of the car make it stand out. The large grille, the futuristic LED DRl and low mounted headlights look well-placed. The build quality on the outside seems and sounds excellent and as we know, most Mercedes cars score the highest marks in crash tests. The silhouette of the car from some angles can look a bit weird for now. Will this age well over time, we will have to see! The good looking 20-inch wheels and the unique tail lamps with LED DRL and LED Bar at the rear make it look premium and futuristic.

On the inside, the build and quality are good and so is the expansive feature list we have explained in our launch report. With an electric parking brake on offer to cruise control and a sunroof to Wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto, the EQS is the most loaded car in its class by a long shot. The new white-ish interior is downright brilliant but is prone to getting dirty. You get a fantastic infotainment screen which is loaded with MBUX that is fast and vivid screen quality on offer blows you away. You can play games as well on the passenger side. The touch capacitive button on the steering are a hit or a miss. The ADAS features also worked well and easier to on and off given our tough situation of traffic in India.

Space is good with excellent Leg and headroom along with shoulder and knee room but not by S-Class standards. However, but good by E-Class standards. The boot space continues to be good by segment standards. Road and wind noise inside the cabin is also well-controlled and it is a pleasant place to be. The safety kit continues to be high with electronic stability control and Hill Hold Assist is on offer. ABS and EBD with eight airbags come as standard. Traction control and electronic stability work very hard to keep things in check. The battery-powered EQS is smooth and low on NVH as expected and may be a little too much. Good thing you have an outright brilliant sound system from Burmeister to keep things loud in the cabin helping you from falling asleep.

Low and mid-range are good and top-end is electrifying on EQS. It keeps pushing all the way from 120 km/hr to 180 km/hr like its doing 0-80 km/hr. The 107 Kw battery helps it do 210 km/hr where it is limited. The 0.20 aero makes sure it does that well. The colossal power and torque which stand 600 PS and 800 Nm. It can cruise easily at legal speeds. This makes the EQS good enough for long highway duties as well! Mumbai to Goa! Possible! The EQS can feel very easy to drive in the city thanks to light steering, low turning radius despite big dimensions. All driving modes work according to their names. Eco mode feels quite spiky, the sport mode can drive you wild as it is very addictive. More so than ICE cars and instant power needs more attention! In our drive, we could do 580 km max before 100 km of range was left to handover the car again. Sadly, we couldn’t charge the car and do a full road test! We will try and do that with the AMG 53 EQS! We think by that time, we should have a 120 kw charging station near us very soon!

The low to medium ride quality is stiff, but the high-speed ride is brilliant as it stays solid and is pliant enough to deal with anything at those speeds. As the suspension has been tuned the same way The body roll increases as speeds get higher while taking a corner or changing lanes at high speeds. Steering is precise and has good feedback on offer which makes the car fun and confident but not at outright sportier because you do feel the weight of the battery pack if you start pushing it harder. Rear wheel steering makes u-turns and driving in the city so much easier.

However, because of the battery pack lower, the center of gravity is great, the suspension behaves very differently and does not bob around at the limit of a pot hole or a corner. The weight is well managed, suspension behaves well and hence inspiring confidence at all times, even more than ICE cars. The brakes have a good pedal bite and enough power to stop at high speeds, even with regen on offer. Overall, a fun to drive by far sedan by Mercedes thanks to ground clearance issue being sorted with a touch of a button which can also be remembered by the GPS! EQS then, with good ride quality for our roads is surprisingly brilliant.

Mercedes Benz India EQS Review, Verdict

The Mercedes Benz EQS 580 is truly a revolutionary EV in the world and in India as well. A long range just dismiss many doubts and help you get that paycheck cut for this car. The fast charging at home also makes things easier. Given the fact you might charge in 10 days or maximum 2 times a week, this is truly worth nothing how life become easier and environmental friendly too. The cost is high, the design isn’t winning beauty pageants, but it is bespoke and futuristic, so it has something really good going for it in that department. With driving experience being flawless, easy and fun to drive the EQS becomes a great choice people want to drive themselves too. The back seat experience with all the toys and just enough space in this car makes a good chauffer car too. All boxes, almost ticked, we think the EQS has clearly shown us the future isn’t that boring after all!