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MARK TAKAHASHI: If you haven't noticed,
everything is going electric.
Mercedes-Benz has been a little late to the game,
but they're making up for lost time now.
That's proved by last year's introduction
of the EQS sedan and forthcoming unveiling of the EQS SUV.
Those full-size luxury vehicles might
be more than you need in terms of space
and more than you bargained for in terms of price, though.
That's where this comes in.
This is the all-new 2023 Mercedes EQE.
It's the mid-size counterpoint to the EQS
in the same way the gas-powered E-class is to the S-class.
I'm here in Germany to drive the EQE for myself
and see how it stacks up against the few competitors
in the class.
Before we get to that, do me a favor and hit Like
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a cash offer on your vehicle.
In terms of size, this EQE splits
difference between the gas-powered E and S-class.
It's kind of the same size as the CLS.
In terms of pricing, we don't have any information on that
yet, but keep checking back at edmunds.com/sellmycar as we get
closer to on sale date.
There will be a few models available in the EQE line.
The first is the EQE 350.
It has 288 horsepower and 391 pound
feet of torque from a single motor that
drives the rear wheels.
According to the European standard,
it should return 400 miles on a full charge.
Now that is a little more optimistic
than our real-world tests.
That said, our EQE test on our EV loop
returned 422 miles from a 350 mile estimate.
Now zero to 60 for this Model is 5.6 seconds.
And that may not be all that impressive to those obsessed
with spec sheets, but that is plenty
quick for any sensible driver.
Next up is the EQE 500 4Matic.
That has a second motor driving the front wheels
for all-wheel-drive and combined they produce 402 horsepower
and should get it to zero to 60 in five seconds.
Finally, at the top of the range is
the AMG EQE with 677 horsepower and 738 pound feet of torque.
That's maximum output if you spring for the AMG Dynamic Plus
package.
That'll get it to 60 miles an hour in only 3.2 seconds.
All of these models have 170 kilowatt DC fast charge
capability, which means you can get from 10% charge
to 80% charge in about '32 minutes.
On a 240 volt charger, we're looking
at nine and a half hours to get from 10% to 100%,
but enough of these specs.
I came here to drive so let's hit the road.
From a dead standstill, let's check out acceleration.
Not a surprise.
It's instant just like almost every other electric vehicle
out there and the acceleration is
way more than most people will need, even in this base model,
and the power just kind of pours on really smoothly, as you'd
expect, as well.
I'm hearing a little bit of wind noise,
but that's mostly because there isn't any other noise.
There's absolutely no road noise coming off the tires
and, obviously, no motor noise.
As a counterpoint to acceleration, we have braking
and it feels really nice and natural on the pedal.
There's not a big change between brake
regeneration with the motors and the actual brakes
with the pads.
It's easy to modulate.
It's really easy to drive.
There's really nothing to it.
As far as handling, it's also more capable
than most people will need.
And if you are inclined to get more performance,
well, there's always that AMG Model.
The steering is really light, but it's direct and also
very precise.
It's easy to just drop this car exactly where you want it
on the road.
Even on these tighter mountain roads,
it's easy to maneuver this EQE around.
It's not so big that you have to worry about width.
One thing I also like is this nice, big head-up display
in front of me that's giving me a lot of great prompts
for navigation.
You have these augmented reality overlays
that kind of get a forward projection of what's
in front of you with these arrows overlaid
on where you're supposed to go.
It's really helpful, especially when
you're driving around unfamiliar cities like I am right now.
As far as outward visibility goes, it's OK but not great.
This roof pillar right up here is a little thick,
but it's far enough away where it's not really blocking
too much through intersections.
The view at the back is much more restricted.
It really is just a narrow slit that you're looking through,
but it's just enough to see some cars that
are falling further behind.
As expected, ride quality is just slightly firmer
than the S-class or EQS, which this
feels a little more connected to the road
and gives you a little more confidence
driving a little harder.
Overall, my driver impressions of the EQE
are very, very favorable.
It's just easy to drive.
It's really pleasant.
It's comfortable.
It's kind of what I expected from an all-electric E-class.
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From the driver's seat, the EQE interior
has a lot of cues from the S-class
rather than the EQS, at least in this configuration,
without the massive glass Hyperscreen.
And I have to say, I kind of like it.
I might like it more than the Hyperscreen,
mostly because there's much less glare coming off
of that big sheet of glass when you're driving.
But also, this is pretty easy to use
and I like the clean design.
I've never been that big a fan of the massive touchscreen that
controls everything, but this system actually
works pretty good.
The buttons are nice and big and the menus are logical,
so it's easy to use.
As far as storage goes, well, we have this big bin here
with two cupholders that kind of rotate around.
Kind of overengineered cupholders, as we expect.
Wireless phone charger inside there, as well,
and a pretty decent sized center armrest bin too.
But it also is a really big bin underneath that can store
a big purse if you needed.
Another thing that kind of strikes me a little strangely
is the use of all these capacitive touch buttons rather
than physical click buttons.
You do get a slight click off of these,
but it's a little too easy for me
to inadvertently hit a button that I didn't intend to.
When it comes to other technology like driver
assistance and advanced safety features,
there's really not a lot to say, even though there
are a lot of features there.
They don't really pop up until you really need them.
I'm not getting any false alarms, even
on some of these really tight roads
following closely behind other cars.
Overall, it's a really pleasant driving experience
and it's a nice place to sit here in these comfy seats.
Of course, in the higher trim levels and, as options,
you can get massaging seats and other comfort related items
that kind of fall in line with the S-class as well.
But since this is slightly smaller than the S-class,
I want to check out how much space there is
in the rear seats, so come on
All right, well, the back seats, I'm happy to report,
have plenty of space.
I am 5'10" sitting behind the driver's seat,
which is set for me, and I have plenty of space for my feet
and knees and my head is just barely brushing the headliner.
That's pretty good I could easily
spend some time back here.
These are adult-sized rear seats,
though I think six-footers would be better suited up front.
Passengers back here are also treated
to their own personal climate controls
as well as two USB-C charge ports
and you have heated outboard seats.
That comes in handy when it's cold here in Bavaria.
Behind the rear seats we have about 15 cubic feet
of cargo space in the trunk, which
is about average for a mid-size sedan,
but I would actually expect just a little bit more space.
That said, it is a very usable space
and you can easily get a couple's retreat
worth of luggage back there.
So where does this EQE leave me?
Well, it's pretty simple.
It fulfilled all of the expectations
I had leading into this drive.
It really is just a smaller version of the EQS,
making it slightly more fun to drive.
Now it's not quite as crazy fun to drive as a Porsche Taycan
or Audi e-tron GT.
No, this is more traditional luxury,
at least in the base models.
I'm sure the AMG version might give them a run for the money.
Compared to the Model S, well it's
a little bit smaller but benefits from a much better
build quality, and it is also easier to use.
Let me know what you think in the comments
below and don't forget to head over
to edmunds.com for the latest news, reviews, and comparisons
against the EQE and all of its rivals.