There’s one of those old-fashioned Mercedes that run on gasoline.
I’m driving the EQS today, all electric.
It’s a deep machine, stay tuned.
This logo has been the symbol of quality and luxury for over 100 years.
So if Mercedes puts this many stars up front, chances are the folks in Stuttgart… are
proud of the effort.
The EQS 580 is the first dedicated electric vehicle from the brand.
Designed from the ground up to be an EV, think of it as a fully electric S Class (and we
all know how sumptuous those are).
A guilty pleasure?
Sure is, though one built using carbon-neutral manufacturing.
This is a Mercedes Benz it’s not going to be priced like a Chev Bolt.
As tested, well equipped, before and state or federal tax credits, this one retails for
about 126 grand.
That’s a lot of money, but the EQS is so deep, it’s kind of a bargain.
Let’s start with this crowd-pleaser.
Dubbed the Hyperscreen, Mercedes calls it a 56 incher.
But clever folks will see it’s three screens under one piece of glass.
People entering this space practically gasp.
You’d half expect to see Jean Luc Piccard behind the wheel.
And then there’s the ambient lighting that looks great anytime.
(MUSIC UP) At night it dials the wow factor up to 11.
It’s everywhere, and I do mean everywhere.
Must add 10 grand to the price and worth every penny.
And yes, the color can be changed.
And when the car wakes up, there’s a bit of entertainment.
Go out for dinner and the show is always free.
This badge means EQS 580 is a dual motor EV with all wheels driven.
Like nearly all EVs it’s a skateboard platform, This one has a 400-volt architecture.
It will underpin future Mercedes electrics like the upcoming EQS SUV and EQE.
The lithium-Ion pack with low cobalt cathodes delivers 108kWh of energy.
Total power from the two motors is 516 horsepower and 631 lb-ft of torque.
This is moving 5,888 pounds.
Electrics make no sound on startup that’s all up to musicians these days.
And say goodbye to analog gauges too.
There’s no geared transmission, this is a selector, the paddles are for selecting
the amount of regen drag.
There are three levels.
What’s under here?
Certainly not a frunk, the hood is sealed, only for the service center to open.
Oh and this slot is to fill the wiper fluid.
Maybe tell the help so they know how to do that.
Of course there are drive modes that adjust throttle response and ride quality, EQS has
an air suspension with adaptive dampers.
The dual motor EQS does the 0 to 60 Dash at about four seconds, pretty darn quick.
But beyond numbers EV’s have that deep rich torque so it’s incredibly satisfying off
the line
There is an acceleration tone that seeps into the cabin, nothing over bearing.
Very classy.
Very Mercedes.
My mics don’t pick it up well.
The structure that encases and protects the battery in case of a collision is ultra-strong
and gives the EQS a vault-like quality.
Silent as one too.
EVs by their very nature are extremely quiet.
EQS takes it to a completely different level.
And bumps?
Bumps are pretty much heard but not felt.
And heard very faintly.
This has optional acoustical glass, kind of a must have.
Steering is responsive and precise, but not loads of feel coming through the steering
wheel.
The 580 has 10-degree rear wheel steering and the turning radius is otherworldly for
a large luxury sedan.
Just under 36 feet.
You’ll do it just for fun.
I know I did.
The ride quality of the EQS is so smooth it’s hard to describe.
I will go with clichés- buttery, creamy, velvety.
And on top of that put a layer of Teflon.
And yet it’s never sloppy, it’s really pretty controlled, it’s like driving a controlled
cloud.
You probably want to know about range.
Did I get the EPA rated 340 miles out of a charge?
Not quite.
315.
But, consider the temperatures were in the mid 40s, I did some significant highway miles,
some in the rain.
And I left the car on for hours while shooting static shots.
Range just isn’t an issue with the EQS, it’s just not.
And Edmunds tested a rear drive EQS 450 + rated at 350 miles and saw 420 in ideal temperatures
so there’s that.
As far as brake pedal feel, the transition from regenerative to the actual physical disc
brakes is absolutely seamless.
Put it in full recuperation and you got one pedal driving, and if you remove all recuperation,
this thing will coast forever it’s like your best hot wheel I am not touching the
throttle and this thing just keeps going.
Auto mode decides if coasting or recuperation is most efficient.
There’s all sorts of information to show drivers the power flow, the graphics are clear
and bright in the gauge cluster.
The Hyperscreen as a whole?
All this it’s a crowd pleaser people love to look at it, it’s terrific.
Though I will say on sunny days, not that Seattleites get a lot of those, there is some
reflection on the screen.
From your point of view, it’s probably worse than mine.
This is oriented for the driver.
Augmented reality navigation prompts, that I didn’t shoot, sorry, make sure you don’t
miss a turn, these are very helpful.
This is an excellent cruiser.
EQS is available with Level 3 semi-autonomous driving tech… just not in the United States,
at least not for now.
The system that Mercedes offers is really quite good it stays straight and true in the
lane doesn't bob around like a drunken sailor and takes gentle curves without any issues
whatsoever.
Very confident, follows the car ahead no sweat.
I like this, I'm using it while I'm talking to you so I really trust it.
The ambient lighting has other tricks, signal to change lanes… and if there’s someone
in your blind spot, it’ll get your attention.
Your eye won’t see the sensors blinking the way the camera does.
It’s facial recognition for the MBUX interface and detects micro sleep episodes to tell the
driver to hit up a Starbucks.
Even with all that range, you’ll need to charge up.
It’s important to know your needs.
Tesla is known to have the best charge experience, but owners that don’t road trip a lot won’t
need travel infrastructure often.
The infrastructure isn’t perfect but it’s growing.
At Electrify America stations, EQS supports plug and charge.
Much like the Tesla experience.
Talk about luxury, it’s nice not having to fumble with an app, sometimes these stations
can be a little wonky
Some 85% of all EV charging is done at home and personally, I feel if you can’t charge
where you sleep, EVs lose their appeal.
And the cost of charging at this terminal is easily 4 times the rate I’d pay at home.
But still less than gasoline.
The Mercedes doesn’t juice up quite as fast as Porsche Taycan or Audi e-tron GT but it’s
no slouch.
Top rate is 200 kW so using the right stations under ideal conditions you can add some 170
miles in about 15 minutes.
If you want to limit the charge level to say 90% to protect the battery it’s easy to
do.
The rate is faster when the pack is nearly spent and temperature are warm.
While you’re waiting, maybe play some video games, I’ll assume successful people driving
this will be catching up on email and managing investments.
Or just look at the clouds and daydream.
We don’t do enough of that.
Let’s touch on design.
Mercedes calls the approach “Sensual Purity” or as my neighbor put it, “looks like a
river rock”.
I heard bar of soap too.
These lines are as close as the EQS gets to having any distinct sharp creases.
To me it looks like something Audi would do.
The long-nosed silhouette is one of the slipperiest the wind has ever seen, the coefficient of
drag is point two oh.
That helps with range.
I appreciate the effort and skills it takes to manufacture such a clean body.
But the public in general seems underwhelmed by the visual.
Personally, I think paint color is critical, kind of feel this Nautical Blue gives it a
plain presentation.
A Graphite Grey one I saw had a richer look.
Back to the Starship Enterprise.
More than just the giant display array, there are good looking eco-friendly materials.
There’s synthetic leather on the dash and doors plus carpet woven from recycled yarns.
The walnut with aluminum inlay is called Yacht Design.
Any questions why?
The leather seats seem infinitely adjustable.
Heated and vented, they offer up a decent massage.
The hardest working chairs in the biz.
And like many Mercedes, these have a lovely dampened quality.
Pockets are lined so things don’t rattle.
That said, I like door releases with a hefty feel, these are… fine.
And there are hard plastics in places touched often.
The whole assembly of these haptic controls moves, not a premium feel.
The floor is flat but the console keeps it from being super airy.
The Burmeister audio system is quite good.
The only thing that impresses people more than the dashboard are these headrests.
They are so downy soft, Merriam-Webster needs to coin a new word for them.
This car is equipped with an optional dashcam (good for keeping an eye on traffic and thieves).
The surround view system is fun to play with and comprehensive.
If you hit anything, that’s on you.
A wireless Qi pad is here, a bit deep in this console, but since wireless Apple CarPlay
is an energy vampire, good to have it on charge all the time.
The MBUX user interface has one of the best natural voice command systems I’ve ever
experienced in a car, right up there with a smart phone.
And you use the phrase “hey Mercedes” How may I help you?
I need directions to a vehicle charging station.
Mercedes how may I help you.
I need a place where I can charge the car up.
That’s awkward.
The cluster can be configured in a number of different ways.
On the surface level, EQS is easy to drive off the showroom floor.
And with a little nosing around most features can be found.
I can see where it would take weeks, even months to master the depth of the system.
It’s like Microsoft Office.
Most of us use 10 percent of its power at best.
Wow.
Have you talked about the super soft headrests?
He’s easily amused.
All right, let’s talk about the backseat.
So we’re both 5 foot nine, right?
Headroom is very generous, knee, leg, and foot room also generous, what you would expect
from an S Class.
These cushions are especially comfortable, they just coddle me.
The door openings are big enough to get car seats in and out, also large executives, pockets
are lined so stuff doesn’t rattle round.
Kind of surprised, there are do built in sunshades back here.
Also surprising, no separate climate zone back here, that’s an option.
At least I can charge my phone and 126 grand as tested seeds need a kids or executives
will fight over these pockets.
The floor is not completely flat, there is the smallest structural area here but still
it leaves plenty of foot room for three average sized adults and the cushions have room for
three adults as well.
This really is a nice space, between the comfort and all of the ambient lighting and the great
roof I like it back here.
Being practical guy, I like this EQS.
It isn’t just a luxury vehicle, it’s a useful hatchback.
There’s a security shade that’s fairly easy to remove but it doesn’t have a dedicated
storage space, it won’t fit securely in here.
There’s no spare tire and that travel charge cord is an option.
There are some bits to help organize the space and hang bags.
The luxury of remote seat releases is not a thing though.
A trip to the rear doors must be done.
I suppose it means you’ll get more steps in.
Seats dropped there’s 63 cubic feet to fill.
Great that these are split 40/20/40 so skis and snow boards travel securely, keeping wind
noise down and range up.
Oddly enough, the folks at Warehouse Number 1 were out of TP so I moved onto different
paper products.
The towels are roughly the same spatially, just a slightly different shape.
This is 22 cubic feet or 6 packs of this stuff.
You know, I use TP because it’s inherently funny.
Paper towels?
Not so much.
Anyways, let’s get to Red Light Green Light.
Green Light- If there are cars in heaven, they ride like this.
What a sanctuary.
The lovely cabin, dominated by the Hyperscreen and ambient lighting looks like the future.
The range and power of the EQ platform is impressive, bodes well for Mercedes.
Have to be impressed with the sheet metal’s wind cheating co-efficient of drag.
Yellow Light- The super slippery silhouette comes off as plain to some eyes.
The rich looking cabin has some hard plastic pieces that get touched often.
And also tactile, the haptic control panel has a rubbery, less than premium feel.
Red Light- Being sort of picky because this car is so good- EQS doesn’t have a Supercharger-class
charging network, at least for now.
The 200kW charge speed doesn’t have the bragging rights of Porsche Taycan or even
Hyundai Ioniq5 or Kia Ev6.
The Hyperscreen is awesome, but test drive on a sunny day, to see if the slight reflection
bugs you.
The competition is scarce, you’ll be cross shopping Lucid Air and Tesla Model S. maybe
Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT but those have much cozier cabins.
Feature for feature, the EQS closely paces the Musk machine then throws in perfect build
quality, true cabin luxury and Mercedes refinement.
The Air is appealing with epic range but the newcomer has limited production and an unknown
track record.
True this car is 126 grand but it’s sort of transcends that price.
This is deeply impressive, you’ve got the goodness of an electric vehicle, the goodness
of Mercedes all in one.
It’s like chocolate and peanut butter two great things that go great together.
This is the future of S Class, electrification gives it the refinement that even the smoothest
piston powerplant can’t match.
And strong demand says Mercedes is onto something.
If you have the wallet and the patience for the waiting list, EQS 580 is a true star in
the luxury EV glaaxy.
Like many automakers, Mercedes is transitioning to an electrified future.
By 2030, the company hopes half its vehicles get electric drive systems, that means fully
electric vehicles AND plug-in hybrids.
For the near future I think plug-ins have a real place, especially since infrastructure
isn’t built out.
People that don’t understand EVs can get gun shy when it comes to that.
On the manufacturing side, Mercedes says the EQS is made in a carbon neutral manner in
Germany at Factory 56.
And the plant itself uses a lot of green material like recycled concrete for construction.
A solar array on the roof supplies some 30 percent of the power needs.
This year, all of the production plants that Mercedes owns will get their electricity exclusively
from renewable sources.
And it’s requiring suppliers to meet specific carbon neutral targets.
So wealthy folks are helping to make the whole process better for the planet.
Still, walking to the store or buying a bike does a lot more to reduce your carbon footprint.
Just saying.
So I woke up this morning and literally forgot to comb my hair.
And so I’m using coffee as hair gel.
Does it work?
You be the judge.
Thanks to Rob Callero for coming out.
One last piece of tech I’ll show, at traffic lights this view appears.
Great for when the signals are directly overhead and hard to see, or the sun is right behind
the lights.
This is the end where I normally give you guys a fun fact but this time I’m gonna
touch on something that some people in the comments get wrong and that’s automotive
paint.
I often see the comment “it’s got orange peel what a horrible paint job”.
Not exactly.
These days automakers, to protect the environment, are using waterborne paint and nearly every
car these days has a little bit of orange peel unless you’re talking about a Rolls-Royce.
I have this really great article that I am linking too, it’s in the description, check
it out, it explains why we have that little bit of ripple.
That’s the future folks.
Anyways thanks for watching remember to subscribe to this channel, click notifications, follow
me on Twitter I’m pretty active there, or leave a question if you have one in the comments,
all right?
I’m pretty good about getting back to people.
That’s driven I’m Tom Voelk