The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS is here, with all the luxury and tech you’d expect.
As the EV game continues to heat up, the stakes are high for Mercedes-Benz as it finally debuts the flagship EQS sedan to the world Thursday. It’s sunk billions of dollars into development over the past few years, and we in the U.S. will get to sample their efforts this fall, when the car’s two launch variants arrive at dealers. Before that, though, the German automaker revealed a host of details on its next sortie into the growing fight among EV sedans, from the dominant Tesla Model S to the Lucid Air, Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. Naturally, it’s not as radical as the Vision EQS concept that arrived back in 2019, but there’s still plenty worth talking about with the electric S-Class.
Against the concept, the production 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS comes in fairly understated in the exterior styling department, much like its conventional S-Class sibling. LED lighting stretches across both the car’s front and rear, which does create a silhouette that’s distinctive, if not as dramatic as the Vision concept. Mercedes employed a “cab-forward” design with the EQS, stretching the A-pillar forward and C-pillar backward to make the most spacious interior compartment.
Mercedes-Benz EQS dimensions
The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS is 205.4 inches long in total — slightly shorter than the gas-powered S-Class. It’s 83.7 inches wide (including the mirrors), 59.5 inches tall and rides on a 126.4-inch wheelbase. Like the standard S-Class, the new EQS offers rear-axle steering for better maneuverability, up to 4.5 degrees in standard spec or, with an available option, up to 10 degrees.
While it may not look as angular or dramatic as some modern designs, Mercedes can boast a drag coefficient of 0.20 with 19-inch AMG wheels. That puts its efficiency at cutting through the air on par with the Tesla Model S, and slightly better than the upcoming Lucid Air.
The greenhouse itself is part of what Mercedes calls a “one-bow” approach, creating a single coupe-like roofline that stretches taut like a bow. The two-tone paint effect and the softer beltline all play into the aims of creating a luxurious flagship, though some of the more dramatic touches are found when you step inside.
You’ve heard of MBUX? Meet “Hyperscreen”
Inside, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS certainly won’t skimp on the sumptuousness or technology you’d expect from an S-Class-level flagship. One nice touch comes when you first get in, as all four “comfort doors” open and close automatically as selected by the driver. The glow of ambient lighting plays further into the capability of the MBUX infotainment system, which houses the Enhanced Energizing Comfort and Energizing Nature programs to soothe and enhance well-being and reduce stress. Convenience is also high on Mercedes’ list of priorities, as the EQS also incorporates wireless charging at the front and six 100-watt USB ports throughout the car, to say little of the rear-mounted displays on the seats.
The real headline, though, comes by way of the MBUX ‘hyperscreen’. The photos above show a whopping 56 inches of curved OLED screen between the A-pillars, broken out into three sections. The fully digital instrument cluster measures out to 12.3 inches, while the system also incorporates 17.7 inches for the central infotainment screen. The front passenger gets another 12.3-inch display all their own. That screen can be individualized with seven different passenger profiles. For all the voice commands, the “Hey Mercedes” function of MBUX can support 27 languages with Natural Language Understanding.
As with the S-Class, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS also gets features like the augmented reality head-up display. The system projects information onto a portion of the windshield with a diagonal reach of 77 inches, and places features like navigation directions as live elements in the driver’s field of view. For audiophiles out there, the EQS houses a standard 15 speaker, 700-watt Burmester surround sound system.
500+ horsepower and 478-mile range, Mercedes claims
Onboard, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS uses a battery pack with 107.8 kWh of usable energy. With a rated consumption of 16.9 to 20.0 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometers, the automaker claims a realistic average range of 770 kilometers (or 478 miles) on the global WLTP cycle. U.S. EPA figures tend to be much lower in practice, though the difference would put the EQS in striking distance of the Tesla Model S Long Range’s 412 mile figure. Mercedes quotes the same range total for both the base EQS 450+ and the more powerful, all-wheel drive EQS 580 4Matic version.
The base 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ houses just one synchronous electric motor, mounted on the rear axle. That provides 329 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 time in the 5.5 second range. The only other model available at launch, the EQS 580, takes the dual motor approach. That not only offers power to all four wheels, but ups the punch to 516 horsepower and 611 lb-ft of torque. The 0-60 time, by comparison, drops to 4.1 seconds. Mercedes pegs the car’s top speed at 130 mph no matter which version you order. While it’s not going to arrive this fall, Mercedes says it is planning a 630 horsepower performance version — possibly for a launch sometime in 2022.
To charge up, Mercedes claims the EQS needs 11.25 hours on a standard 240V Level 2 outlet. 110 kW DC fast charging yields quicker results, as you should be able to get from 10% to 80% state of charge in 31 minutes.
No word on pricing yet
Pricing on the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS will be available closer to the fall launch. Considering the cars its competing against, however, we expect the EQS 450+ to start right around $100,000. Since it’s the first Mercedes ‘EQ’ electric model to actually reach the United States, it should be priced competitively to give Mercedes the best shot at actually establishing a foothold in the EV market alongside its rivals.
