Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4MATIC SUV

Exterior

Draped in a suave Alpine Grey paint job, our tester looks restrained, but distinctive. Of course, the Star on the grille performs all the introductions wherever the vehicle goes. Then, the front grille, if you can call it that due to its lack of openings, highlights the fact that this is an EV. Meanwhile, those 21-inch AMG 5-spoke light alloy wheels are part of the AMG Line exterior package. Those glaring headlamps are backed by the DIGITAL LIGHT Package, which provides you with adaptive high beams as well. Moving on to the side profile, you’re left with no doubt that this is a large SUV, all 5.125 metres of it. The rear too is quintessentially Mercedes-Benz EV, leaving no-one in any doubts about who made this car. I’m going to let the pictures talk for themselves now, because while the exterior is pleasingly stylish, the next sections are far more important.

Mech & Tech

Since it’s an EV, there’s no conventional engine under the hood (in fact inside the “hood” is not accessible by the owner and is only accessible by authorized technicians – from DIMO). Instead, you’ve got a duo of electric motors, one per axle. Together, the motors make up to 355hp and 590lb-ft (that’s 800 in Newton-Meters). There’s no transmission either, since it’s a direct-drive system. Power is provided by a high-voltage battery pack with a usable capacity of 108.4 kilowatt hours. There’s fast charging capabilities too, including AC fast charging. We’ll tell you all about charging in a subsequent section

Elsewhere, it’s all pretty conventional luxury car/SUV stuff. Large, ventilated disc brakes provide stopping power (in addition to regenerative braking). The big Merc sits on all-round air suspension with adaptive damping. It also shares a platform with the EQS Sedan. Another feature it shares with that car, is rear-wheel steering. This system is most observable by the vehicle behind and can look a bit weird to onlookers. But rest assured, it’s definitely practical and useful.

Driving Impressions

Entering the EQS 450 SUV, I find the driving seat parked far back, making entry supremely easy. However I have to stretch to push the brake pedal as I thumb the centre console-mounted starter. Then, as the vehicle ‘starts’, the seat automatically adjusts to the last set position. Of course, it’s a memory seat, and comes with pre-sets. If I owned this vehicle, I could create my own profile of seat and mirror positions, plus other preferences. Then, I could call them up with a swipe of my finger on the centre console-mounted fingerprint reader. When you switch off the car, the driving seat moves backwards once again, to aid exit. There are side steps, but I didn’t need them. You aren’t that far off the ground, after all.

Finding a comfy driving position is easily done, and soon enough, I’m away. First impressions are that the EQS 450 SUV is superbly easy to drive, thanks to its great visibility and predictable external dimensions. You just instinctively know where the front end is and aren’t unnerved by the myriad trishaws and bikes swarming from all sides as we exit Dimo 800. Release the brake and the vehicle creeps forward (you can switch this on or off via the settings menu). A gentle tap on the floor-hinged gas pedal and you start to pick up speed.

Of course, delving deeper into the pedal’s travel reveals what 355hp and 800Nm can do. But it’s not your kidney-walloping experience of, say, an old-school turbocharged car. Instead, it’s more Mercedes-Benz-style iron-fist-in-velvet-plus-cushioned-glove. This car has got some plushly padded headrest covers, and I note how my head is progressively pushed into them under hard acceleration, rather than given a firm shove. After all, refinement is everything. Even the most lead-footed driver will find it relatively easy to drive the EQS 450 SUV smoothly. You can easily monitor your progress via the car’s digital gauge cluster (which offers several display modes), as well as the heads-up display. The latter is ergonomically superior, as your eyes don’t need to refocus between scanning the road ahead (distant vision) and looking at the car’s regular gauge cluster (closer vision).

Of course, performance is still amazing, to put it mildly. Nought to sixty is rated at six seconds and it definitely feels like it, maybe a smidge less. As speed builds, in-cabin refinement remains impressive. Thanks to the relative silence of an EV’s powertrain, automakers have other sounds to quell, such as wind and tyre noise. In the EQS 450 SUV, neither of these are apparent, even at speeds well over 100km/h (or the same three-figure number in MPH). What is apparent is, an artificial ‘engine’ sound that is piped through the Burmester sound system. It’s hard to describe, but there’s some whooshing, some pseudo-BOV sounds, and other sci-fi inspired elements. These are most apparent in Sport mode. Personally, EVs making sounds to mimic an internal combustion-engined car aren’t my cup of tea, but useful as a warning to pedestrians who thus far mostly relate a vehicle with the noise it makes! But then again you can switch it off in the vehicle’s settings menu.

Next up, regen. You’ve got three modes – Normal, Strong, and Off; selected via steering wheel-mounted paddles. These modes affect the regenerative effort of the motors when you let off the gas pedal, sending energy back into the battery pack. Off is, as you guessed it, no regen, making for effortless coasting. Normal is pretty decent for most driving duties. It’s like backing off while in gear when driving an old-school manual transmission-equipped car. Now, what about Strong? This is the one that lets you do one-pedal driving in the EQS 450 SUV. The regen is really strong, and you rarely need to touch the brake pedal. You ‘judge’ your deceleration by how much you release the gas pedal. In fact, the gas pedal actually gets harder, needing more effort to press under this mode. So, you’ve got even more fine-tuned control over your driving. I really enjoyed this mode, but soon switched to normal, because I wanted to wring the living daylights out of the EQS 450 SUV and see what all 355hp and 800Nm could do.

Finally, let’s talk about the ride. Bumps are well-damped, edgy potholes and manhole covers become mild disturbances, and speed humps aren’t sudden jolts that send you skyward. That’s because, unlike some other automakers who worship rubber-band tires for their SUVs, the EQS 450 SUV wears decent, chunky rubber. The 45-profile tires have a noticeable amount of meat in their sidewalls, helping cushion impacts before they reach the suspension for further cushioning. So, does handling suffer? Well, not really. I did throw the EQS 450 SUV around some corners in Sport and Comfort modes, getting on the throttle mid-corner as well, and it coped admirably. Body roll was a little noticeable in Comfort, but nothing alarming. In Sport, it was minimized. Oh, and that neat rear-wheel steering system comes into its own when making tight parking manoeuvres or trying to pull a quick U-turn. I must also mention that there’s an off-road mode, which primes the traction control system and increases the ride height. It also offers hill descent control.

Living With the EQS 450 SUV

Where do I start? Firstly, you’ve got four-zone Thermotronic automatic climate control with Air Balance air purification and scent dispensing too. Then, you’ve got powered front seats with heating, ventilation, and multiple massage modes too. This was the most amazing aspect, and I may have to let out a few expletives (in a good way) as I explored the myriad modes it offers. The seat ventilation was welcome too, and we never switched it off during our test. Meanwhile, the rear seats offer power adjustment for the backrest angle plus seat cushion position. They have got heating as well, but no ventilation. I would have preferred it the other way for Sri Lanka, given that heated seats are almost useless in our tropical climate, but ventilated seats are much more welcome. Also, I noted that the EQS 450 SUV didn’t have soft-close doors; a feature that would have really elevated it to the next level of sophistication and luxury.

Moving on, we’ve got a sublime Burmester premium 3D surround sound system, that I tested with some high-res audio. Suffice to say, it was mind-blowing. The level of acoustic balance and definition was definitely fitting of a top-shelf Mercedes-Benz product. All this is controlled via the car’s sophisticated MBUX infotainment interface, with Navigation Plus, and it includes a Sri Lanka map too. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is USB and Bluetooth connectivity. The vehicle’s 360-degree camera displays on the central infotainment screen too. And then… what’s this? The front passenger gets a screen too! Moving on, we’ve got active, colour-changeable ambient lighting, no less than six USB-C charging ports up front (and more for the second row), two wireless phone chargers (one up front and one in the rear), and the MBUX High End Rear Seat Entertainment System. This includes a pair of wireless headphones too, so that your rear-seat passengers can listen to their movie without disturbing everyone else – especially if you’ve got small kids who like the same nursery rhyme on repeat.

The seats are covered in soft and supple Nappa leather in Black and Space Gray, while there’s Ship’s Deck Maple Wood trim. Then, you’ve got a lovely panoramic sliding sunroof, which is actually a duo of sunshades that open to expose the fixed glass roof. The sunshades are controlled via a slick touch panel in the overhead console. Actually, this car uses a lot of touch controls – even the seat position switches are more touch than push-type units. However, they do have a slight detent, to tell you that you’ve made a selection. The same is true of the steering wheel multifunction controls. However, some items such as the MBUX controls in the centre console and the rear climate controls are more clicky-button style ones.

The EQS 450 SUV has a third row of seats, but they’re only really suited for children. I didn’t even attempt to get in there, as I knew it would be pointless. The average size of a family is less than five anyways, so chances are, those third-row seats will see very occasional use. Instead, you can make great use of the vehicle’s 800 litres of cargo capacity with the third row stowed. Mind you, this figure is if you don’t stack cargo above the window line – if you don’t mind doing this, you’ll easily get over 1,000 litres. If you fold down the second row as well (power folding, no less), your EQS 450 offers just over 2,000 litres of cargo space.

What about build quality? I poked and prodded at the interior panels. I pushed at the switches and touch panels from various angles. I tested the door closing action to see if it felt solid, and it did. Everything in the cabin seemed pretty well put together, but you’d expect nothing less from Mercedes-Benz. True, the brand did somewhat lose their mojo about two decades ago, but products from around the mid-2010s onwards that we’ve tested show that they’ve more than gained it back. The EQS 450 SUV is no exception, and our tester is a testament to that.

Safety

Being a Mercedes-Benz product, you’ve got the veritable kitchen sink of safety tech – two sinks, to be frank. Everything, from automatic emergency braking to lane keeping assistance to adaptive cruise control is there. DISTRONIC PLUS with BAS Plus, the parking package, active parking assist, adaptive high beams and airbags wherever you look, are all included. Hands-free access, keyless go, an anti-theft alarm system, automatic door locking, and evasive manoeuvre support are on board as well. In short, this car’s probably got more safety features than you’ll ever need. There’s even an on-board dashcam (with the iconic Star on it), so you don’t need to buy an aftermarket one.

Range and Charging

The stated range for the EQS 450 SUV is around 450 kilometres. Of course, this depends on traffic conditions, driving style, use of on-board amenities, and even time of driving. For example, if you predominantly drive at night, those sophisticated DIGITAL LIGHT headlights will eat up some charge. Ditto if you prefer the air con at colder temperatures, and use the seat ventilation plus massaging too. If you use a careful right foot and are willing to give up some conveniences, you might see 500 kilometres. But why would you buy an EQS 450 SUV to suffer? Especially when it can charge pretty quickly with the right charging equipment. Let’s learn…

The 2024 EQS 450 SUV’s 108.4 kilowatt-hour battery is rated to take just 31 minutes to charge from 10%-80% on a DC fast charger. DC fast charging rates of up to 200 kilowatts are supported. Should you be using an AC fast charger, the vehicle can charger at up to 22 kilowatts. Furthermore, the brochure tells me that using a 11-kilowatt AC wall-box will take the battery from 10% to 100% in 5 hours 30 minutes. This gels well for home charging, as you can even arrive home after midnight, plug the vehicle in, and have a fully charged battery before you leave for work the next morning. Conversely, you can hook up to a 2.3-kilowatt AC home socket, and still achieve 10%-100% in less than 12 hours.

Price & Warranty

The spec sheet for this particular 2024 EQS 450 4MATIC SUV says that the price inclusive of VAT is Rs. 96.1 million. That’s a not inconsiderable amount of money, and one that could easily buy you a decent house these days. But, if you’re shopping at this level, chances are that your house is already worth at least three times of what this car sells for. Furthermore, Dimo tell us that the high voltage traction battery bears a 10 year / 250,000-kilometre warranty. Given that the average buyer of a vehicle of this ilk will keep it for less than five years, you’re pretty much covered. 

Final Words

So, what do I think about the 2024 EQS 450 SUV? Well, it’s a good-looking luxury SUV, with space for seven (five adults plus two kids), a large trunk, and nearly every luxury and tech feature that you can think of. Oh, and it’s got properly eye-widening acceleration, but does so in such a suave manner that you won’t unruffle anybody on board. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the EQS 450 SUV. Plus, with a 400+ kilometre range and plenty of charging options, it can easily criss-cross the pearl at will. Most importantly, it’s got the hallowed Star on its nose. So, for the well-heeled luxury car buyer who wants a Mercedes-Benz product that’s an EV and an SUV, here’s your best choice. DIMO will be waiting for your call.