Mercedes EQS 450+ Luxury (2022 - )

The EQS is Mercedes first luxury saloon car that is fully electrified and it packs quite a punch. With a driving range between charges of up to 453 miles, range anxiety will most certainly be a thing of the past and the performance capabilities will satisfy any driving purists out there too.

It’s not cheap costing in the region of £100k and above, and there are options that can bump the price up even further. Customers have a good selection of trims to choose from called AMG Line, AMG Line Premium, AMG Line Premium Plus, Luxury and Exclusive Luxury. There are two further models that introduce Mercedes performance AMG to the mix. These are the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ Night Edition and Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ Touring models which do carry price-tags in excess of £160k.

This flagship model in Mercedes’ EV line-up is also the car to premiere the MBUX Hyperscreen with multiple screens beneath one pane of glass. This is standard on the Mercedes-AMG 53 models and available on AMG Line Premium trim level and above as an option costing £7,995.

The EQS saloon is guaranteed to turn heads wherever it glides by thanks to its beautifully streamlined body with athletic curves and sweeping light clusters.

Our test car in Luxury trim, sees the sporty styling of the AMG-Line cars replaced with a more classic appearance. It featured a blacked-out front grille housing the Mercedes three-pointed star emblem. There are chrome trim window surrounds and striking 22-inch alloys that are painted black with a high-sheen finish.

Moving inside, it’s impossible not to be wowed by the pure elegance and luxurious surroundings. Light floods into the cabin from the panoramic sunroof, but occupants are protected from the outside world thanks to darkened acoustic privacy glass.

The car features all-new Microcloud Artico upholstery, with ship-deck open-pore walnut wood trimmings, comfort seats with comfort headrests, 64-colour ambient lighting, heated front and rear seats, a leather-look dashboard and lots more besides. 

Powered seats and a power-adjustable steering wheel make it simple to find the perfect driving position and creature comforts inside this car are plentiful with the likes of a 12.8-inch upright infotainment screen with sharp graphics, a 12.3-inch driver information cluster, head-up display, full smartphone connectivity, sat nav, wireless charging and plenty more besides.

An EQ button takes you directly to all the relevant battery status figures with details about range, charging levels etc and special mention to the personal assistant which is certainly one of the most intuitive around. Summoned by the magic words “Hey Mercedes” it can complete functions such as turning on the heated seats, switching off the ambient lighting, opening the panoramic roof, plotting navigation routes, checking traffic updates and many more tasks. And that leaves the driver with both hands on the wheel and concentrating fully on the road ahead.

The Mercedes EQS features a 107.8kWh lithium-ion high-voltage battery that delivers 333hp and 568Nm of torque. That translates into some very impressive performance statistics with a 0-62mph sprint time of just 6.2 seconds and top speed of 130mph.

The large battery also means the car has a great driving range of 407-453 miles between charges. And it has the capacity to secure a rapid charge on longer journeys to quickly top up the range while you grab a coffee to go.

It does feel quite a wide car to drive when fizzing through the country lanes, but is beautifully agile with perfectly weighted steering that offers plenty of feel and feedback. And the car boasts 10-degree rear axle steering for added manoeuvrability.

The road holding is really grounded thanks to the car’s low centre of gravity and barely a sound filters through into the cabin. The driver can flick through Dynamic Select settings called Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual that alter the characteristics and handling of the car. In addition, the steering wheel paddles can be used to increase or decrease the levels of regenerative braking.

The EQS is a true motorway cruiser that effortlessly sits at 70mph eating up the miles and the Active Lane Keep Assist system with Active Steering can be used along with the Adaptive Cruise Control to keep you at a set speed, perfectly positioned in the centre of your lane and at a safe distance from the vehicle in front.

The EQS is Mercedes flagship EV and boasts a strong road presence with its dynamic styling and larger-than-life dimensions. It stretches 5,216mm in length, is 2,125mm wide and 1,512mm tall. 

The interior is exceptionally spacious with room in the back for a trio of adults to stretch out in absolute comfort thanks to generous amounts of leg, head and elbow room.

The boot is accessed via a powered lid and this can swallow 610 litres of luggage, a limit that increases to 1,770 litres with the split folding rear seats folded forward. There is a compartment beneath the boot floor to store all the charging cables out of sight, along with a number of practical storage options throughout the cabin.

These include a glovebox, deep central cubby, seat back pockets, wide door bins, some trays, plus front and rear cup holders.

The EQS’s large 107.8kWh battery can be charged from 10-100 per cent in approximately 15 hours and 30 minutes hours from a domestic wallbox. Alternatively, a rapid charge from 10-80 per cent using a 110kW point can be achieved in just 31 minutes.

The entry-level Mercedes EQS 450+ AMG Line costs £105,610 and as you progress through the line-up the price increases by £7,000. The range-topping EQS in Exclusive Luxury specification costs £119,610.

The high-performance models - the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ Night Edition and Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ Touring - both cost £161,860. 

Our test car was priced at £112,610 and there were no added options factored in. 

While EV drivers currently benefit from a number of Government-led incentives such as free road tax and the exemption from Congestion Charge fees that will all be changing in 2025.

But for now, the zero carbon emissions figure does still come with financial perks and, for anyone lucky enough to be considering the EQS as a company car, the Benefit in Kind tax rating is a very attractive two per cent.

The car comes with a fairly standard three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, although the battery gets a 10-year, 155,000-mile warranty. And this car was put through a gruelling testing process in extreme conditions before coming to market, so should deliver thousands of miles of trouble-free motoring.

The EQS, as tested, sits in insurance group 50.

We are being spoilt these days with outstanding premium saloon cars that are fully electrified. There are excellent vehicles from BMW, Porsche and Tesla to name just a few. 

So the Mercedes EQS faces stiff opposition, but has plenty to shout about too. It oozes class, is packed with high-end fixtures and fittings and is fabulous to drive.

And with a wealth of safety equipment and driver assistance aids, this Mercedes was awarded a maximum five-star rating when tested by Euro NCAP, securing a 96 per cent score for adult occupant safety and 91 per cent for children.