Well, we all knew this was coming sooner or later: Mercedes-Benz’s much-anticipated EQS SUV has hit our shores, bringing with it a roomy seven seats, a claimed range of 610km and, for the motorheads big on bops as you go, an immersive audio package courtesy of Apple Music’s Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, a first for luxury cars here.
The EQS SUV (sports utility vehicle), taller and roomier than its saloon cousin, is available in two variants – the EQS 450 4MATIC SUV Electric Art, and the pricier EQS 450 4MATIC SUV AMG Line.
Both models are functionally identical – the main differences are cosmetic, but more on that later – boasting twin electric engines putting out a combined 360 horses and 800Nm of torque.
This means the heavyset vehicle completes the century sprint at a jog of 6 seconds, with a top-end speed of 210kmh.
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It’s certainly no speedster, but a hefty 107.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an economical 20.5kWh per 100km power efficiency provides a comfortably long range that should bring you from Woodlands Checkpoint all the way to Ipoh, Perak without stopping.
In any case, a maximum DC charging rate of 200kW means that a half-hour break at a compatible charger can bring you from 10 to 80 per cent.
Shades of the EQS SUV’s all-terrain aspirations can be seen in its off-road driving mode, coupled with a 4Matic all-wheel drive for extra traction and control. Most of the time though, it’ll help the 5,125mm-long automobile schlep up hilly roads, or take tight corners better in urban Singapore.
A carryover from the EQS sedan is the Digital Light headlamps, which use a combination of three high-power LEDs in each headlamp, 1.3 million micro-mirrors and a mighty graphic processing unit to precisely distribute light where it’s needed. You’ll be able to safely illuminate traffic signs without blinding oncoming traffic.
There’s also the optional augmented reality heads-up display, which subtly overlays real-time navigation information onto your windscreen, further minimising distraction from the road as you no longer need to look elsewhere to know when’s your next turn.
While EVs are naturally quiet rides, drivers can set the mood with three separate soundscapes both interior and exterior.
They could also default to the EQS SUV’s immersive audiovisual entertainment suite, comprising a high-end Burmester 3D surround sound system integrated with Dolby Atmos, included as default in the AMG Line and compatible with Apple’s ecosystem, complementing a hyperscreen that stretches across the dashboard, including the passenger side, running on the second generation of Mercedes-Benz’s in-vehicle operating system MBUX.
The rest of the interior is as luxurious as you’d expect of a Benz, for both the Electric Art Line and the cosmetically upgraded AMG Line. Think nubuck leather seats, laser-patterend open-pore ash wood trimming, ambient lighting on the door panels – the works.
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