My point is, you can’t diminish the issue of styling with a car like this. “The things that really matter” implies that styling shouldn’t matter, and it absolutely does with a vehicle like this. Something like a Prius or a Volt, not so much.

 

i'm sure when i see one of these on the road, i'm going to go 'wow'.

 

I do want to see one in person, maybe I will like it more. My salesman is going to call me when he gets one, he says he may have one before the end of October.

 

I agree. I think this is supposed to evoke an emotion, either positive or negative. The worst is neutral which means it didn’t do its job. I can’t wait to see one on the road to see if my impressions of the photos are the same as it is in real life.

 

I've spent about an hour riding in one so far and will have one for a while on Halloween weekend to drive. Honestly, those making a big deal about the styling might be disappointed for another reason. Quite frankly the car blends into traffic and the design begins to feel far from controversial. The EQS, in my opinion, looks futuristic but doesn't smack you in the face with it in person. It's physical size becomes readily apparent in person but the presence is toned down from the regular S-class (which I've driven for hours) with that car's upright grille and traditional proportions. From the pictures I think the AMG EQS version adds back a bit of visual flair that is welcome.

The amount of calm you feel inside is hard to describe because it doesn't come with the floatiness you usually associate with such a cosseting environment. It's truly next level and I say this after having the full Rolls-Royce experience more than a few times. Honestly it made me more excited for the eventual Rolls-Royce EVs.

I will note that the high cowl compromises front visibility and the rear seat is compromised compared to the S-class.

The DC-area test drive event will be coming soon if you're interested. https://www.mercedeseqtestdrive.com/...efId=testdrive

 

I agree, ride quality and silence are very important. However, I disagree those two attributes are the only things that really matter.

Range, utility (it's a hatchback after all), EV drivetrain efficiency, minimalist interior ( as in not having a gazillion pre historic buttons - the EQS is not bad in this regard) , ease of charging on trips are also things that really matter IMHO.

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Wow, what is the world coming to?? You actually like an EV???? 😃

All the reviews I've watched - the reviewer has seen the car in person and every single one of them has talked about it's exterior design not being so great, so I doubt your opinion (or mine,) will change much when we see it in person. 😃

 

People have every right to dislike the exterior design, as the original excuse of "it's for the sake of aerodynamics" completely fell apart the moment the EPA range figures were disclosed. So the range is no longer an excuse for its ugliness lol.

You could shove batteries underneath an S-Class and it would give you the same ride experience. It may not have as much range as the EQS, but when the EQS's range itself is nothing to write home about for a battery that large (110 kWH), then what's the point?

 

Just sticking the batteries under the S-class, a car not designed for it, would've made for a far worse vehicle. MRA II platform was never designed for full-electrification. Based on my own personal experience and that of some of the reviews I watched, the EQS will have absolutely no problem meeting/beating it's EPA numbers which is the whole point of maximizing aerodynamics. Remember all of that hoopla around the Taycan's low range only to find out it's real-world results were higher?

Now, in my opinion only, they could've made the car more attractive even while keeping the same profile. I think the EQE even looks better and it even has the same shape.

Here's some good insight as to why Tesla's advertised range is so high yet they fall short in the real world: https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...range-numbers/. Mercedes went conservative here which I think is going to be a bit of an issue as the AMG models are going to have even less EPA-rated range.

 

Can you provide a source for this? I doubt Mercedes is so short-sighted that they designed a brand-new 2021 platform that doesn't have the ability to be turned into an EV. Even Audi and BMW were able to electrify their vehicles using older ICE platforms.

 

The only reason AMG models may have lower range is the wheel / tire combo. Making an EV more powerful doesn't impact range much. The much more powerful dual motor EQS is only 10 miles lower than the RWD EQS probably just due to the weight (200 lbs more). Also, you can't just stick in batteries under an ICE platform...i bet the S class with batteries would be lucky to get 200 miles in range. Modular platforms for EVs just don't work well...has to be bottom up dedicated design to optimize every piece for less drag and aero.

I think the EQS will get similar range as the Model S in real world driving which is fantastic...350 miles in real world use is all you really need if you have infrastructure. The bigger issue will be that Tesla has a much better charging network and that alone will keep Model S sales much higher than the EQS.

 

"looks like nothing else on the road" is not necessarily aspirational.



I wouldn't be surprised if the EQS goes through an emergency styling refresh in the next 2 years.

 

Link to the Taycan/e Tron GT that validates an existing ICE platform was used?

You won't find any because they are brand new designed from the ground up as EVs.

 

The original E-Tron crossover was built on top of an ICE platform.

 

The source is that they created this EVA2 platform for their electric vehicles- not short sighted at all. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes have all electrified existing ICE platforms with mixed results. Audi and Mercedes are moving to electric-only platforms. The Q4 e-tron is on MEB, E-tron GT is on J1, Q6 e tron will be on PPE. The Mercedes EQC (not coming to U.S.) is on a modified MRA platform, but its porky with poor range as a result; the EQA and EQB are similarly on electrified ICE platforms. But that's not optimal, which is why everything is being moved to EV-only platforms over time.

The BMW iX is on an all electric platform but is a one-off. BMW is mostly using their CLAR "convergence" Platform that can accept all propulsion forms but will be moving to the Neue Klasse architecture that is "electric-first", but still can accept ICE. Time will tell if that was a good idea.

We agree on everything here.

I very, very highly doubt it. The EQE and SUV variants of both sedans are going to have similar styling. This is it for a while.

Yep...
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The existence of a dedicated EV platform doesn't mean a brand's ICE platforms suddenly become incapable of supporting EV's. BMW's upcoming lineup has both dedicated EV platform vehicles (iX) and vehicles built on top of existing ICE platforms (i4). Same with Genesis (GV60 on its own EV platform and electric G80 on an ICE platform). And I just mentioned Audi.

We also don't know how scalable the Mercedes EV platform is- so far we've only seen its application in large vehicles (the EQE and EQS boast wheelbases over 200in long). I bet the inevitable EV version of the new C-Class on the MR2 platform will still be using the MR2 platform.