“Wow, what a car! Even better than the Audi Q7 you got last year.” These were the words of my younger sister-in-law as she walked in to our house the other evening with my brother and their three-year-old daughter. Plus, since I had the key-fob in my pocket, the Merc’s proximity sensors had unlocked the car, making the illuminated door handles pop-out, thereby giving another reason for the family to appreciate its aura.
That should tell you a lot about how it will be perceived by the onlookers in case that matters to you. It’s a big vehicle, but not one that’s imposing or intimidating. A handsome gentle giant is what it is. In fact, the EQS turned way more heads than the GLS 450d I had tested last year. It’s also way better looking than its direct rival, the BMW iX. To be honest, that BMW is borderline ugly, while this Merc looks like an ex-supermodel who’s still in great shape.
INTERIORS
The cabin of the EQS 450, as expected, is absolute Mercedes nirvana. It’s uber luxurious in every way, which will always silently remind you that it’s money well spent on this one. I won’t get into the feature-list here as that’s something you can check on Merc’s website. I would just tell you that there’s nothing in this segment that feels more luxurious than the EQS 450, at this price (almost 1.5 crore rupees on road).
That said, I still have a few complaints. The ORVMs are not auto-dimming; the rear door pockets don’t have liners, and the rear windows don’t have sunblinds. Plus, the rear seats should have had massage function (the front seats do). It’s not there. At this price, dear Mercedes, I would expect a personal masseuse.
However, all seats are immensely comfortable, and what you would really appreciate is the absolutely flat floor at the rear. Also, there is no dearth of space inside. There shouldn’t be as this five-seater is longer and wider than the Fortuner. In fact, it has a longer wheelbase than that of the recently launched MG Majoestoc. Therefore, if everyone in your family is over six feet tall, the EQS will keep you happy.
The boot is humongous as well, which, despite the odd spare-wheel placement, will be able to accommodate all your cargo needs, and then some.
I must also add here that the digital lights are awesome, and so is the music system. And, yes, it does get soft-close doors as well.
PERFORMANCE, HANDLING, AND RIDE QUALITY
The EQS 450 is an excellent performer. Merc claims a 0-100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds but the car managed to dismiss the sprint in just 5.6 seconds. The braking is fantastic too. From 160 km/h it came to a complete halt in just 4.0 seconds. This was in Sport mode, but there’s always a huge reserve of instant torque available even in Eco mode. Please note that like all Mercs, even the EQS starts in Comfort mode, and then you can change the mode as per your liking.
The handling too, for such a big vehicle, is sublime in all the drive modes. The steering has near-perfect weight at all times and is fairly direct too. The chassis behaviour inspires confidence during high speed lane changes and the vehicle doesn’t get out of shape during boyish corner carving antics either. The all-wheel drive setup is the unsung hero here, which keeps the metal side up always. Plus, the rear-wheel steering shortens the turning radius making U-turns a cinch in our chaotic traffic conditions.
The ride quality for the most part is almost magical. You really do feel that you are in a special vehicle. It’s only the sharpest bumps that you hear, but not FEEL as much, sometimes. And, yes, it has air suspension which can be raised in any mode. It will come down to its original height past 70 km/h and can be raised again at 50 km/h and below.
RECUPERATION MODES & RANGE
There are four recuperation modes: Strong, Normal, Intelligent, and No Recuperation. Strong Recuperation mode is best avoided as the retardation in speed is way too strong in this mode, which in India would mean getting rear-ended by someone just five minutes after taking the car out of showroom. It’s not the car’s fault, obviously; it’s just that you need to keep in mind the fact that the majority of road users in India have obtained their DLs without going through the proper legal procedure.
Avoid Normal Recuperation mode as well because that too would be overwhelming for the unintentional stalkers behind you. Choose No Recuperation in city traffic, and you can drive the EQS like a conventional car. Choose Intelligent Recuperation on the highways as that’s actually the most intelligent recuperation mode because it works in conjunction with ADAS. When you take your foot off the throttle, it allows the car to glide (coast in neutral) IF there is no vehicle ahead, keeping that “feeling of a regular car” intact, but it starts slowing down the car if there’s a vehicle ahead and the intensity of retardation would depend on the distance between the two vehicles.
You must be curious about the range now, right? Don’t worry, I have good news for you. And, unlike others, I won’t bore you with the claimed range figure. I will give you the range I got in this test. Yes, the actual real world range that involves regular “calm” driving interspersed with a few bursts of acceleration. Before I share the range I got, I must tell you that I did multiple full-throttle acceleration runs (and shared the time of the best run in the performance section), which is something no owner would do on a regular basis. Despite that, I got a range of 552 km in this test, which is phenomenal considering, at the cost of repetition, that no owner would do such performance testing regularly. Saner driving would surely take the figure to around 600 km or so, I reckon.
VERDICT
The Ei EQS stands for Electric but for most potential owners it may as well stand for Ego, and for pretty good reason. See, if they ask their assistant, real or virtual, to book the car that has the biggest battery pack right now, he/she/it would book the EQS 450 with their eyes closed because it’s the EQS 450 that has the biggest battery pack in India at present. There is no BMW or Audi that comes even close in this aspect. Porsche does but falls short by a few kilowatts.
THAT, together with the best-in-class exterior and interior, would itself seal the deal for them in favour of the EQS 450 4MATIC. The fact that it rides exceptionally well, handles great, and performs almost like a sports car, would be a bonus.
