[LittleJoe]

Videos showed up yesterday of the upcoming EQS SUV still under wraps but you can see the interior. This is an EV my wife and I are interested in seeing in person.

[07e92]

Test drove EQS, and now disappointed that EQS SUV is the same as EQS in lacking of 1 pedal driving and its brake awkwardly pressing itself during re-gen

[TechCTU]

Will be interesting to see the specs to see if it will have same as the EQS 580. If so I would be interested in seeing it as well. The fact it will be built in the US will help in distribution times for the US market.

[LittleJoe]

Originally Posted by TechCTU

Will be interesting to see the specs to see if it will have same as the EQS 580. If so I would be interested in seeing it as well. The fact it will be built in the US will help in distribution times for the US market.

It will go first to the US market, unlike the iX which everybody in the world has before the US.

[LittleJoe]

Originally Posted by 07e92

Test drove EQS, and now disappointed that EQS SUV is the same as EQS in lacking of 1 pedal driving and its brake awkwardly pressing itself during re-gen

I turned 'B' off (one pedal driving) in my test drive of the iX, I would have to get use to it. I didn't really care for it but I get the advantages of using it. As for the EQS, if definitely does one pedal driving if you want it.

"More impressive, however, is something Merc calls intelligent recuperation mode. Like the vast majority of other EVs, the EQS lets the driver determine how much regenerative friction braking they'd like to have via paddles behind the steering wheel, allowing for one-pedal driving. In addition to three regular modes (no regen, normal regen, and strong regen), the EQS has a fourth, "intelligent" setting which takes into account the car in front, its general surroundings, the current speed, and GPS-provided route data to essentially automate all of the braking done on a regular drive, even coming to complete stops."

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by LittleJoe

I turned 'B' off (one pedal driving) in my test drive of the iX, I would have to get use to it. I didn't really care for it but I get the advantages of using it. As for the EQS, if definitely does one pedal driving if you want it.

"More impressive, however, is something Merc calls intelligent recuperation mode. Like the vast majority of other EVs, the EQS lets the driver determine how much regenerative friction braking they'd like to have via paddles behind the steering wheel, allowing for one-pedal driving. In addition to three regular modes (no regen, normal regen, and strong regen), the EQS has a fourth, "intelligent" setting which takes into account the car in front, its general surroundings, the current speed, and GPS-provided route data to essentially automate all of the braking done on a regular drive, even coming to complete stops."

This sounds like the best of both worlds - wonder if the i7 will have it?

[stein_325i]

Looks good in camo so far, the more traditonal SUV shape definitely will make it a better looker than the sedan.

This model will definitely give MB a nice advantage on the market, as other than Tesla, I believe they will be the only other three-row EV on the market (Rivian R1S still not mass produced).

[hugo_nz]

It's going to be hyper expensive, and the that Hyperscreen...the concept is neat but it's going to be a dust and fingerprint magnet and a glare nightmare. And personally I think it's not all that good looking either.

[07e92]

The 1 pedal driving most EV owners/reviewers and myself usually refer to is allowing you to stop the car completely without hitting the brake. i.e. , you slowly relief the acceleration pedal, and the car will do the re-gen and eventually come to a completely stop; thus significantly helps to re-charge the battery and use less brake components.

My Tesla model X can do it, iX50 I test drove (in "B") can do it, EQS 580 I test drove, no (plus its brake pedal awkwardly depressed itself), Taycon, no, and in the EQS SUV video, it was asked, and the answer looks almost certain a no too.

Originally Posted by LittleJoe

I turned 'B' off (one pedal driving) in my test drive of the iX, I would have to get use to it. I didn't really care for it but I get the advantages of using it. As for the EQS, if definitely does one pedal driving if you want it.

"More impressive, however, is something Merc calls intelligent recuperation mode. Like the vast majority of other EVs, the EQS lets the driver determine how much regenerative friction braking they'd like to have via paddles behind the steering wheel, allowing for one-pedal driving. In addition to three regular modes (no regen, normal regen, and strong regen), the EQS has a fourth, "intelligent" setting which takes into account the car in front, its general surroundings, the current speed, and GPS-provided route data to essentially automate all of the braking done on a regular drive, even coming to complete stops."

[TechCTU]

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

It's going to be hyper expensive, and the that Hyperscreen...the concept is neat but it's going to be a dust and fingerprint magnet and a glare nightmare. And personally I think it's not all that good looking either.

If pricing is at the same level with the EQS 580 top level trim and ticking all the options it would be about 20k more than the IX. I tend to tick all the options

I did price a 580 and it was about 128k plus the stealer markup of 15k above sticker. I said no thank you.

[ppagiga]

Something I really like about the ix second row is that the middle passenger has foot room because of the floating climate control stack. Noticed not the case here and came to mind

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by TechCTU

If pricing is at the same level with the EQS 580 top level trim and ticking all the options it would be about 20k more than the IX. I tend to tick all the options
I did price a 580 and it was about 128k plus the stealer markup of 15k above sticker. I said no thank you.

I am more interested in the EQE SUV, which is more an iX direct competitor. But it's likely not available until some time next year.

[07e92]

Agree, EQS SUV, it’s likely the size of MB GLS and should compare with EV version of X7 (if there would be one), EQE SUV is likely the size of MB GLE and is comparable to the size of X5 and iX.

Originally Posted by nosnoop

I am more interested in the EQE SUV, which is more an iX direct competitor. But it's likely not available until some time next year.

[ppagiga]

I’m getting excited for this vehicle. April 19 official unveil

[asrgt]

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

It's going to be hyper expensive,.

Your not wrong Mercedes switched to a fixed price model here, guaranteed to be shafted both at sales time and after sales by Mercedes Australia.

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by 07e92

Test drove EQS, and now disappointed that EQS SUV is the same as EQS in lacking of 1 pedal driving and its brake awkwardly pressing itself during re-gen

EQS has one pedal driving. In order to enable one-pedal driving you have to set re-gen to strong, and switch off creep mode. The idiot journalists who never read the manual never bothered to check the creep mode setting.

I have an EQS and I usually drive it with one-pedal driving, just like I used to have in my Tesla.

The brake pedal behavior is a valid concern but you get used to it.

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by TechCTU

If pricing is at the same level with the EQS 580 top level trim and ticking all the options it would be about 20k more than the IX. I tend to tick all the options

I did price a 580 and it was about 128k plus the stealer markup of 15k above sticker. I said no thank you.

EQS would be comparable to a BMW IX7 if BMW made that. That is why it is expensive. One plus is that there will be an EQS450 AWD model which will be less than the 580 but it will also be at least 20k more than an IX.

The competitor for the IX will be the EQE SUV which will be available in EQE350, EQE500, and EQE AMG trims. The EQE500 will likely be competitive with the IX 50i.

[TechCTU]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

EQS would be comparable to a BMW IX7 if BMW made that. That is why it is expensive. One plus is that there will be an EQS450 AWD model which will be less than the 580 but it will also be at least 20k more than an IX.

The competitor for the IX will be the EQE SUV which will be available in EQE350, EQE500, and EQE AMG trims. The EQE500 will likely be competitive with the IX 50i.

What are your thoughts on the EQS and the Hyper screen? It looks cool but does it work in practical use? Does the screen have glare with the angle?

The ambient lighting looks very bright in the night review
videos and seems to light up the car.

[LittleJoe]

stealth.pilot can answer questions about glare better than me regarding the Hyperscreen but I did get to see and touch it in a MB showroom and it is impressive. From the videos posted, it appears the Hyperscreen in the EQS SUV may be angled more upright possibly due to the higher seating position which should help reduce glare. In the EQS 580 I sat in, the Hyperscreen was angled back more than I expected but I've watched numerous reviews of the EQS with a Hyperscreen and none of the reviews ever complained about glare so the MB engineers positioned this massive piece of glass properly.

I plan to preorder an EQS SUV when ordering opens up and will option the Hyperscreen for sure. We're still taking delivery of the iX and we'll have plenty of time to compare it to the upcoming EQS SUV when it arrives at dealerships (who knows when). If we would trade the iX on the EQS SUV, I'm hoping we can get most if not all of our investment back with the long wait-times for a new iX. That's been the trend with used Tesla's. Two and three year old Tesla's are bringing as much as a brand new model in many areas of the country.

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by TechCTU

What are your thoughts on the EQS and the Hyper screen? It looks cool but does it work in practical use? Does the screen have glare with the angle?

The ambient lighting looks very bright in the night review
videos and seems to light up the car.

I haven't had any issues with glare on the hyperscreen. I live in Atlanta where most of the time I have clear blue skies. I also tend to drive with the glass roof open. Hyperscreen works great.

I'll post my broader perspectives on the EQS below.

[stealth.pilot]

My EQS Sedan review - may have some relevance for those considering the SUV.

I've had my EQS580 for over 2 months. As context, I took delivery of an EQS580 Premium Trim with only one option - the heated steering wheel. While I have a more loaded EQS580 in May (around the same time as my wife's BMW IX), I have been very impressed with the equipment level of the base model, and even in this configuration I find it stands up very well against the competition.

Overall NPS Score: 10 - I would buy this car again and I plan to in the summer when my Matte Grey Exclusive edition with all the options will be built. That said, there are a few areas where Mercedes could do a better job.

Things I love:
1) Mercedes build quality and attention to detail. This car has incredible attention to detail throughout. Hundreds of neat touches which make the car extremely livable and convenient. A few of my favorites are the AR navigation, the touch-id and face recognition driver profiles, the traffic light in the hyperscreen, the thought put into where to use physical buttons, the detail and design of the door handles. Also the fact that they didn't skimp on a roof blind which is something I have been using a lot and enjoying after driving a Tesla which was often flooded with too much sunlight on a bright day.
2) Hyperscreen and Zero-Layer MBUX. The Hyperscreen is amazing. I generally hate the proliferation of touch screens in cars, and generally preferred the scroll wheel like in iDrive - until now. The Hyperscreen version of MBUX with its zero-layer design is the best car UI I have ever used. I am amazed how intuitive and easy to navigate it is. Also the sheer size of the screen and the giant icons makes it easy to see and touch things without much distraction. The features you need are always within single click reach as shown in photos below.
3) Power delivery. Like all EVs the power delivery is excellent. The car feels fast, sporty, and incredibly responsive. While it is not as fast as my 680hp Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid, in day to day driving (non launch control) the EQS580 feels faster. Because the power band is instantly accessible at any time. The car also feels really planted. I was driving in 20 degrees using summer tires over the weekend's winter blast, and the car always felt totally planted.
4) Design. The car is beautiful. I am not saying that some aspects of the design couldn't be better, however the car gets noticed and draws excitement. I was at the St Regis in Atlanta for dinner a couple of weeks ago, and people were coming up to the car and taking photos. An older French guy called his son over and was raving about the amazing design. I've had some of my colleagues at work do the same. I even have people come over and talk about how they love the front end (which is not the forte of this design). The Interior design is a true work of art. So are the wheels, the exterior and interior lighting, etc. There is so much design excellence here and more than in any other EV.
5) Handling, steering and ride quality. The ride quality is amazing, and the handling is pretty good. The last time I drove an S-Class for an extended period of time was a W221 S-Class in Germany which I rented from Hertz. I hated that car. It felt like driving a boat. The EQS has that incredible magic carpet ride, but at the same time it feels alive in the corners. The steering is amazing - responsive, sharp, precise. I have taken this car on a spirited drive on a winding country road, and I enjoyed it. It's not a Porsche, but it in Sport Mode it is as good as a BMW 550i. That is pretty amazing. At the other end of the spectrum, in comfort mode it is so smooth. My 20 month old son sleeps better in the back of the EQS than in any other car. I love that. It's an S-Class in Comfort mode and a BMW 550i in Sport mode. Amazing. The turning radius has been mentioned a lot, but I have to say it is also amazing.
6) Configurability. This is normal for German cars, but since many cross-shop this with Tesla, I have to highlight the ability to configure drive modes is quite special and really amazing.
7) Comfort. The car is very comfortable. I already mentioned the ride quality. I don't even have the best seats on my base model, and yet the seats are still excellent. The rear seat has a higher rise than Tesla S and Lucid Air, and as such it is a much more comfortable rear seat and the best of any EV sedan I have been in. The sense of space is also amazing. I installed a Nuna Revv revolving convertible car seat (takes up a lot of ******* and even then there is bags of room. The retractable roof blind is a huge convenience that I open and close every day. I like having the glass roof, but in direct sunlight at midday, it is not so cool. I'm still dumbfounded that Lucid has no way to block out overhead sunlight.
8) Very stable software. The Hyperscreen has never crashed on me after 3 weeks. I couldn't say that about my 2021 Tesla.

Things that could be better:
1) Brakes. The first couple of days I found myself having to slam the brakes a couple of times due to underbraking. After some more experience with the car I have adapted to the way the brakes work. The issue is not brake performance. The brakes themselves are outstanding - large discs and calipers and capable of rapidly slowing the vehicle. Benchmarking shows the braking distance from 120kph is in line with cars like the BMW M5 Competition. The issue is the brake pedal moves during regenerative braking which means how much pedal travel you need to do depends on where in the regen cycle the car is. This is not intuitive and is what caused my initial under braking. If you drive the car with regen off the braking is 100% normal. This is an issue specific to the non-AMG EQS. I think Mercedes needs to rethink this design choice on pedal behavior. As you can see below - the brakes themselves work great.

2) A few Tesla features like walk-away lock, phone key, gps suspension height, and GPS garage door opener. I am not a Tesla fan - i find their cars so basic and under-equipped that even a Ford has more features. But these specific software features are really well implemented and I would love if Mercedes copied them. The phone key and walk away door lock in particular are things I miss every day. I often find I forget to lock the car, and then lock it from the app later. At least the app reminds you.

3) Laggy UI in some instances. There are two instances where lag is evident and i fear the issue may be a substandard graphics processor. One is the red light camera view, where the cars crossing the screen appear to be choppy. The second is when i stream Disney Plus on the web browser and the video is choppy.

4) Audio System. The Burmester 3D is good, but when you are used to the Burmester 4D, then you find this sounds like inferior in comparison. It is an 800W standard Burmester system, versus the 1800 watt optional Burmester 4D in the S580.

5) Side window shades - or lack thereof. Side window shades are not as important as roof shade, so Mercedes did slightly better than Lucid which has the side shades but no roof shade. But it is nonetheless a surprising omission. My much cheaper 2012 BMW 550i had side window shades. I don't understand why the EQS does not - not even as an option.

6) Multicontour massage seats, heated steering wheel and 4-zone climate should be standard even if it raises base price. These features I think should be standard on a $120k car. Even if that means they need to make the price $121k vs $119k they should have done that.

7) Traditional buttons vs capacitive touch ones for seat memory. For some reason I always find myself struggling with the seat memory button. The capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel work fine, but the seat memories are so closely spaced, that I often get the wrong response.

Photos
1) The car looks very sleek and almost Panamera-like. Maybe not as beautiful as the 2nd gen Panamera, but a lot better than the first gen. I get a lot of complements on the front end and the grille. I also have a lot of people looking at the car, complementing me on it, asking questions. Generally most people love it.


2) The rear end looks best when the light bar is on. I wish we could program Rear-DRL so the light bar is always on when driving like on the European spec models.


3) The Ambient Light with Hyperscreen makes it feel like a Space Ship.


4) The incredible Zero-Layer interface. Navigation, with AR Directions Overlaid. At the same time the controls for the Audible Audio Stream are right there easy to reach. The Phone button is also right there and easy to pull up.


I love the phone menu is so large and easy to click. You don't get too distracted trying to press the right name.


CarPlay is gigantic, and they have used the extra space to fit more stuff on the split screen view.


The braking data below shows the brakes themselves are very impressive.

[TechCTU]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

My EQS Sedan review - may have some relevance for those considering the SUV.

I've had my EQS580 for over 2 months. As context, I took delivery of an EQS580 Premium Trim with only one option - the heated steering wheel. While I have a more loaded EQS580 in May (around the same time as my wife's BMW IX), I have been very impressed with the equipment level of the base model, and even in this configuration I find it stands up very well against the competition.

Overall NPS Score: 10 - I would buy this car again and I plan to in the summer when my Matte Grey Exclusive edition with all the options will be built. That said, there are a few areas where Mercedes could do a better job.

Things I love:
1) Mercedes build quality and attention to detail. This car has incredible attention to detail throughout. Hundreds of neat touches which make the car extremely livable and convenient. A few of my favorites are the AR navigation, the touch-id and face recognition driver profiles, the traffic light in the hyperscreen, the thought put into where to use physical buttons, the detail and design of the door handles. Also the fact that they didn't skimp on a roof blind which is something I have been using a lot and enjoying after driving a Tesla which was often flooded with too much sunlight on a bright day.
2) Hyperscreen and Zero-Layer MBUX. The Hyperscreen is amazing. I generally hate the proliferation of touch screens in cars, and generally preferred the scroll wheel like in iDrive - until now. The Hyperscreen version of MBUX with its zero-layer design is the best car UI I have ever used. I am amazed how intuitive and easy to navigate it is. Also the sheer size of the screen and the giant icons makes it easy to see and touch things without much distraction. The features you need are always within single click reach as shown in photos below.
3) Power delivery. Like all EVs the power delivery is excellent. The car feels fast, sporty, and incredibly responsive. While it is not as fast as my 680hp Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid, in day to day driving (non launch control) the EQS580 feels faster. Because the power band is instantly accessible at any time. The car also feels really planted. I was driving in 20 degrees using summer tires over the weekend's winter blast, and the car always felt totally planted.
4) Design. The car is beautiful. I am not saying that some aspects of the design couldn't be better, however the car gets noticed and draws excitement. I was at the St Regis in Atlanta for dinner a couple of weeks ago, and people were coming up to the car and taking photos. An older French guy called his son over and was raving about the amazing design. I've had some of my colleagues at work do the same. I even have people come over and talk about how they love the front end (which is not the forte of this design). The Interior design is a true work of art. So are the wheels, the exterior and interior lighting, etc. There is so much design excellence here and more than in any other EV.
5) Handling, steering and ride quality. The ride quality is amazing, and the handling is pretty good. The last time I drove an S-Class for an extended period of time was a W221 S-Class in Germany which I rented from Hertz. I hated that car. It felt like driving a boat. The EQS has that incredible magic carpet ride, but at the same time it feels alive in the corners. The steering is amazing - responsive, sharp, precise. I have taken this car on a spirited drive on a winding country road, and I enjoyed it. It's not a Porsche, but it in Sport Mode it is as good as a BMW 550i. That is pretty amazing. At the other end of the spectrum, in comfort mode it is so smooth. My 20 month old son sleeps better in the back of the EQS than in any other car. I love that. It's an S-Class in Comfort mode and a BMW 550i in Sport mode. Amazing. The turning radius has been mentioned a lot, but I have to say it is also amazing.
6) Configurability. This is normal for German cars, but since many cross-shop this with Tesla, I have to highlight the ability to configure drive modes is quite special and really amazing.
7) Comfort. The car is very comfortable. I already mentioned the ride quality. I don't even have the best seats on my base model, and yet the seats are still excellent. The rear seat has a higher rise than Tesla S and Lucid Air, and as such it is a much more comfortable rear seat and the best of any EV sedan I have been in. The sense of space is also amazing. I installed a Nuna Revv revolving convertible car seat (takes up a lot of ******* and even then there is bags of room. The retractable roof blind is a huge convenience that I open and close every day. I like having the glass roof, but in direct sunlight at midday, it is not so cool. I'm still dumbfounded that Lucid has no way to block out overhead sunlight.
8) Very stable software. The Hyperscreen has never crashed on me after 3 weeks. I couldn't say that about my 2021 Tesla.

Things that could be better:
1) Brakes. The first couple of days I found myself having to slam the brakes a couple of times due to underbraking. After some more experience with the car I have adapted to the way the brakes work. The issue is not brake performance. The brakes themselves are outstanding - large discs and calipers and capable of rapidly slowing the vehicle. Benchmarking shows the braking distance from 120kph is in line with cars like the BMW M5 Competition. The issue is the brake pedal moves during regenerative braking which means how much pedal travel you need to do depends on where in the regen cycle the car is. This is not intuitive and is what caused my initial under braking. If you drive the car with regen off the braking is 100% normal. This is an issue specific to the non-AMG EQS. I think Mercedes needs to rethink this design choice on pedal behavior. As you can see below - the brakes themselves work great.

2) A few Tesla features like walk-away lock, phone key, gps suspension height, and GPS garage door opener. I am not a Tesla fan - i find their cars so basic and under-equipped that even a Ford has more features. But these specific software features are really well implemented and I would love if Mercedes copied them. The phone key and walk away door lock in particular are things I miss every day. I often find I forget to lock the car, and then lock it from the app later. At least the app reminds you.

3) Laggy UI in some instances. There are two instances where lag is evident and i fear the issue may be a substandard graphics processor. One is the red light camera view, where the cars crossing the screen appear to be choppy. The second is when i stream Disney Plus on the web browser and the video is choppy.

4) Audio System. The Burmester 3D is good, but when you are used to the Burmester 4D, then you find this sounds like a Bose or a Harman Kardon in comparison.

5) Side window shades - or lack thereof. Side window shades are not as important as roof shade, so Mercedes did slightly better than Lucid which has the side shades but no roof shade. But it is nonetheless a surprising omission. My much cheaper 2012 BMW 550i had side window shades. I don't understand why the EQS does not - not even as an option.

6) Multicontour massage seats, heated steering wheel and 4-zone climate should be standard even if it raises base price. These features I think should be standard on a $120k car. Even if that means they need to make the price $121k vs $119k they should have done that.

7) Traditional buttons vs capacitive touch ones for seat memory. For some reason I always find myself struggling with the seat memory button. The capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel work fine, but the seat memories are so closely spaced, that I often get the wrong response.

Photos
1) The car looks very sleek and almost Panamera-like. Maybe not as beautiful as the 2nd gen Panamera, but a lot better than the first gen. I get a lot of complements on the front end and the grille. I also have a lot of people looking at the car, complementing me on it, asking questions. Generally most people love it.


2) The rear end looks best when the light bar is on. I wish we could program Rear-DRL so the light bar is always on when driving like on the European spec models.


3) The Ambient Light with Hyperscreen makes it feel like a Space Ship.


4) The incredible Zero-Layer interface. Navigation, with AR Directions Overlaid. At the same time the controls for the Audible Audio Stream are right there easy to reach. The Phone button is also right there and easy to pull up.


I love the phone menu is so large and easy to click. You don't get too distracted trying to press the right name.


CarPlay is gigantic, and they have used the extra space to fit more stuff on the split screen view.


The braking data below shows the brakes themselves are very impressive.

Great review, thanks for the info! It helps to see all the competition to make the best decision on what to go with.