Luxury marque unveils electric sedan

Mercedes-Benz has officially revealed its first all-electric luxury sedan, which promises 770km of range and a host of advanced autonomous technologies.

The EQS will lead the marque’s passenger car and all-electric EQ line-ups and is descirbed as the electric “sibling” of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

It is seen as a rival to the large electric sedan pioneer, the Tesla Model S, and is due to arrive Down Under in December 2021.

Based on Mercedes-Benz’s new dedicated electric vehicle platform, two variants will be available at launch. There will be a rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+, and the EQS 580 4Matic.

The entry-level 450+ features a single electric motor on the rear axle that delivers 245kW and 568Nm. It can accelerate from 0-100kph in 6.2 seconds and has a top speed of 210kph.

Meanwhile, the 580 4Matic adds another electric motor on the front axle, which can send 385kW and 855Nm to all four wheels. It also has a top speed of 210kph but it can race from 0-100kph in just 4.3 seconds.

Consumers will be able to select either a 90kWh or 107.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack, with the latter offering a driving range of up to 770km on Europe’s WLTP cycle.

The EQS allows DC fast charging at up to 200kW and can achieve a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 31 minutes at a 500-amp-plus station.

Up to 300km of range can be added with 15 minutes of charging on the 450+ variant, with the 580 4Matic gaining up to 280km over the same period.

Mercedes-Benz EQ’s trademark “Black Panel” faux grille dominates the front of the car and incorporates an LED daytime-running light strip across the fascia, along with sensors for the active safety and autonomous driving systems.

There are slim LED headlights that boast the same Digital Light technology offered in the S-Class, featuring 1.3 million pixels each capable of projecting road markings, warning symbols or other graphics directly onto the road surface.

At the rear, a full-width LED tail-light bar sits below a tailgate lip spoiler, with the rear-view camera hidden behind the Mercedes-Benz logo.

Inside the cabin there is the option of the MBUX Hyperscreen, a 1410mm-wide dashboard panel incorporating three digital displays – a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, 17.7-inch central touchscreen, and a 12.3-inch passenger display.

Entry-level models get the portrait infotainment screen and freestanding infotainment screen shared with the S-Class.

Comfort or Sport seat designs, along with up to eight interior colour combinations, and an array of leather, wood and metallic trim inlay options are also available.

Driver assistance features include adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

There’s also driver attention monitoring, autonomous emergency braking with cross-traffic intersection support, safe exit warning, and evasive steering assist.

Three park-assist systems are available, with the most advanced capable of navigating the car autonomously through multi-storey car parks and able to park itself in or remove itself from a space.

Other autonomous features include the Drive Pilot system that allows level three semi-autonomous driving at up to 60kph from the first half of 2022 – albeit only on certain sections of German highways.

Pricing will be announced closer to launch in its respective markets.