A few months after the launch of the full-size Mercedes EQS, the mid-size Mercedes EQE was revealed to mixed reviews from the automotive media. The four-door sedan’s exterior design splits opinion, and the MBUX Hyperscreen dashboard is on the gimmicky side of in-car technology.
Scheduled to arrive stateside for the 2023 model year, the all-new EQE has been recently spotted cruising near Los Angeles. Spied by KindelAuto, the prototype features a chromed trunk lid insignia that reads EQE 350.
By 350, the Stuttgart-based automaker is referring to a rear-wheel-drive configuration with a 215-kW electric motor driving the rear wheels. That’s 288 horsepower and 391 pound-feet (530 Nm) of torque, which isn’t shabby for the base variant. Slightly longer in wheelbase than the Mercedes E-Class, the zero-emission sibling features a 90.6-kWh battery pack that’s presumably good for 660 kilometers (410 miles) of range on the WLTP.
Later on, the German automaker intends to add 4Matic all-wheel drive to the list of extras, along with a performance-oriented variant befitting of the AMG suffix. The only other thing we know about it comes in the guise of a power estimate: “around 500 kW” or in the ballpark of 671 horsepower, which is 80 horsepower down on the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4Matic+.
Expected to arrive in U.S. dealerships in the latter half of 2022, the aerodynamic sedan is rocking a drag coefficient of 0.20 just like the EQS. In other words, the all-electric Mercs are the most aerodynamic production cars in the world right now, beating the Tesla Model S and Lucid Air.
In addition to the 56-inch MBUX Hyperscreen array of curved screens, EQE highlights also include 64-color ambient lighting, Burmester premium audio, two levels of rear-wheel steering (4.5 and 10 degrees), AMG visual packages for the interior and exterior alike, a head-up display, four-zone automatic climate control with a HEPA filter, and a fingerprint sensor.
Over in the United States, the base 350 will presumably start from $70,000 before taxes and optional extras. For the sake of reference, the E-Class kicks off at $54,950 whereas the flagship EQS can be yours from $102,310.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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