Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink
The times “they are a changing” in the car industry and Mercedes’ EQ sub-brand is a perfect example of where we might be heading now that carmakers are focusing more on sustainability, electric mobility and function before form.
First came the EQS, and now we have the EQE, another four-door sedan featuring a whole new design language – new not just to Mercedes, but to the whole world. While this applies to the EQS as well, I’m going to be talking mostly about the EQE here, since it just made its debut at IAA 2021 in Munich.
The 2023 Mercedes EQE, to me, looks like something a reasonably talented 10-year-old would have drawn on a sheet of paper back in the early 1990s if tasked with imagining a futuristic mid-size premium sedan. It pains me to say this, but the EQE’s non-conventional shape is a little weird. Just because we’re entering this new era of electric mobility doesn’t mean we’re willing to give up on having cars that look imposing and/or sporty.
And no, there’s nothing imposing or sporty about the Mercedes EQE. While the rear end design isn’t bad, the front end is just flat out dull to look at with that small overhang, gaping black panel where the grille would have been and headlights that blend into the fascia. Let me put it this way: if you’re hating on BMW for choosing function over form with regards to the old 5 Series GT or the current 6 Series GT, logic dictates that you’d do the same when it comes to the EQE/EQS duo.
We also know Mercedes can make a good-looking sleek sedan – pick any generation CLS, all of which have more character than any of these new EQ-brand models.
As for the regular E-Class, if we were to compare it with the EQE in terms of size, the latter would indeed hold the advantage. The EQE is longer, wider and taller than the E-Class, and features a considerably larger wheelbase (122.8 inches vs. 115.7 inches). However, the E-Class has more trunk space (19 cu.ft vs. 15 cu.ft), and unlike the EQS with its hatchback-like trunk, the EQE’s trunk mechanism works like on a typical sedan, so you can’t argue for it being more practical in that sense.
It’s true that we’re simply not used to what Mercedes is trying to do with some of their more recent designs, and cars like the EQE might just be ahead of their time. It’s also possible we might never see another conventional-looking all-new sedan within the next 10 or so years, and that’s both fascinating as well as sad, in a way.
Still, it can’t all be about aerodynamic designs, because range anxiety will stop being a thing, at some point (soon probably), and you won’t want to be the one driving something that looks more like a geometric shape than an actual automobile.
I do however like the two EQE 350 models on display at Mercedes' IAA 2021 stand. Both have AMG-styled bumpers, futuristic-looking wheels and contrasting colorways. Of course, the interior is stunning and we wouldn't expect anything less from a Mercedes-Benz.
The 2023 Mercedes EQE, to me, looks like something a reasonably talented 10-year-old would have drawn on a sheet of paper back in the early 1990s if tasked with imagining a futuristic mid-size premium sedan. It pains me to say this, but the EQE’s non-conventional shape is a little weird. Just because we’re entering this new era of electric mobility doesn’t mean we’re willing to give up on having cars that look imposing and/or sporty.
And no, there’s nothing imposing or sporty about the Mercedes EQE. While the rear end design isn’t bad, the front end is just flat out dull to look at with that small overhang, gaping black panel where the grille would have been and headlights that blend into the fascia. Let me put it this way: if you’re hating on BMW for choosing function over form with regards to the old 5 Series GT or the current 6 Series GT, logic dictates that you’d do the same when it comes to the EQE/EQS duo.
We also know Mercedes can make a good-looking sleek sedan – pick any generation CLS, all of which have more character than any of these new EQ-brand models.
As for the regular E-Class, if we were to compare it with the EQE in terms of size, the latter would indeed hold the advantage. The EQE is longer, wider and taller than the E-Class, and features a considerably larger wheelbase (122.8 inches vs. 115.7 inches). However, the E-Class has more trunk space (19 cu.ft vs. 15 cu.ft), and unlike the EQS with its hatchback-like trunk, the EQE’s trunk mechanism works like on a typical sedan, so you can’t argue for it being more practical in that sense.
It’s true that we’re simply not used to what Mercedes is trying to do with some of their more recent designs, and cars like the EQE might just be ahead of their time. It’s also possible we might never see another conventional-looking all-new sedan within the next 10 or so years, and that’s both fascinating as well as sad, in a way.
Still, it can’t all be about aerodynamic designs, because range anxiety will stop being a thing, at some point (soon probably), and you won’t want to be the one driving something that looks more like a geometric shape than an actual automobile.
I do however like the two EQE 350 models on display at Mercedes' IAA 2021 stand. Both have AMG-styled bumpers, futuristic-looking wheels and contrasting colorways. Of course, the interior is stunning and we wouldn't expect anything less from a Mercedes-Benz.
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