Just take a look at any YouTube dragstrip video out there, or talk with your mates over a beer, and it will be clear that one of the biggest automotive industry conundrums is the brewing ICE vs. EV war. But it so happens that one can also get off scot-free.
This past week has seen a trio of main introductions that have the making of yin and yang, night and day, or - as they now like to say - ICE vs. EV glory. Seriously, after the all-out mayhem (in the best, post-restrictions way) that happened during the 2022 New York International Auto Show, probably no one would have thought the week that came after the agitated press days (April 13th and 14th) would be riddled with major PHEV and EV reveals.
Yet here they are, the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, the Lexus RZ 450e, and the Ferrari 296 GTS. Frankly, if you want our two cents on the matter, these new arrivals just solved the conundrum of keeping your consciousness sane and sustainable. Bear with us, as we are going to explain.
So, there is a new Prancing Horse that is about to hit the crowd with the force of a twin-turbocharged V6 plug-in hybrid assembly that packs no less than 818 ponies. One needs a massive ranch to keep them happily confined, and an even larger bank account to settle Ferrari’s upcoming bill for the topless GTS version of their still-new 296 GTB (Gran Turismo Berlinetta).
But if money is no issue, then perhaps you could get away with owning the new 296 GTS and using it as a weekend or track delight. That means exclusive battery power, of course, and Mercedes-Benz just presented everyone with another alternative to Tesla’s well-known EV heroes. A real, valid one, that will not have you become the mockery of every onlooker.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
So, if many people feel that Tesla’s Model S looks way better than its falcon-door-sporting Model X, this time Mercedes-Benz has gone the other way around and nailed the EQS SUV design in a different, higher league than its saloon counterpart. Finally, Mercedes is also shaping up as a real contender across the EV realm, as the EQS SUV is their third model running a dedicated battery-powered architecture, after the EQS and EQE sedans.
And with a proposed range (WLTP, but still) of around 660 km (410 miles), it also shapes up as a seven-seat family hauler that will be capable of fighting the 330-mile (EPA, that’s 531 km) Tesla Model X on equal dual-motor, long-range grounds. Never mind that it does not have the 1,020-hp performance of a Plaid and only comes with up to 536 horsepower, you would already have your consciousness feeling EV happy with itself.
But what about the rest of the family, or folks that do not need seven seats? Well, Lexus has come up with its solution called RZ 450e. Connoisseurs will call it out as a Toyota bZ4X or Subaru Solterra, because all three of them use the same e-TNGA platform - but the luxury Japanese automaker has kept a few tricks up its sleeve.
One would be the Direct4 AWD system that will aim to improve dynamics as if we are dealing with one of their sports cars, not a crossover SUV. The other is a much more controversial decision to follow Tesla’s lead and propose an RZ 450e version with a steering yoke that will be later available in the United States for models equipped with the company’s new steer-by-wire system. Well, you see, the EV future does not necessarily have to be barren of (semi) ICE love...
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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