Manufactured in Alabama rather than Germany, the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is sometimes described as the all-electric sibling of the internal combustion-engined GLS. Truth be told, the zero-emission sport utility vehicle is clearly different in many respects.
From the Mercedes-Benz EVA platform to the aerodynamic traits and everything in between, the EQS SUV is a completely different animal. It's also heavier than its combustion-engined brother, with the 580 4MATIC weighing 2,810 kgs (6,195 lbs) versus 2,640 kgs (5,820 lbs) for the GLS 580 4MATIC.
The zero-emission sport utility vehicle in the featured clip is heavier still, partly because the standard 275/45R21 tires were swapped for slightly larger wheels mounted with 275/40 by 22-inch rubber. Although Mercedes worked together with Cooper to develop said tires for the EQS SUV, the Zeon CrossRange MO-S isn't a particularly good tire.
Better known for being affordable instead of sporty, Cooper tires and 2.8 tons of electric SUV don't mix in case of an emergency maneuver. Spanish motoring publication km77.com is called as such after the minimum entry speed (77 kilometers per hour or 47.8 miles per hour) required to pass the moose test.
Care to guess how much speed km77.com squeezed out of this fellow? 66 kilometers per hour (41.0 miles per hour), and that's a rather shocking result. Over in Sweden, which pioneered the evasive maneuver test in the 1970s, the speed limit is 70 to 100 kph (43.5 to 62.1 mph) outside built-up areas. Also worthy of note, the moose is Sweden's most famous animal.
Swedes also purchase more electric vehicles than plug-in hybrids, hybrids, and internal combustion vehicles, which makes the EQS SUV's moose test performance all the more dissatisfying. Then again, the German automaker's EVA-based electric vehicles are kind of disappointing due to poor quality and their 400-volt battery architecture.
Fernando Rios of km77.com notes almost no understeer at 66 clicks, yet the vehicle's movements are painstakingly slow. Going any higher than that results in chronic understeer, which is natural in a vehicle this heavy and with this ground clearance.
Had it been equipped with better tires (Michelin and Pirelli, anyone?), the EQS SUV may have got a little closer to 70 kilometers per hour. But alas, Merc preferred more affordable Cooper tires instead of the premium stuff. The best or nothing? That may have applied back in the good ol' days, but not in 2023.
Codenamed X296 as opposed to X167 for the GLS and X294 for the EQE SUV, the full-size model comes with rear-wheel drive in EQS 450+ SUV flavor. The EQS 450 4MATIC SUV and higher trims feature dual-motor AWD, with Mercedes quoting 649 horsepower and 950 Nm (701 pound-feet) of torque for the EQS 680 Maybach 4MATIC SUV.
All rock battery packs with a net capacity of 108.4 kWh. The 450+ is – of course – the driving range champion due to a WLTP-rated 671 kilometers (417 miles) or an EPA-rated 305 miles (491 kilometers). Over in the United States, the rear-wheel-drive 450+ carries a sticker price of $104,400 sans destination.
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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