Test drive | Mercedes-Benz EQE: a little sister that casts a shadow

Like BMW, Mercedes has chosen to enter the electric market in an orderly and rather consensual way. Essentially, the German brand structures this range in symmetry with its thermal models, a strategy serving to reassure traditionalists. As its name suggests, the EQE guards the side of electric midsize sedans with a formula that surprisingly overshadows the EQS standard bearer.

Design

It is however necessary to concentrate well to detect the differences of aesthetic approach between the EQE and the EQS. The EQE stops the tape measure at 5m in length, almost 30cm before the large EQS saloon. The EQE thus has a more collected and possibly more consistent look on the profile with its shortened overhangs. Its physiognomy remains ovoid to make it pierce the air and its passenger compartment is pulled forward in order to increase the interior capacity. Like many electric vehicles, its handles retract so as not to disturb the flow of air. Its front part also reflects this desire to reduce resistance with a sealed grille mimicking, by means of its lacquered black, the face of a vehicle with a combustion engine.

On board

After a slight unlocking delay despite the deployment of the handles, we discover a cabin that rigorously applies the new stylistic language of Mercedes-Benz. Guided by a desire to amaze us, the dashboard is full of diodes whose intensity and color can be adjusted. Some modes even offer luminous choreography that could be worthy of a work by Moment Factory. That said, beware of distraction. Moreover, the copy tested had – fortunately – not the “Hyperscreen” option checked, preferring a large vertical OLED screen of 12.8 inches. This allows a more beautiful expression of the materials used to shape the organic shapes that weave the outposts of the cabin. Up front, legroom and headroom are excellent, an observation that doesn’t entirely apply to the rear. There, it is rather the head that suffers because of the arched feature of the roof.

Under the hood

Excluding the AMG variant of this EQE, which runs parallel to the standard lineup, the sedan is available in two ways with standard all-wheel drive. The 350 version has just 288 hp to move around, while the 500 we tested increases the count of the two electric motors to 402 hp. With nearly 2.5 tons to move, this mechanism, even more discreet than many generalist brand electric mills, does the job with consistency and firmness. The initial acceleration ensured by its 633 lb-ft presses us against the backrest to gradually dilute the faster the speed increases. The 0-100 km / h in 4.7 s reflects its efficiency, but Tesla and Lucid can sleep easy in comparison. A 90.6 kWh battery provides storage and can be recharged up to a power of 170 kW, a figure down from the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT.

Behind the wheel

We immediately notice that this EQE wants to convey an impression of lightness, even relaxation, in its manners. The direction, without being over-assisted, is devoid of any firmness and appears isolated from vibrations induced by the roadway. It still allows us to place the car with precision in addition to being supported by directional rear wheels that intervene with skill. Not equipped with pneumatic damping adjustable by the driver, the livery tested offered a good level of comfort without, however, guarding against relatively pronounced body movements. The all-wheel drive supports the whole performance with predictability. Even if we try to rush the chassis, it extracts us from the turn with a very neutral and more agile behavior than that of the EQS. Like the latter, braking suffers from too long a pedal stroke. The regenerative system also pushes it in automatically, which can confuse the driver.

Embedded technologies

This EQE obviously receives the contribution of the latest generation of the Mercedes-Benz infotainment system called MBUX. In its standard version, it is spread over a large 12.8-inch vertical touch screen as well as a second instrumentation screen placed above the steering column. It controls virtually all essential functions with mixed speed at times. The home menu also makes interactions rather complex due to a rather sparse layout of certain tabs. It is also necessary to make too many manipulations for adjustments a priori very simple in other vehicles. Finally, the absence of physical keys increases inattention, because our fingers cannot rely on texture changes to orient themselves. That said, the definition of the screens is extraordinary and the functionalities are numerous. The Burmester audio system offers a very acceptable rendering, without however managing to reach the brilliance of the competition offered by Bowers & Wilkins.

The verdict

With the acceleration of the development of electric vehicles, the obsolescence of many models awaits buyers, especially among luxury brands. With highly technology-oriented products, this phenomenon will sooner or later manifest itself acutely. The Mercedes-Benz EQE will probably not escape this observation, but for the moment offers a good balance between refinement and energy efficiency. In the test, the vehicle consistently exceeded Mercedes-Benz’s estimated 418 km by more than 100 km, according to its algorithms. Its consumption was sometimes around 16 kWh/100 km. It’s excellent, in addition to coating everything with soundproofing worthy of the most opulent large sedans. At $95,000 as the base price for this EQE 500 livery, that’s the least you can say. That said, its formula convinces more than the much more expensive EQS. It’s not nothing, all the same.