East Bay Times

2024 Mercedes-AMG EV SUV does luxury, versatilit­y right

- By James Raia CORRESPOND­ENT

With many unknowns still looming, electric vehicles are the future and the future is now. Mercedes-Benz is all in. Its expanding lineup of EVs is the same as the new status quo for many domestic and global manufactur­ers.

Last year, the German manufactur­er debuted the EQE SUV. It’s a midsize fivepassen­ger sport utility vehicle counterpar­t to the EQE sedan and was available in EQE 350, EQE 350 4Matic and EQE 500 4Matic trims. The 2024 MercedesAM­G EQE SUV, the performanc­e-tuned option, joins the lineup.

It’s the performanc­e division’s first EV SUV and it shares a lot with the AMG EQE sedan, including its AMG-specific dual electric motors and 90.6-kWh battery pack. It’s the closest thing to a supercar that doubles with the usual SUV benefits. It hauls around family and friends and personal and business supplies. It does so as a luxury vehicle with impressive accelerati­on, a handsomely designed exterior and a polished, high-tech and plush interior. It’s quiet, smooth and fast.

Competitio­n is healthy with the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX, Cadillac Lyriq and Tesla Model X. But the Mercedes-AMG stands alone with its stellar performanc­e.

The Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV has a motor at each axle. The setup provides

a nine-speed automatic transmissi­on, all-wheel drive and a combined output of 617 horsepower. It rides on 21-inch tires. The AMG Dynamic Plus package increases the engine to 677 horsepower and produces a 0 to 60 mile-perhour sprint in 3.4 seconds. The EPA estimates are 77 MPGe in city driving and 74 on the highway. The range is the SUV’s biggest downfall, an industry sub-standard 235 miles.

The EQE has an onboard charger that works up to 9.6 kW for at-home or Level 2 public charging. Mercedes reports peak power for DC fast charging is 170 kW. It’s not a top value but sufficient to charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent is slightly longer 30 minutes.

Sport utility vehicles are increasing­ly popular because of their good overall vision and their stuff-hauling capacities.

The latter isn’t AMG EQE SUV’s best characteri­stic. The rear luggage compartmen­t is only 18.4 cubic feet with the rear seats in position, and a maximum of 59.2 cubic feet with the

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 ?? ?? 2024 Mercedes-AMG EV SUV. Photo © James Raia/2024
2024 Mercedes-AMG EV SUV. Photo © James Raia/2024

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