Executive decision
With traditional fuelburning cars we’ve come to understand there’s a hierarchy A CClass won’t be quite as isolated and refined as an EClass which is a fine business express but not as opulent or as cosseting as an SClass Which is just fine because that’s what you pay k for when you buy the flagship
EVs are blurring those lines They’re all silent They’re all swift and seamless So the divisions between different classes become trickier to justify And that’s how the new EQE causes the bigger pricier EQS a headache
The ride comfort in the EQE is something very special indeed It imperiously irons out bumps creases and even puddles It feels on first impression like the car’s body control is superior to the slightly boaty EQS
Hushed supple road manners are backed up with wellweighted steering and the usual ondemand performance The is swift enough and the will bounce your passenger’s heads off their pillowy headrests in unison like the world’s quietest mosh pit The handling is less heavyset than in an EQS even though the weight difference between the cars is modest kg plays the EQS’s kg The EQE is competent but not satisfying to hustle a trait it shares with the venerable EClass Any ideas of giving it a pasting will be killed off quickly by the EQE’s weak link the numb inconsistent brake pedal
There’s no massive ‘Hyperscreen’ glass wall to distract you inside Not available on the EQE partly because of the chip crisis and we’re not getting the dual motor EQE in the UK That means most EQEs will play host to the notexactlyteeny touchscreen found in an SClass supplemented by a inch driver info screen which is no bad thing
Material quality isn’t obviously lowered from the EQS a bit more ‘piano black’ plastic than the big S but that’s about it The leathers are soft the wood tasteful the metal mostly pleasing
Space up front for both people and their things is fine but rear headroom is compromised by the roofline It’s also destroyed rear visibility Lamborghinis have bigger rear windows Yet another modern car that’s utterly dependent on cameras and sensors to be reversed safely this
In the metal this amorphous pebble has no presence nothing that defines it as a Mercedes besides a huge badge on the nose If you desire a big German exec car to announce your place in the social hierarchy neighbours of the future might not even notice