All-Electric 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV Makes Official Debut
The brand new Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is officially joining the German automaker’s growing lineup of electric vehicles. Based on the EQS sedan, this large family hauler brings EV tech to a key segment of the market.
In Canada, SUVs account for 74 percent of all vehicles sold by Mercedes-Benz, so company executives expect the EQS SUV to largely eclipse the EQS sedan (125 units so far).
- Also: Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV Announced as Brand’s Fourth EV in Canada
- Also: First Mercedes-Benz EQS Electric Sedans Now Hitting Showrooms
No sales target has been provided, but the electric SUV is expected to become quite popular in China and North America. When it arrives here in the fourth quarter of 2022 as a 2023 model, prices will likely be higher than the sedan’s, which currently retails from $146,500-$162,000.
Same Architecture
The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV has a lot of similarities with the EQS sedan. The two share the same architecture, have a 3,210mm wheelbase and use a 107.8kWh battery (net capacity).
Of course, the SUV is considerably larger, has a much more imposing front end and weighs a lot more, too—2,620 kg in EQS 450 4MATIC trim and 2,735 kg in EQS 580 4MATIC trim. Also, it will be built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (next to a brand new battery plant) whereas the EQS sedan comes from Sindelfingen, Germany.
Both EQS SUV models rely on a pair of electric motors with a specially tuned 4MATIC all-wheel drive system. The EQS 450 4MATIC is rated at 355 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, while the EQS 580 4MATIC delivers an incredible 536 horsepower and 633 pound-feet of torque.
Range is not specified yet, but Mercedes-Benz anticipates the EQS SUV to be able to travel up to around 600 km based on the WLTP standard. For the record, the EQS sedan achieves 784 km in the same test cycle.
Air Suspension and Rear-Axle Steering
As standard, the EQS SUV features AIRMATIC air suspension and rear-axle steering with a steering angle of up to 4.5 degrees. Alternatively, the rear wheels can even turn in by up to 10 degrees. This allows a turning circle of 11.0 metres instead of 11.9 metres. The variant with the large steering angle can still be activated after delivery via an over-the-air upgrade (OTA).
Ground clearance is 181 mm, but the vehicle can be raised by up to 25 mm (when selecting OFFROAD mode, for instance). Using navigation data, the system remembers every single location where a lift was previously requested by the driver and automatically returns to the desired ride height. How smart.
As for styling, two distinctive body styles are available—the more expressive AMG variant and the classic Electric Art variant. Speaking of AMG, don’t expect a performance model, Mercedes-Benz says.
The interior is naturally a lot similar to that of the EQS sedan, starting with the so-called Hyperscreen. New features include the innovative wood trim elements with Mercedes-Benz Pattern as aluminum inlays. The star pattern is lasered into open-pore ash wood.
Third-row seating is optional, and cargo capacity can be 195 litres, 565 litres or 2,020 litres depending on the configuration. There’s no Tesla-style frunk, mind you, since the various components of the cooling system occupy pretty much the entire space under the hood. By the way, a tiny door on the front left fender provides access to the windshield washer fluid tank.
The Car Guide will have the opportunity to drive the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV before it goes on sale in Canada this fall, so stay tuned for our first impressions. Just to be sure, you can subscribe to our newsletter.