There are currently three flavors of EQS SUV: the 450 Plus, 450 4Matic and 580 4Matic. If the interior is familiar to anyone stepping out of an EQS Sedan and into the EQS SUV, so is driving experience. But the dramatic improvement in second-row comfort means the SUV is absolutely the one to get if passenger transport is a major decision factor in your purchase of an EQS. Cargo room is obviously also dramatically increased over an EQS Sedan, allowing for more suitcases or golf bags. Thankfully, the second row does slide fore and aft to allow backseat passengers to negotiate legroom among themselves. Legroom is plentiful, and there’s also a rather small available third row suitable for short trips or children, but putting two full-sized adults back there might make them cranky quickly. There’s tons of headroom in the second row despite the panoramic moonroof overhead, something that can’t be said for the sedan. There’s plenty of room up front, and there’s plenty of room in the second row, as well, which is one area decidedly improved from the EQS Sedan. The seats are just as comfortable, big thrones adjusted by an unmoving, touch-sensitive chair switch positioned on the doors. The rest of the interior design and materials are pretty much identical to the EQS Sedan, from the interesting shapes, textures and colors of the upper dash to the hard plastics and obvious cost-cutting measures taken in the lower parts. This makes for a high dash and beltline that again requires the driver to raise the steering wheel to an unnaturally high position in order to see all of the digital gauges, resulting in an “arms elevated” driving position that is not long-term comfortable - just like in the EQS Sedan. The driver’s position relative to the gauges is unchanged from the sedan, as the imposing clifflike dash and high-mounted gauges remain in the SUV. I personally hoped that a move to a taller SUV with a taller seating position might help raise the driver’s position relative to the dash a bit, but that hasn’t happened. The enormous 56-inch Hyperscreen stretches from door to door, hiding three different screens behind a single monstrous pane of glass. One of my biggest criticisms of the EQS Sedan was how its towering cliff of a dashboard obscured the instrument panel gauges behind the steering wheel. And while this makes it less distinctive than its sedan counterpart, I think less attention on this issue is a good thing in this case. Suffice it to say, the EQ styling aesthetic simply looks better on the SUV. In fact, the whole look of the EQS SUV is similar to the popular GLS, and that’s not a bad thing. The arc is still there, starting by the front wheels, but it becomes a longer, upright, formal roofline resemblant of the conventionally gas-powered GLS SUV. But that long arc the sedan uses, which extends from the front wheels up over the roof and down to the short trunk, is necessarily modified for the style of an SUV. The front end is very similar to the EQS Sedan, with the same look to the headlights and blocked-off grille, both of which contribute to the SUV’s excellent aerodynamics. It’s immediately obvious that the new, swoopy aerodynamic styling works a lot better on a taller, more upright SUV than it does on the low-slung sedan. Related: 2022 Mercedes-EQ EQS Review: Ze Germans Embrace ze Future Well, That Looks BetterĢ023 Mercedes-EQ EQS580 | photo by Leslie Cunningham We’ve just had a lengthy spin behind the leather-wrapped wheel of the new 2023 Mercedes-EQ EQS SUV, and while some of the issues have indeed been addressed, many still remain. We wondered at the time if the upcoming SUV version might cure a few of the foibles that had plagued the EQS Sedan. When the EQS Sedan arrived, however, we were equal parts stunned at what the company had accomplished (incredible driving dynamics, surprising range, truly eye-popping display technology) and disappointed at where they’d fallen short (odd vehicle interior packaging, terrible driving position, distracting technology). It was Mercedes’ first real foray into a next-generation electric car, rode on an all-new platform and pointed the way forward for a company that had for decades been known for its innovation, exceptional luxury and amazing performance. Versus the competition: The EQS is far more opulent and sophisticated than anything by Tesla, but its mission of elegance and silent transportation is the EQS SUV’s goal, not athleticism like a Model X.Ībout a year ago, we got our first spin behind the wheel of Mercedes-Benz’s all-new electric flagship, the 2022 Mercedes-EQ EQS Sedan. The verdict: The EQS SUV solves a few of the EQS Sedan’s foibles, providing a stunning new entry into the electric luxury crossover field.
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