We don’t always get to spend a week in a car as is customary here in the Carpages Garage. Sometimes it is a much shorter time frame either because the manufacturer in question has chosen to keep loan periods to a tighter timeline, or simply because of scheduling conflicts. We always keep a keen eye trained on fleet inventories and availability, and when an interesting car becomes available jump at the chance for some seat time.
The very same circumstances unfolded recently when Mercedes’ newest EV, the EQS 580, had a short vacancy available in its driver’s seat. Intrigued, we asked for the key fob so we could experience the storied German marque’s most serious effort into foray into the electric vehicle space to date.
Walking up to the EQS, its cab forward design was a subtle reminder of the Chrysler LH cars you no doubt remember from the late 1990’s, although it is significantly slicker and sophisticated. The rounded lozenge shape isn’t in play so much as a stylistic exercise for the brand’s design language, but rather to allow the EQS ability to slice through the air with as little resistance as possible. It is said that the EQS’s coefficient of drag figure of just 0.20 not only bests the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S, but that it is the lowest on any production car on sale today.
Sure, the exterior styling turns heads, but the real wow factor happens when you settle into the driver’s seat. The detail and fit and finish are sensational with each surface your fingertips and eyes interact with are downright beautiful- you likely won’t find any evidence of the bean counter’s swinging axe making an attempt to find a few shortcuts in the interest of maximizing profit margins. The real star of the show is the swath of screens that spans the entire dashboard which Mercedes has dubbed Hyperscreen. It is a truly jaw dropping piece of digital kit, and after a short learning curve it becomes relatively easy to operate and responds obediently to your commands. We wished for at least a few hard buttons for climate and audio control instead of haptic touch or sliders, and those who buy the EQS 580 will want to invest in a few microfibre cleaning cloths because the finger prints that will inevitably sully the screens quickly become an annoyance in such an otherwise meticulously crafted cockpit.
Like all of the cars it competes with, the EQS 580 is all ate up with powerful electric motors driving all four wheels. When you ask for full power, boy do you get it. The electrified Benz makes passing pretty much anything on the road a forgone conclusion and stomping the accelerator from rest dials up the kind of acceleration you feel in your cheeks as they flatten from the forces in play. Since most actual EQS owners won’t engage in that brand of tomfoolery very often, would-be buyers should know that the EQS bag of tricks is not limited to straight line speed alone. When cruising, it settles down to become a veritable sensory deprivation chamber. A friend who spent some time the car before us likened the experience to a first class seat in a transatlantic jet and we think that’s a pretty apt description of the EQS experience. It is exceptionally quiet and smooth, wafting along is serene silence.
Those with the EQS on their radar who like to let their hair down a bit in the twisty bits will feel a little underwhelmed. The poise and confidence you feel when cruising falls away when the pace is upped. That’s not to say that the EQS trips over its own feet when you show it some corners, but the combination of a heavy curb weight, aloof steering and somewhat wonky brake feel will not goad you into exploring its handling limits. Its four-wheel steering system is a boon in tight quarters yet makes the car feel a tad nervous when you toss it into a corner. In short, the Benz will do whatever you ask of it, but you quickly learn that it is happiest whiling away kilometres at a more sedate cadence.
The reward for showing restraint with the Benz’s formidable turn of speed is incredible range. When we first headed out after getting settled in, the range calculator was showing 750 kilometers of possible travel. After driving the EQS for 48 hours- with frequent blasts of acceleration and gratuitous use of the air con and cooled seats- the gauge still showed just over 500 kilometers left in the battery which, if you have experience with electric cars and the range anxiety that can set in, is thoroughly impressive. Another EQS 580 asset is a true one pedal driving experience when you set the regeneration behavior to the strongest level available. It takes some getting used to but becomes second nature.
After a short but memorable run in Mercedes latest effort into the EV space, our main takeaway is that this car represents the zenith of the brand’s cutting edge technology of non-piston power. We hope that the EQ engineering team can take a walk down the hall at Mercedes HQ and ask the AMG guys and gals for some tips on how to make the EQS 580 more engaging to drive, at least for the inevitable AMG versions that will follow. Seen through the lens as a tentative step to building a fully electric car lineup that embody the hallmarks of the brand- which is to say, cars that are both decadently luxurious and fun to drive- we see a lot of upside for Mercedes Benz’s nascent EQ sub brand.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4MATIC Sedan- Specifications
- Price as tested: $162,150
- Body Type: 4-door, 5 passenger sedan
- Powertrain Layout: Front and Rear Electric Motors/All-Wheel Drive
- Power Source: FRONT- permanent-magnet synchronous AC
- Power Source: REAR- permanent-magnet synchronous AC
- Battery Capacity/Type: 107.8-kWh lithium-ion
- Total Horsepower: 516 @ 0 rpm
- Total Torque (lb-ft.): 630 @ 0 rpm
- Transmission: 1-speed direct drive
- Curb weight: 2,634 kg (5,806 lbs)
- Observed Energy Economy: 16.2kWh/100km