Mercedes-AMG EQE launched with up to 687hp
AMG has ugly-duckling iX M60 firmly in its sights with new, forgettable-duckling EQE
When the first AMG SUV - the ML55 - arrived at the end of the 20th century, the purists were aghast. Affalterbach couldn’t possibly be sullying its glorious heritage with something as egregious as a 4x4, could it? Well, yes, it could, and it worked pretty well, all things considered. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, Mercedes-AMG has delivered another SUV that ought to have the die-hards turning purple - its first plug-in electric one. Only a matter of time, eh...
The new model, follows on from the EQE saloon and larger EQS in AMG’s electric onslaught. There will be a 476hp EQE 43 4Matic and a 625hp EQE 53 4Matic+. Both use two motors and a 90.6kWh battery that can charge at up to 170kW, and the WLTP combined range is anything from 233 to 303 miles depending on spec; the worst-case scenario combined for a 53 is 2.23 miles per kilowatt hour, which isn't going to win it any awards. Although it's probably safe to assume people aren't buying a 2.7-tonne, AMG-branded SUV with efficiency absolutely front of mind.
Built on the same platform used for the saloons, the EQE SUV boasts much of the same clever chassis tech. Expect AMG to really start flexing its muscles here with the gradual demise of combustion engines. Because nobody particularly cares about an AMG Sound Experience with ‘Balanced’, ‘Sport’ or ‘Powerful’ effects, even with a special setting for Race Start. Once upon a time, the big difference between a standard Mercedes and an AMG would be under the bonnet; now it’s going to be in Active Ride Control, Ride Control+, rear-axle steering and fully variable 4Matic+ all-wheel drive.
Most of those features are reserved for the range-topping EQE 53, so let’s focus on that. While the ‘+’ in 4Matic no longer means a dedicated drift mode, AMG says the all-wheel drive monitors where torque is going 160 times a second (!) and adjusted in line with the drive mode. If the EQE is wound up to Sport or Sport +, there’s more rear bias for the maximum 700lb ft ‘in the interests of greater lateral dynamics’. So there’s still some AMG in here somewhere. The same 275/40-section Michelin Pilot Sport EV MO1 is on each corner, with the 21-inch wheels upgradeable to 22s. Brakes are a substantial 415mm up front as standard, upgradeable to a 440mm (!) ceramic disc, with 378mm rotors at the back. An AMG tune of the iBooster (itself there to make sure braking and regeneration is efficient) promises an ‘authentic driving experience’.
Underneath the EQE is a four-link front suspension and multi-link rear, with AMG’s own (and more rigid) wheel carriers, links and anti-roll bars used; it says the tuning will ‘meet the special requirements of Mercedes-AMG customers’ in both ride and handling. The Adaptive Damping System uses a pair of pressure-limiting valves so that compression and rebound can be controlled independently, and the damping force can be adjusted in ‘a few milliseconds. It’s also claimed that the AMG EQE has a broader spread between sportiness and comfort than the standard car. Combine that with the 48-volt AMG Active Ride Control and you can likely expect another freakishly capable car for its size. AMG reckons the handling remains ‘precisely controllable and direct’ even near the limit thanks to the anti-roll tech.
That’s before mentioning the rear-wheel steer, too; it can steer up to nine degrees, reducing the turning circle to 10.9m (handy around town in something this massive, of course) as well as making the car ‘agile, light-footed and nimble’. The rear wheels only turn in the opposite direction to the fronts at up 60km/h, or just 37mph. Above that, the more stability-focused setting, with both axles in the same direction, kicks in.
The EQE comes with familiar AMG drive modes, ranging from Slippery to Sport +. A Race Start is available for those that enjoy making passengers queasy, and Race Start with Boost is an option on the 53 and the only way to that headline figure of 687hp. For every other situation beyond launch it’s a 625hp car. That wild 3.5-second claim to 62mph is only possible with an options spend, basically. The 476hp 43 AMG achieves the sprint in 4.3 seconds.
As for the styling, the kindest thing to say is that it’s exactly how you might imagine an EQE made into an SUV would look. Certainly, it provides additional confirmation that Mercedes is keen to position itself as the design counterpoint to BMW's confrontational approach - although which is more tedious, it's hard to say. Inside, the Hyperscreen can be made to dominate the interior if you want to pay extra, with specific AMG features for the 43 and 53. The Mercedes-AMG EQE has been described as “another milestone in our Future of Driving Performance” by CEO Philipp Schiemer. He continued: “With its variable interior and high-performance all-wheel drive, it is Mercedes-AMG's most versatile electric vehicle. A real all-rounder – a real AMG!" The firm is going to have a hard time convincing the V8 faithful of that. For everyone else, expect to see the car in showrooms next year.
But this is nothing more than Newtons 1st and 2nd laws, because that extra ‘mass’ took proportionally more energy to accelerate it in the 1st place - it’s not a perpetual motion machine…
But this is nothing more than Newtons 1st and 2nd laws, because that extra ‘mass’ took proportionally more energy to accelerate it in the 1st place - it’s not a perpetual motion machine…
Maybe I shouldn't have opened the discussion point because it requires an in-depth explanation of how EVs can offer a significant reduction in lifetime carbon emissions and improved air quality that has very little to do with the mass of the vehicle.
Explanations that I and others have given countless times over the last 5 years.
Over and over again, posters jump up and down about the vehicle mass, as if that is the only thing that matters.
It has relevance but its quite a long way down the scale of importance.
These same posters will then burn through several tons of highly refined fuel EVERY year and completely ignore how impactful that is over the life of a car.
It seems that if you only think of it as 50 litres or so at a time, you can kid yourself that it's of no real consequence.
And for clarity, I drive a V8 the also burns through tons of fuel every year.
What I'm not going to do is pretend what that means though.
Tax weight.
Road wear is hugely dependent an axle weight and only comes into play at a much higher threshold.
One truck does the same damage as ten thousand cars.
Adding a bit of mass to cars will make the square root of f
k all difference unless trucks are removed from the road.Very bland and boring, but will sell by the bucketload.
2.7 tonnes is ridiculous too - it's about time that we started taxing EVs by weight - to try and encourage more efficient designs.
Having said that, this is significantly less offensive than the BMW iX!
I do not see a problem here...
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