Mercedes-Benz was quite active at the 2021 IAA Mobility Show. It came up with five vehicles there, which included the AMG EQS, the EQG Concept, the EQB crossover, and the Maybach EQS SUV. Among this lot was also the EQE, an E-Class-based electric sedan. This baby EQS is loaded to the gills and seems like a sweet package at the onset. The only fly in the ointment is the availability of the single-motor setup, to begin with, but a dual-motor setup EQE and an AMG EQE will arrive in the future.

Mercedes-Benz EQE – Exterior

The Mercedes EQE is a baby EQS in its essence. It is underpinned on the same EVA2 platform as the EQS. The car shares the same design and styling cues, but with shorter overhangs, and recessed flanks. The EQE measures 196.6 inches in length, 77.2 inches in width, and 59.5 inches in height. These dimensions are comparable to the current-gen CLS. The EQE’s wheelbase is 122.9 inches long, which means a spacious cabin with impressive legroom at your disposal.

It features the black panel grille up front that’s now getting synonymous with the Mercedes EQ range. The EQE comes with LED headlights as standard, but the ‘Digital Light’ setup can be had as optional. The A-pillars and C-pillars are moved outwards to create a spacious cabin. The car will be offered with 19-, to 21-inch wheels.

The company has paid a lot of attention to aerodynamics, too. The drag coefficient rating for the EQE is not mentioned, but it will be very impressive considering it follows the same design language as the EQS which boasts of a 0.20 drag coefficient. Some of the aero efficient elements here include:

-* 19- and 20-inch aero wheels on offer

-* Wheel spoilers at the front and rear

-* Spoiler lip on the trunk lid

-* Streamlined A-pillar design

-* Transverse louver for enhanced cooling

Mercedes-Benz EQE – Interior

The other avant-garde aesthetics give the EQE a luxury and plush vibe and will be a nice space to be in. In fact, the EQE could be the most luxurious EV at this price point. The automaker has made use of Neotex that combines the look of nubuck leather and high-tech neoprene. This material can be seen on the instrument panel, the arm rest, and the seats.

Six different color combinations, including Sable Brown/Neva Grey and Biscaya Blue/Black will be offered here. There are some interesting touches like laser-cut trim elements backlit with Mercedes pattern that adds to the whole premium vibes of the cabin. It also comes with a HEPA filter to keep the airborne pollutants out of the car. I mean, it’s no Bioweapon Defense that’s seen on the Teslas, but something’s better than nothing.

The Hyperscreen runs the entire width of the dash and is essentially three screens under a common bonded glass cover. The setup includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 17.7-inch central display, and a 12.3-inch passenger display.

The digital instrument cluster will show the drive-related data, the center screen for all the media and infotainment-related stuff, and the passenger screen can be used to watch movies, play with the HVAC controls, etc. It also features a ‘Zero Layer’ function that brings the most commonly used functions to the home screen for easy accessibility. It’s a good feature considering how sophisticated and exhaustive the MBUX system is.

Mercedes-Benz EQE – Powertrain

The EQE will be offered in only one trim when it arrives.

Dual-motor versions with the 4MATIC system will be offered in the future.

Mercedes-Benz EQE – Battery, Range, and Charging

The EQE 350 will be offered with a 90 kWh battery pack that can take you up to 410 miles between charges. It must be noted that is as per the of range as per the WLTP cycle. This means 4.55 miles per kWh. The EPA-estimated range could be around 350 miles, which isn’t the best, but it’s not too bad either. So far, the Lucid Air holds the best mile-per-kWh range – 4.57 miles.

The EQE supports fast-charging up to 170 kW. This means the battery can recuperate fully in 32 minutes. Plugging it for 15 minutes will add 155 miles of range. If you plug it into an 11 kW AC charging point, it will take 8.25 hours to fully charge. 22 kW AC charging can do it in 4.25 hours.

Mercedes-Benz EQE – Pricing

Mercedes hasn’t revealed the pricing for the EQE yet, but we speculate it to start a little over $60,000. Anything under this would be a welcome surprise since the automaker is offering this as a luxury EV which won’t exactly be a value-for-money proposition. But, an effective price of around $50,000 with the federal tax credits accounted for would be a good start to give stiff competition to its chief rivals, the BMW i4 and the Polestar 2.

Mercedes-Benz EQE – Competition

BMW i4

The BMW was launched virtually at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. It looks pretty much in line with the current crop of BMWs. It is aero-efficient, thanks to stuff like a rear diffuser, tailgate-integrated spoiler, active air flap control, etc. BMW will offer it with 18-, 19-, and 20-inch wheels. On the inside, it features a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system that are combined in one glass. The company has collaborated with Hans Zimmer to create acoustics for the car.

BMW will offer the i4 in two trims – the single-motor eDrive40 will make 335 horses and 317 pound-feet of torque. The dual-motor M50 will put out 536 ponies and 586 pound-feet of twist. The best 0-60 mph time it can do is 3.9 seconds. As for the battery and range, the i4 will come with an 83.9 kWh battery pack that offers an EPA-estimated range of 300 miles on the single-motor trim and just 245 miles on the dual-motor setup.

It will arrive in the first quarter of 2022 with a price tag of $55,400 for eDrive40 and $65,900 for the M50. Mercedes could look to sandwich its starting price between these two.

Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 was unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, but it still isn’t as popular or talked about as Volvo would’ve hoped. It comes with a sweet cabin, but the battery specs are a turn-off. The oddball styling also draws polarizing opinions. The automaker offers a panoramic glass roof, frameless mirrors, Pixel LED lights, etc. On the inside, Volvo has made use of vegan interior options, reconstructed wood, and so on for a sustainable cabin.

The company offered only a dual-motor setup when launched, but for 2022, a single-motor setup is introduced. However, this is mounted on the front axle, against its rivals which come with rear-mounted single motor setups. The single motor option dishes out 228 horses and the dual-motor setup makes 408 ponies. The range isn’t its strong suit, as the single-motor setup offers 265 miles and dual-motor 249 miles

The Polestar 2 is priced at $45,900 for the single-motor setup and $49,900 for the dual-motor model, both before destination charges.

Mercedes-Benz EQE – Driver-Assistance Features

The EQE will come with driver-assistance features such as:

-* Active Distance Assist Distronic

-* Active Steering Assist

-* Traffic Sign Assist

-* Active Lane Keeping Assist

-* Active Lane Change Assist

-* Active Emergency Stop Assist

-* Attention Assist

-* Active Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function

-* Active Blind Spot Assist and Exit Warning Function

-* Evasive Steering Assist

Conclusion

The Mercedes-Benz EQE will arrive in 2022 as a 2023 model. Dual-motor setup and AMG-outfitted models will also be offered in the future. It seems like a pretty well-packaged offering on paper for now. We’ll have to see how it turns out to be when it arrives.

Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 Specifications