2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 Australian price and features

This famed German brand has been renowned for fire-breathing V8s but its latest effort puts previous cars to the sword.

The first electric car from Mercedes-AMG has arrived in Australia, promising a new spin on the performance brand’s famous blend of pace and grace.

Billed as a high-performance sedan in a similar category to AMG-badged S-Class limousines, the new Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 offers up to 560kW of power. That’s more than any other production Benz sold in Australia – even the 537kW Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series coupe currently used as a Formula 1 safety car.

The Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 is the first electric performance car from Mercedes.

Priced from $328,400 plus on-road costs (about $350,000 drive-away), it represents one of the costlier choices in Mercedes showrooms, without taking into account truly opulent choices such as the range-topping Mercedes-Maybach S680 (yours for $574,000 plus on-roads).

The new EQS 53 is the second most expensive electric car on sale in Australia, falling $24,200 short of the record set by Porsche’s range-topping Taycan Turbo S. Like Porsche, Mercedes has a lengthy options list for potential customers.

An enormous ‘hyperscreen’ display dominates the cabin.

You can spend $9990 on carbon ceramic brakes to rein in its enormous power, $9290 on an “energising comfort” pack with rear-seat entertainment screens, or $3990 on a blacked-out styling pack with 22-inch rims.

Fitted as standard with front and rear electric motors delivering 484kW and 950Nm, the EQS 53 can be upgraded to 560kW and 1020Nm thrust with the purchase of a $7690 performance package. Configured as such, the EQS 53 will reach 100km/h in 3.4 seconds before running into a 250km/h speed limiter.

The Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 is on sale now.

That’s not quite as quick as the fastest petrol or hybrid Mercedes models – the petrol-electric four-door GT 63 S E Performance hits the tonne in 2.9 seconds.

And this electric machine won’t deliver the chesty rumble of V8 and V12 motors usually found in flagship AMG sedans.

Instead, customers will make do with synthesised sound effects piped through a Burmester surround sound stereo in a futuristic cabin home to an enormous 1.4 metre wide digital display.

Four-wheel-steering makes the EQS surprisingly nimble around town.

Standard kit includes clever LED headlights, four-wheel-steering, air suspension and massaging seats.

Mercedes’ considerable array of driver aids is also included, as is a truly enormous 107.8kWh battery delivering a claimed 585 kilometres of range. Unlike the electric Porsche and its Audi e-tron GT cousin, which are built on 800 volt electrical architecture, the Mercedes’ 400 volt running gear limits its ultimate charging power to 200kW. That’s not enough to win bragging rights, but it will add 300 kilometres of range in 19 minutes at public fast charging sites.