Mercedes-AMG EQS delivers endless thrust but little theatre

For decades this tuning division has turned out hot hatches and high powered V8 sedans. Its latest offering is very different, but still potent.

This is the next chapter

Meet the first electric car offered by Mercedes-AMG.

Famous for thumping V8s, autobahn-crushing V12s and – latterly – high-strung turbo fours with whip-crack gearchanges, the Mercedes hot rod department has introduced its first electric car.

Based on the full-sized Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan, this AMG version delivers the thrust expected of a big-dollar Benz but in a new manner. Dual electric motors make for near-silent progress, while an enormous 107.8kWh battery – almost twice the size of that found in small electric cars – delivers a claimed 585 kilometres of range.

The Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 has a claimed range of 585 kilometres on a single charge. Picture: Supplied.

It feels like the future

There’s science to the banana-shaped roofline of the EQS, which is one of the slipperiest cars on sale. It looks like a spaceship inside and out. The cabin is particularly advanced, with a 1.4 metre-wide “hyperscreen” comprised of three digital displays stretching from door to door.

Multi-coloured ambient lighting flows from the seats to the footwell, roof, doors and dashboard, resulting in cabin ambience few cars can match.

It all glows red when you trigger launch control. Like an invisible rollercoaster attendant performing last-minute safety checks, seatbelts automatically pull tight before the car flings you at the horizon.

A massive screen dominates the car’s dashboard. Picture: Supplied.

It’s incredibly fast

People expect serious performance from an AMG and the EQS delivers. It has 484kW and 950Nm as standard, or you can pay $7690 to upgrade to 560kW and 1020Nm of wallop.

Front and rear electric motors send shocking force to all four wheels, rocketing the EQS to 100km/h in less than 3.5 seconds – that’s much quicker than sports cars such as the Porsche 911 Carrera.

A top speed of 250km/h is largely theoretical in Australia, as you would be mad to take this electric limo on the track. It’s not that sort of car.

The EQS 53 is more of a grand tourer than a track-day weapon. Picture: Supplied.

There’s a nod to the past

The “S” in EQS is a nod to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the range-topping flagship that represents an industry benchmark for luxury, refinement and safety.

Similar in size to the biggest Benz, the EQS has luxuriant legroom in the front and rear. Clever air suspension delivers a reasonably well-controlled ride, though its huge 21-inch wheels and enormous brakes thump over bumps with less dexterity than the traditional limo.

It’s not as plush as the S-Class inside, with regular back seats (as opposed to electronically adjustable items) and materials that don’t feel quite as premium. Then again, the EQS is cheaper than a fully-fledged S-Class. Priced from $328,400 plus on-roads (about $350,000 drive-away), it’s a cool quarter of a million dollars cheaper than the range-topping V12-powered S-Class.

The EQS 53 is cheaper than S-Class equivalents. Picture: Supply.

But it’ short on drama

Too heavy to feel truly athletic in the bends, the EQS is at its best in big cities. It turns heads with style – as opposed to a loud, anti-social exhaust – and feels surprisingly manoeuverable at low speed thanks to clever all-wheel steering.

But it doesn’t match the thrills or feel-good factor of a regular AMG. V8 models start with a rumbling idle, combine effortless shove with a chesty song in every day running, and pin you in the seat with a rock-and-roll roar if you push the throttle all the way down. That theatre is missing from the EQS 53.

Mercedes tried to replicate it with a synthesised sound but it’s just not the same.

Originally published as Mercedes-AMG EQS delivers endless thrust but little theatre