Test: Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 heralds the beginning of the era of luxury for electricity, but the end of class S

Mercedes -Benz EQS 580 4MATIC (2021) - test, opinion

EQS electric is an epoch -making car in the history of the automotive industry.This is a new flagship model and a demonstration of Mercedes-Benz's capabilities.A company that wrote the first chapter in the history of the automotive industry.In 1886 she patented the car and in the following years became a world leader in the world of luxury and new technologies.

However, it is not this company that writes the second chapter in this story, in which electric cars play the main role.Over the next few years, they will dominate the automotive market, which is even admitted by Mercedes himself.The last car of this brand with an internal combustion engine, intended for our part of the world, is to be built in 2030.

And yet the current attempts of Mercedes with electricity were few and they were not particularly successful.Only EQA and EQV joined the Polish Gam.Only the EQS debut on the Polish market is to be a real Mercedes revolution.It is a chance for him to recover the manufacturer's position of the best, most innovative cars in the world.

The Germans were aware of this, so they did not compromise.They built this model around the new MEA floor plate, the first designed exclusively for electrical models.They let in it as many as 350 sensors that control whether the driver approaches the car or looks at the road and is not tired (if it is, the electronic brain will offer him an invigorating massage with the effect of warm stones).They installed a 107.8 kWh battery between the axles.They used new engines with permanent magnets from Valeo Siemens for the drive.Mercedes mounting one or two such engines on the axes, depending on the version.

EQS is a fantastic show of futuristic technique and in this respect it can be considered a success of Mercedes.However, to assess him as a full -fledged successor of the S -class combustion, one cannot forget about the surrounding reality.I write these words from the inside of EQS, while stopping.I am on the route to the Silesian Beskids.I left Warsaw later than I assumed, at 21:00.The conditions are worse than expected: it jams snow, ice sometimes appears on a snow -free game.

Mercedes has equipped me - as it does with every customer - with the Mercedes Me Charge card, which provides access to charger network throughout Europe.In the face of a radical range (from the promised 663 km to just over 300 km) I decided to use it in Częstochowa.There, however, it turned out that this card works, but not on Orlen chargers.On fumes (or rather - last electrons) I reached a quarter of an hour after midnight to the Greenway charger in Katowice.I sit in the middle of the night in an empty, dark parking lot under a hypermarket and deduct time until 2:20, when charging ends.So how is it really with this EQS?

EQS I Class S: What connects them, and what is different?

EQS is definitely not a S limousine with a swapped drive.This appearance is still representing the very large (over 5.2 m long), but the round (the aerodynamic resistance coefficient is a record small CX 0.20) liftback (not a sedan) with rows of LEDs instead of ordinary lights resembles Mercedes EQC and EQA ratheror even, I write it with trembling fingers, Tesla model S and Lucida Air.

Time will tell if a single -bodily body and diodes will make a better effect than a traditional sedan with a marked trunk and chromium decorations under the opera or in the golf course.EQS is from such cars as different as it can be.Eloquent that you can't even open a mask in it.The only movable element is the funnel in front of the driver's door, through which the washer fluid is supplemented.Brings to mind a washing machine rather than a car.

Inside, it is even better to see that the German concern has agreed to the conditions of the game dictated by new start-ups from the USA and China, which are now making a sensation on the stock exchanges.Following them, the Germans try to get rid of the car manufacturer's patches, and pull up under the fashionable name of a technology company.From behind the steering wheel, EQS gives the impression of a supercomputer, to which someone only accidentally attached the wheels, not the Bitcoin mine.

If the screens in the last Mercedes seemed large to you, then EQS will redefine the concept of a large screen in the car. Tutaj właściwie cała deska rozdzielcza to jeden wielki ekran o przekątnej blisko półtora metra, przez który steruje się w tym aucie wszystkim — poza szybami, zamkiem centralnym i światłami awaryjnymi.

It's really three screens.The first, behind the wheel, can display traditional clocks, but also graphics of overload from some computer game.The central, largest and curved, is mainly used to display the map: both this Mercedes system and Apple or Google, after connecting the phone (I have not seen such effective integration of Carplay and Android Auto in any car yet in any car).With the help of a third passenger, he can control the multimedia and car settings and read driving parameters.

For this reason, in the lower power versions I would not choose the MBUX Hyperscreen screen (or is I just associated with the nomenclature of Tesla?), Because there it is an option for the whole 36,752 PLN.And without him there are a lot of gadgets here: the Mercedes equivalent of Siri and lighting, which after changing the air conditioning temperature or with the threat detected surrounds the entire cabin with shimmering colors.There is even a system on board, which with the help of lighting, graphics on screens, smells, heating and massage is to put people inside in a certain mood.

Sounds and looks like Mercedes S M MERCEDES from the world of Cyberpunk 2077, although many of these gadgets also play people in the middle of the W223 generation market for several months on the market for several months.The current customer of this line in the new EQS will be found by a few well-known traditional attributes.The gears are still changing with the help of Wajchy mounted in the steering column, as in almost every Mercedes from pre -war times.

There are soft pillows in headrests, real wood, cool metals and delicate, carefully trimmed NAPPA leather.In terms of the quality of performance, EQS is a big step forward towards everything that has been known so far from the segment of the most expensive electric cars, including not only Tesla models, but also Porsche Taycana, and BMW IX.

In many key places, however, EQS is clearly different even from the parallel of the S offered class.Instead of skin, there is sometimes intriguing, rough material (ecological, known).Designers took advantage of the advantage offered by the electric drive and provided EQS in the EQS cabin..Under the middle tunnel there is still a large, additional space, followed by a large storage space under the armrest.

A large trunk with a capacity of 610 liters also deserves recognition, which after folding the backs can be enlarged to 1770 liters.Access to this space is facilitated by a large flap as in liftback.However, these are the advantages that are more about the value of a family SUV, not the successor of the S class.In it, the most important should be space for people sitting in the back.

The amount of legroom is met by the expectations of the S class, due to the long wheelbase (3.2 m) and the flat floor.Worse with the place for passengers' heads: the roof line dictated by aerodynamics is quite low, which limits the space.The door is also smaller than in traditional top league limousines.

However, the worst complaint is different.A simple sofa is just mounted on the back.While in the traditional limousines of this class you can at least optionally buy individual seats with support reaching calves, which can be tilted into a reclining position, here the maximum, what you can count on is the pull -out armrest (with another screen).Besides, it's an ordinary bench with three places.

Does the electric drive fit into a luxurious limit?

Potentially - still like.Even Rolls-Royce thinks, who is also working on his electric model.The nature of the electric drive already at the start gives an advantage of absolutely voiceless operation and powerful flexibility.The maximum torque generated by two engines is a total of 855 Nm from the very moment of moving.

Such a work nature is really satisfying, and even fascinating at many moments.EQS glides noiselessly and without any signs of effort, it immediately accelerates to some disturbing speed.The pace of this acceleration is exactly what you can expect from a systemic power of 523 HP, acceleration to 100 km/h in 4.3 s and a maximum speed of 210 km/h.This is the level of many AMG models, although the force of denting in the armchair is still not as abstract as in the fastest versions of Tesla Model S or Porsche Taycana.

The eqs role is not to compete with them.Compared to them, the management is less direct, and more liquid and calculated for comfort.On the electric route, Mercedes probably sailed along the way, and when the S1 expressway turned into a single -lane DK1, and then the side paths behind the Milówka, he effectively eliminated holes and gave a sense of a closed, solid capsule.

When the road began to climb after turns into the higher parts of the mountains, Sport mode showed good control over the chassis and surprising agility.The system of four torsional wheels turns out to be the key to success. O ile jest to rozwiązanie znane z coraz większej liczby aut, to tylko tutaj tylne koła mogą skręcać się nie o 4,5, a aż o 10 stopni (co jednak w określonych przypadkach okupione jest dodatkową opłatą – i to nie jednorazową, a roczną, w ramach abonamentu… pod tym względem EQS również — niestety — wyznacza przyszłość motoryzacji).What does this give in practice?Returning ray smaller than in a compact hatchback like Opel Astra.Unexpected convenience in parking lots.Satisfaction with having a sci-fi ship on wheels.

Is this enough to grant EQS a class S title among electric cars?Well, this type of drive offers some advantage, but is also burdened with some challenges.First of all, a large battery under the seats makes you sit behind the wheel surprisingly high, as in the crossover.It is no accident that electric cars often take this form, as their design forces an elevated position inside.

Secondly, a large battery means considerable weight.And even huge.EQS 580 weighs over 2.5 tonnes.And how many miracle workers from Stuttgart would not work, that with the help of electronic support systems, strong support of the steering and brake system, or finally pneumatic suspension, mask this great mass, it will eventually be felt.Most often in the worse working than in class S suspension, which due to a shorter shock absorber jump does not provide a traditional impression of flowing over the road..Sometimes with a not always natural brake pedal reaction, in critical situations - in bends.

EQS takes an important position in the debate on the size of the batteries in electric cars.Some argue that it is easy to fall into a vicious circle: a large battery is a larger mass, higher energy consumption, and this in turn - less range.Mercedes does not take his head with such dilemmas.He is assembled here by the largest battery he could afford, and thus pierces the range of all competitors from Germany (Porsche Taycana, Audi E-Tron GT, BMW IX).

However, I see some imperfections in this logic myself.The consumption I recorded was very high;It can exceed 40 kWh/100 km in the city and 30 kWh/100 km on the highway.This means a real range of about 250 km in the city and about 330 km on a fast route.Much less than promises the car itself on the dashboard display, not to mention technical data.

The fact that the conditions were as adverse as possible.Temperature below zero and a large wind meant extremely high energy consumption through the drive, batteries and devices in the cabin.But no car owner for over 600 thousand.PLN will not travel in winter on the 60 km/h highway in the right lane, with steamed windows and a scarf around the neck.

Mercedes has done a titanic work to create the best electric limousine on the market, but in the face of the above, I can't assess it as class S yet, only with a different drive.It's a bit of Mercedes's wine (no individual, rear seats), and a bit not (restrictions in the Polish infrastructure for charging, which make it difficult to move around the country).

Mercedes is not a leader of electric drives yet.The fruits of American startups are still dominated by these.Tesla Model S and Lucid Air Dream Edition can ensure a longer range and more power.Germany does not lay down their arms: we literally have just been at the premiere of EQS 53 AMG, which has a power of up to 761 km (and this is not the last word AMG yet).On January 3, 2022, Mercedes EQXX will be presented, which will have a range above 1000 km.

I am waiting for the above for ... Mercedes EQE, which will go on sale in Poland in mid -2022.It will offer a very similar appearance and very similar equipment, but for a lower price.And he will not have the letter in the name, which will make the burden of expectations to him quite different.

View full Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 technical data on AutoCentrum.pl