Following two years of teasing the public, Mercedes-Benz has finally pulled the entire sheet off its EQS SUV. When it arrives at dealers toward the end of this year, the new model will be the first SUV on Mercedes’ EQ line to arrive in the US. There’s lots to unfold here, so let’s dig in.
Table of contents
Background
The public first caught wind of an SUV version of Mercedes-Benz’ EQS sedan in October of 2020, when the German automaker shared camo’d footage of its first three EVs on its new electrified EQ line: the EQS and EQE sedans and the EQS SUV. Here’s a video posted by Mercedes at the time.
The EQS is currently on US roads, and the EQE is not far behind. The EQS SUV however, has remained somewhat hidden, although Mercedes has shared little tidbits of its progress the past two years.
Alongside news of a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new battery factory in Alabama, Mercedes shared several interior images of the EQS SUV, complete with specs consumers can expect inside it. At the time, Mercedes also announced April 19, 2022 as the date for the world premiere of the EQS SUV.
Here we are, nearly three quarters of the way through April with an absolute boatload worth of new details on the new electrified SUV.
First images and details of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV
It looks a lot cooler without camo, right? If you didn’t know by now, Mercedes-Benz is dedicated to delivering the utmost quality both inside and out of its vehicles. That means astute attention to minute details in the design process.
The Mercedes team also spares no effort when it comes to sharing information on its new EVs, having sent us a robust 55- page press release on the EQS SUV alone. We recommend checking out the full release if you’re a die-hard Mercedes-Benz fan (we’re thinking of one “very passionate” reader in Augsberg, Bavaria, in particular).
For those of you in the TL;DR mindset, we’ve consolidated things for you.
What’s new
If the name wasn’t hint enough, the new EQS SUV is based on the sedan version that debuted in 2021. As a larger version, the EQS SUV offers seating for up to seven passengers and more cargo space with the same luxury and technology as the EQ sedans that come before it.
The new EQ model will come with plenty of standard features like three individual driving modes, plus Active Parking Assist with its Surround View Camera. Additionally, the EQS SUV will feature Mercedes’ driver assistance package including Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC, which we recently tested out in Los Angeles. Here are some additional highlights:
- AIRMATIC air suspension and Adaptive Damping System
- Active Lane Keeping, Blind Spot Assist, PRE-SAFE PLUS, and PRE-SAFE Impulse Side (all standard)
- 10-degree rear axle steering, allowing for better maneuverability and agility on narrow city streets
- One-bow design in line with Mercedes’ “Progressive Luxury” design philosophy
Interior
As you can see from the images above, the interior on the upcoming EQS SUV remains on brand for the EQ line as a whole, closely resembling that of its EQS and EQE sedan siblings.
A main feature that stands out is Mercedes’ MBUX Hyperscreen, which includes multiple displays beneath curved glass as well as a new Augmented Reality Navigation system and “Hey Mercedes” Keyword Activation.
- EQS SUV 580 SUV: MBUX Hyperscreen has three displays under a single 56-inch curved glass surface
- 12.3” Instrument Cluster, 17.7” Central OLED Touchscreen Display, and 12.3” Passenger OLED Touchscreen Display
- EQS 450+ SUV: 12.8” Central OLED Touchscreen Portrait Display and 12.3” Instrument Cluster
Here are some other new features US consumers can expect inside the EQS SUV:
- Optional third row seating for seven
- Standard Dolby Atmos sound system with 360-degree sound experience in the standard Burmester 3D Sound System
- The Burmester 3D Sound System comes standard with two new soundscapes (Silver Waves and Vivid Flux) that provide a customizable auditory experience.
- ENERGIZING Comfort health and wellness system that boosts drivers’ attentiveness and well-being while reducing sleepiness and stress
- ENERGIZING NATURE – Programs that offer soothing sounds like Forest Glade, Sounds of the Sea, and Summer Rain
- Energizing Air Control Plus plus optional high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter add-on
- Heated and ventilated leather seats with Multi-Contour Ambient Light Illumination
- Executive Rear Seat Package with adaptive rear compartment lighting, MBUX Interior Assistance, comfort headrests, MBUX tablet, wireless charging, heated seats and rear side airbags (Optional)
- MBUX Augmented Reality Head-Up Display (Optional)
- Winter or Acoustic Comfort package to block out cold, sound, and/or heat (all optional)
Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV Specs
Below is table showcasing how the two upcoming versions of the EQS SUV stack up side by side. However, as you scroll you’ll notice that a lot of vital information to consumers is still to be announced.
For that reason, we threw the EQS 580 4MATIC sedan on there, too, to not only see how the SUV differs but also help you get in the ballpark of what to expect in those SUV specs that remain blank for now.
Other news surrounding the EQS SUV
In preparation for the global debut of the EQS SUV, we got the chance to do a few roundtable interviews with different members of the Mercedes-Benz team. Each offered their own insight and hints as to what we can expect to see on the EQS SUV and Mercedes EVs in the future, and all of it sounds exciting.
Christoph Starzynski, Mercedes-Benz’s Vice President Electric Vehicle Architecture was particularly open about the future of the German automaker as it goes all electric. Starzynski told us that the next S Class of Mercedes vehicles and beyond will be all electric – meaning we have seen the last combustion and hybrid versions of that class.
He also briefly mentioned a specific AMG EV platform arriving in 2025. We recently covered news of AMG versions of the EQS sedan in the works, so expect to see many more performance versions of Mercedes EVs taken to a whole other echelon under the AMG branding.
Starzynski also confirmed that a Maybach version of the EQS is “not far out.” When pressed, he could not confirm that consumers would see the Maybach EQS next year, but did say that “it’s not years away,” hinting that we should see it sooner rather than later.
He went on to explain that Maybach has its own design language compared to the Mercedes-Benz EQS, as the hardware and the user interface have their own branding. The ride handling will also be different than the Mercedes version.
As we previously mentioned, there are loads and loads of more details surrounding the EQS SUV in the Mercedes press release, so be sure to check it out. Hopefully the next news we hear will be those ever-important consumer specs like EPA range and pricing.
Expect to see those sometime before US deliveries begin in late 2022. In the meantime, here’s a sexy little introduction video for you:
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