Owning a Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a sign of success. It means you’ve done well enough that you can be chauffeured around but you still like to get behind the wheel too. The newly unveiled EQE is the all-electric iteration of the E-Class that you’ll likely be looking to get for your transition to clean mobility in the future.
Just the way an E-Class has commonalities with an S-Class of the same generation, the EQE has much in common with the EQS. It is based on the same EVA2 platform with very similar styling, but smaller dimensions. The wheelbase is 3120mm long which makes it 90mm shorter than that of the EQS while being 41mm longer than the long-wheelbase version of the current E-Class. It has the same cab-forward design as the EQS with shorter overhangs on each end. The EQE bears Mercedes’ latest design language of seamless shapes and smoother surfaces with minimal joints and shut lines. As expected, the electric version of the E-Class has a more spacious cabin than the combustion-engined model.
The EQE can be distinguished from the EQS by the tweaked front fascia which has a different bumper, LED headlamps flanking the black panel grille and the lack of an LED strip along the bonnet line connecting the headlights. At the back, it gets the same connected taillamps that are a design detail common across Mercedes’ EQ range (except the EQG). The EQE also gets the choice of 19- and 20-inch alloy wheels that are aerodynamically optimised. Even though it has been revealed in a single EQE 350 variant, we’ve seen two trims with differing design details:
Under the floor, the EQE’s battery pack offers 90kWh of usable energy with a claimed WLTP range of 545km to 660km. The EQE 350 variant only gets a single electric motor that produces 292PS and 530Nm to drive the rear wheels. Mercedes has confirmed plans for dual-motor variants with an electric motor on the front axle as well. There will be performance focussed variants too with around 670hp.
Mercedes continues to offer EQ models with practical levels of DC fast-charging capacity rather than higher load technology that is not fully supported by public charging infrastructure. It has a peak charging capacity of 170kW, lower than the 350kW capacity of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Porsche Taycan, for a 10-80% charge time of 32 minutes or 250km in 15 minutes. The standard 11kW onboard charger would take more than 8 hours for a full charge using a three-phase AC charger, or 4.25 hours with the optional 22kW charger.
The EQE gets the option of the same MBUX Hyperscreen that debuted inside the EQS. It’s a massive, single piece of curved glass that stretches across the entire dashboard with three large displays underneath. That includes the 17.7-inch central touchscreen infotainment system, 12.3-inch driver’s display and a 12.3-inch OLED for the front passenger. As standard, it is expected to get the driver’s display and a 12.8-inch vertically-oriented central touchscreen infotainment display. It features the latest-generation MBUX software from Mercedes and will get over-the-air updates to improve and expand its usefulness over time. The digital assistant can be used for voice-enabled vehicular functions, basic queries, creating user profiles with voice recognition, and also talking through the car’s various features.
The rest of the cabin is purely about comfort and luxurious design which is packed easily into the EQE. Understandably, it’s a step below the EQS in terms of opulence in the rear seat but there’s little to complain about. It also packs in a fair bit of safety tech including multiple airbags and ADAS features such as active steering assist, active emergency stop assist and active lane-keeping assist. The 360-degree view parking cameras help too.
Mercedes-Benz will commence the staggered global launch for the EQE in mid-2022. The electric business sedan will be produced at the Bremen plant for all markets except China, whose units will be locally manufactured at the company’s facility in Beijing. The EQE will be taking on the electric Audi A6 in the future while also rivalling the BMW i4 and possibly the Tesla Model 3 Long Range.
Would you have the EQE over the proven Teslas or even an i4? Maybe you’d rather wait for an electric Audi A6? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog for more cool updates from the car world. You can also follow us on Twitter & Instagram (@autoloons).
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