2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS is an Ultra-Modern All-Electric Flagship

After months of teasing, Mercedes-Benz today unveiled the EQS luxury EV sedan. The big four-door will spearhead the brand’s electric lineup in North America.

The EQS is positively packed with high-tech features beyond that electron-munching drivetrain. That’s to be expected for a Merc with an S in its name, of course. When it arrives later this year, the EQS will set new standards for EV luxury—while also ushering in a new design language at Mercedes.

The EQS stays remarkably faithful to the concept from a few years ago. It even carries over the two-tone paint job—though that won’t be available in all markets, including Canada. Built on an all-new, dedicated EV platform, the EQS features what Merc calls a “one-bow” design, with a simple, arcing profile, and cab-forward layout. According to the company, this was done to intentionally distance the car from the rest of the internal combustion lineup.

Full LED headlights are standard, with Digital Light available as an option. The latter uses some 1.3 million micro-mirrors per headlight, allowing the EQS to adaptively light the way forward. The black panel between the headlights isn’t just there to mimic a grille, either: it hides all the necessary hardware for the driver assistance systems.

Flush door handles and a panoramic glass roof are standard on the EQS 580. Both are part of a concerted effort to minimize the car’s aerodynamic drag. A reduction in shut lines is part of the plan too, including the front hood, which wraps around the front fenders. The pebble-smooth styling and a clean underbody contribute to a coefficient of drag of just 0.20, a record for production cars. Mercedes says this focus on aero optimization was especially important for an EV, as wind and road noise are more noticeable without an ICE. Wheel sizes range from 19 to 22 inches.

At launch, North America will see the EQS 580 4MATIC. Using an electric motor at each axle, it will produce 516 hp, and a predicted range of 700 km (435 miles) on the WLTP cycle. Expect figures on these shores to be slightly lower. During the reveal presentation, Mercedes also revealed a higher-performance version is on the way, with 750 hp.

Mercedes has crafted the EQS’ lithium-ion battery system to accept either pouch- or hardcase-style cells. This allows for more variety in the future, in conjunction with an in-house battery management system capable of over-the-air (OTA) updates.

In the EQS 580, the 12-module battery has a usable rating of 108 kWh. Fast-charging allows for 186 miles (300 km) of range recovered in just 15 minutes.

Merc guarantees battery capacity of at least 70 percent after 8 years and 100,000 miles.

Mercedes produces the EQS battery packs at its Hedelfingen plant in Germany. The plant will achieve carbon neutrality next year, and the battery cell suppliers use some renewable energy sources for their work.

We’ve already seen the interior of the EQS— you can read all about it here—so we’ll be brief. Two dashboard layouts will be available: one with an S-Class like twin-screen layout, and the other featuring the full-width Hyperscreen. With both, Merc has gone hyper-minimal, eliminating pretty much all physical switchgear. Thanks to the EV nature of the EQS, the interior looks incredibly spacious, with a flat floor and loads of stretch-out room.

Active ambient lighting uses 190 LEDs around the interior, and also works in parallel with driver assist features, like blind spot monitoring.

Buyers will have no less than eight different color schemes to choose from. Neotex is used throughout, a material that blends the look and feel of nubuck leather and neoprene. Laser-cut trim features backlit Mercedes logos like the black panel on the nose. Even the piping on the seats is illuminated.

Mercedes touts some 40 inventions making their debut in the EQS. That’s too many for us to list in their entirety, so here are some of the highlights.

Navigation with Electric Intelligence (NEI) debuts in the EQS. As the name implies, this native nav system pulls information from multiple sources to more accurately calculate trips—and the required charge. Temperatures, speed, the topography of the route, traffic; it’s all taken into account. NEI is also able to adjust the temperature of the battery pack for optimal charging. In addition, the system can make decisions on best charging times on the fly: maybe two quick fast-charge stops are better on your road trip than one longer, slower charge.

Speaking of longer trips, the EQS also features a Power Nap mode. On breaks, drivers can active the program, which closes the sunroof, reclines the seat, and activates soothing sounds. The front screen displays a starry sky, too. When it’s time to wake up, the EQS spritzes an “appropriate fragrance,” plays sounds, and raises the seat back up.

European buyers will be able to tell their EQS to open and close its doors. Sorry, North Americans: we’ll have to use our own hands, like suckers.