Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV (2023 - ) Electric review

Few people will be buying an EQE SUV upfront, but that bottom-line price remains an important comparison for relative cost against rivals and there’s no escaping it looks intimidating, not to mention a big step up from the EQE saloon. But Mercedes is in its comfort zone as a premium brand, and the EQE SUV is a much fresher product than the likes of the Audi Q8 E-Tron you may also be looking at. It’s a tougher comparison with the BMW iX, though, and while you might not usually put Kia and Mercedes on the same shopping list the Korean brand has big ambitions and its Kia EV9 luxury SUV promises a very stylish alternative to the premium establishment. More generally the EQE SUV does at least offset its high purchase or finance costs with the usual advantages of electric car ownership, be that cheaper charging for those with facility to do so at home or tax incentives if you can run it as a company car.

Like many manufacturers Mercedes is basing its new generation of electric cars on the same shared foundations for economies of scale, so the EQE SUV is similar underneath to the EQS and EQE. It’s early days yet for judging how reliable this new technology is, and like many premium manufacturers, Mercedes doesn’t always score too well on reliability tables. For now we’ll have to live in hope Mercedes’ move upmarket is reflected in the quality of its cars, the three-year unlimited mileage warranty nothing to write home about even if the battery is covered separately for 10 years or 155,000 miles.

Common industry practice or not it’s annoying the Driving Assistance Package Plus pack with the best of the high tech driver assistance systems isn’t included on the entry-level trim. Especially on the basis that ‘entry-level’ in this context is still a £90,000 car, and upgrading to the level where the pack is standard has you knocking on the door of six figures. Only then do you get the really clever stuff, like steering and/or brake interventions to situations as wide ranging as pedestrians crossing a road you’re turning into, unseen vehicles in your blindspot, blocked lanes on the motorway and more. Our test car had all this, including the slightly creepy automated braking that engages on approach to junctions or slowing traffic ahead and has the brake pedal moving of its own accord under your foot.

A mixed bag here, on the basis that the interior has more headroom in the back and a much bigger boot than the saloon EQE but less legroom because the wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) is shorter. Even factoring that in it’s a much more useful, usable space for families than the saloon and thoughtful touches like standard running boards make it easier for little people to climb aboard, which will help speed things up at school drop off and collection time. Fashionable and practical as it is the tall SUV stance costs in terms of visibility and ride quality compared with the saloon, though. You notice this in the curiously tall dashboard, which loses any advantage there may be from sitting up high by leaving you peering through a narrow slot of a windscreen, and the woeful rear visibility. Sure, there are cameras and sensors galore to compensate but in tight urban streets, car parks and other everyday driving situations it makes life more stressful than it needs to be, and exacerbates the intimidation factor of driving such a big and expensive vehicle. It’s also an extremely heavy car, which combined with the tall stance demands stiff suspension to stop it wallowing about and ruins the ride quality compared with the silky-smooth saloon version. A pity, because it’s otherwise very refined and relaxing to drive.

While we’ll moan about the base trim level losing out on the Driving Assistance Package Plus (see ‘Safety’) the EQE SUV otherwise delivers on the kind of kit and luxuries you’d hope for at this price. Air suspension is a welcome standard feature while 20-inch wheels look suitably imposing. A power tailgate, heated windscreen, LED headlights, leather, ambient lighting and more help make the already luxurious and stylish interior feel suitably premium as well. In tech terms you get a big digital instrument cluster (though our seating position obscured much of it behind the wheel, which was disappointing) and a huge, free-floating centre screen both linked and controlled by touch-sensitive steering wheel ‘buttons’ and featuring Mercedes’ typically slick graphics. Mercedes has honed versions of this ‘MBUX’ operating system across its range, and it’s one of the best in the business with a real premium feel and slick integration with phone apps via CarPlay and Android Auto when you need them. Things get even smarter as you go up the range, with additional luxuries like a panoramic roof, fancier trimmings and a thumping Burmester stereo. The real talking point is, however, the ‘Hyperscreen’ integrating the driver display, centre screen and an additional third one for the passenger into a single, sweeping glass panel. Standard on the top trims, and optional on the middle one, it really sets Mercedes apart in terms of both design and tech, and is arguably worth the money for sense of occasion it creates any time you get behind the wheel.

All EQE SUV models come with Mercedes’ 4Matic branded all-wheel drive, with power going to all four wheels for extra reassurance in all weather conditions. There are three power levels available, the standard EQE 350 and 500 models joined by a significantly more powerful (and expensive) EQE 53 AMG with over 600 horsepower. The 350 we drove has less than half that, but the instant response of the electric motors helps overcome the porky 2.5-tonne weight and no EQE is going to feel sluggish. You notice that weight when try and slow it down, though, and more than once we found ourselves pushing the brake pedal to the carpet and gritting our teeth in panic when the lights ahead went red. This can happen in electric cars when you lose track of whether the vehicle is going to slow itself with regeneration back into the battery or you need to do it on the brake pedal – you can adjust this balance via paddles on the steering wheel but most of the time the EQE is better left to its own devices. All models claim over 300 miles of range by official figures, which is a big step up from the older EQC and should mean a comfortable 200-plus miles between charges, even in less favourable real-world driving conditions.