Mercedes EQS first look: The pinnacle of EV luxury

All the luxury of an S-Class in a long-range EV package.

Initially the Mercedes EQC electric SUV was to be the first full electric vehicle from the German automaker. Plans changed and instead the electric EQS has instead been unveiled with a target to have the vehicle in US dealers this fall, meaning the electric S-Class with its large 107.8-kWh battery pack will be the first to land on US soil.

With a price yet to be announced, the EQS will ship with luxury and technology features on par with the S-Class. It’ll enter the market to challenge the Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT, and Lucid Air. Thanks to a large battery pack the automaker is targeting a European WLTP range of 478 miles. The EPA target hasn’t been announced, but it will be lower due to more stringent testing here in the United States. While we wait to see how far it’ll go on the road between being connected to the grid, Mercedes gave us an opportunity to check out the vehicle and test some of its features.