Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Mercedes EQS reviews published - longest range and most luxurious ride of all EVs?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Here is my real world review.
I’ve owned an MS since 2013 and absolutely loved it! Until my third one, a 2021 LR. Thanks to the bizarre interior, designed solely to be cheap to build, and IMHO hyper user unfriendly, I grew to HATE THE CAR. Once I drove my first Tesla in 2013 it was impossible to drive anything else. And there wasn’t anything else. Until now. I sold my 6 mos old S for $5k more than I paid for it and bought a beautifully equipped EQS for 450+ at MSRP.

AND THE CAR IS FABULOUS: sooooooo far superior to the MS which is quite junky by comparison. 0-60 can’t compare of course but it is plenty quick- just over 5 seconds, same as my first S85, Which everyone found exhilarating back then . Electronics are better in almost everyone regard. The car does virtually everything FSD does, and it does it better.

MUCH quieter on the road. HUD-Fabulous! Apple Car Play-fabulous! A real BSW- fabulous! Same gear selector as the pre ‘21 MS (they were supplied by MB)-fabulous! A TURN SIGNAL LEVER- fabulous! A horn where the horn is supposed to be! Interior like the Ritz, not like the Tesla Motel Six-fabulous! FLAWLESS workmanship and fit and finish!

AND IT IS CHEAPER THAN AN MS!!!! Proof that MB packs in far more bang for the buck? Tesla’s gross margin is 41%; MBs is 22 % .

The Tesla feels dated:

No HUD -- a significant failure

Fourth rate BSW, autopark, and auto wipers -- inexcusable because so easily rectified

No Apple Car Play -- inanely dumb

Sonic Hedgehog -- childlish foolishness that passeth human understanding but may be a manifestation of Elon's autism.

So the genius of the EV, OTA updates, and battery technology is now a given, and buyers' decisions are increasingly influenced by features, an area in which Tesla is sinking dangerously close to the bottom of the EV field.

The Mercedes EQS is simply in a different class.
 
Good to see that Tesla has some real competition, at least in the +$100,000 price class. Maybe it will cause them to up their game. I don't know what volume of EVs Mercedes is capable of shipping yet though. If Mercedes can address that, I can see the EQS eventually eating into Tesla's high-end sales. It would be nice if Mercedes also would introduce something in North America in the price class of the Model 3. If they do, I would consider it for our next vehicle. Not that I have been unhappy with the Model 3 - ours has been great - but it is nice to have choice and none of the alternatives to the Model 3 from other manufacturers quite hit the mark for me yet.
 
One thing I would add though is that the EQS does not quite compete on price with the Model S, at least not in Canada. I can get the non-Plaid Model S for $129,500 Canadian, while the EQS starts at $146,500 in Canada (and that is before any additional dealer markups - though I don't know if Mercedes dealers engage in that practice). Granted, the EQS is more luxuriously appointed (and Mercedes even throws in a steering wheel ;)).
 
Last edited:
  • Informative
Reactions: tm1v2
Here is my real world review.
I’ve owned an MS since 2013 and absolutely loved it! Until my third one, a 2021 LR. Thanks to the bizarre interior, designed solely to be cheap to build, and IMHO hyper user unfriendly, I grew to HATE THE CAR. Once I drove my first Tesla in 2013 it was impossible to drive anything else. And there wasn’t anything else. Until now. I sold my 6 mos old S for $5k more than I paid for it and bought a beautifully equipped EQS for 450+ at MSRP.

AND THE CAR IS FABULOUS: sooooooo far superior to the MS which is quite junky by comparison. 0-60 can’t compare of course but it is plenty quick- just over 5 seconds, same as my first S85, Which everyone found exhilarating back then . Electronics are better in almost everyone regard. The car does virtually everything FSD does, and it does it better.

MUCH quieter on the road. HUD-Fabulous! Apple Car Play-fabulous! A real BSW- fabulous! Same gear selector as the pre ‘21 MS (they were supplied by MB)-fabulous! A TURN SIGNAL LEVER- fabulous! A horn where the horn is supposed to be! Interior like the Ritz, not like the Tesla Motel Six-fabulous! FLAWLESS workmanship and fit and finish!

AND IT IS CHEAPER THAN AN MS!!!! Proof that MB packs in far more bang for the buck? Tesla’s gross margin is 41%; MBs is 22 % .

The Tesla feels dated:

No HUD -- a significant failure

Fourth rate BSW, autopark, and auto wipers -- inexcusable because so easily rectified

No Apple Car Play -- inanely dumb

Sonic Hedgehog -- childlish foolishness that passeth human understanding but may be a manifestation of Elon's autism.

So the genius of the EV, OTA updates, and battery technology is now a given, and buyers' decisions are increasingly influenced by features, an area in which Tesla is sinking dangerously close to the bottom of the EV field.

The Mercedes EQS is simply in a different class.
What’s a BSW? What’s the range? Does the autopilot really actually work on freeways? Will it auto change lanes (with a request from driver)? How long a trip have you taken with the autopilot?
 
Mercedes is plush indeed, and many will agree to pay the additional $$$ to drive it.

Biggest issue for many is giving up the superb Tesla Supercharger Network that makes long distance driving possible.

Buyers tend to need to justify their purchasing decisions in forums, but few here would consider Tesla interiors to be bizarre, designed soley to be cheap to build and hyper user unfriendly. Most would feel exactly the opposite.

Most feel the Mercedes is overpriced, slow, too heavy, offers little on road charging options. The interior is a bit over designed with so many buttons and old styling. Some still hold a grudge about their phony "clean diesel" promotions and corruption within. Few would tolerate the arrogant way Mercedes overcharges for service and maintenance. Tesla tends to hold their resale values much more than the falling like a rock way that Mercedes high end vehicles depreciate.

Enjoy your new car. You and it are still in the honeymoon stage. Reality will set in soon.

A side note is that Tesla might not have survived if Mercedes had not given them a financial lifeline long ago...so there is that...
 
Mercedes is plush indeed, and many will agree to pay the additional $$$ to drive it.

Biggest issue for many is giving up the superb Tesla Supercharger Network that makes long distance driving possible.

I generally don’t do car trips longer than 3 hours, so that isn’t something I personally am worried about. In other words, while the Supercharger network is definitely a brand advantage for Tesla, it doesn’t mean that all consumers care about it.
 
Sorry, I can't get over the look. I hope it's successful but it's definitely designed for people that like the "old car" feel. It's a cross between a Buick and a Chrysler with a terrible nose. I sat in it and it's plush but the screens are stupid and the back is horrible. Hey, just my impression, but no thanks. It's definitely not a Tesla killer.
 
  • Informative
  • Like
Reactions: tm1v2 and SO16
One thing I would add though is that the EQS does not quite compete on price with the Model S, at least not in Canada. I can get the non-Plaid Model S for $129,500 Canadian, while the EQS starts at $146,500 in Canada (and that is before any additional dealer markups - though I don't know if Mercedes dealers engage in that practice). Granted, the EQS is more luxuriously appointed (and Mercedes even throws in a steering wheel ;)).
I think this is just because the 450 isn't selectable here in Canada? $146.5k is for the 580, which is quicker, has a bit more range, and some other stuff

What’s a BSW? What’s the range? Does the autopilot really actually work on freeways? Will it auto change lanes (with a request from driver)? How long a trip have you taken with the autopilot?
Can't speak for the EQS but cruise control features like this are not that uncommon nowadays. I have a Genesis GV80 that has excellent advanced cruise control, lane centering, handles curves, auto lane changing with a stalk press, an Autopilot-like display showing vehicles around you and even shows it in your HUD, has auto perpendicular and parallel parking that you can activate when standing outside of the vehicle. I'd be surprised if the EQS doesn't have similar functionality for $30k+ more than the GV80.
 
What’s a BSW? What’s the range? Does the autopilot really actually work on freeways? Will it auto change lanes (with a request from driver)? How long a trip have you taken with the autopilot?
Blind Spot WarniNguyen. Its Autopilot (it doesn’t use that term) functions perform brilliantly on the highway and does auto change lanes. If you try to change lanes without signaling it very strongly pulls you back. And it doesn’t slam on the brakes when a car crosses you 1/4 mile ahead! Imagine that! Took a 200 mile trip today and am doing a 3 day 1600 mile trip Monday, reversing it the following Sunday.

I can’t believe the range of this car. We just drove it up to our summer home , with a climb from 1000 feet to 7600 feet and I drove 10 miles over the whole way, so about half of it was 75 mph. It only used 210 miles of range for a 193 mile trip. My 2921 LR long range used at least 275, maybe 300. Under promise and over deliver. That’s a lesson Musk needs to learn BADLY.
 
I hope that the thread title isn't seen as a deliberate provocation. It isn't meant to be. It simply intends to point out the main objectives Mercedes has concentrated on.
Last night Mercedes lifted an embargo on the publication of reviews of the production version and the reviews are all over the usual sites, Car and Driver, Edmunds etc.

Given that the journalists went all the way to Zurich for the launch of the car, I'm slightly surprised by their rather short reviews. The comment sections are full of rather puerile and partisan comments. Never understood this extreme partisanship for a car. But, so what.

This guy runs what is probably Germany's fastest growing EV review site. Despite running a German channel he has never hesitated to put the boot into German manufacturers and charging station providers, if he believes that they don't deliver. Neither is he a Tesla-basher, therefore I would trust his judgement to be fair. He is less of a tech-geek, he concentrates on the user experience, which he presents at exhaustive length (53 min., only in German, though).


He is a bit ambivalent about the outside looks (according to his and several other opinions the two-tone paint looks much better in the tin than on media), he considers the automatic doors as useless (parked in a tight European city centre you don't want the door to open and close at a majestic pace when a tram is coming down the street with a shrill bell ringing, and at 5.21 m the car is simply too long to fit into many European parking boxes.

Yet the car delivers on its promises:
It has covered the the whole distance between Munich and Berlin (about 600km/ca. 373 miles) at ca. 120 km/h / ca. 75 mph without the need to recharge. If you prefer a less bladder-bursting way to travel, at a more realistic 150 kph / 93 mph it needs one charging stop of about 15 minutes. (that's from other sources)

The top speed is limited to 210 km/h, though. I don't know if that is of any concern outside of Germany, though.
It's not as blisteringly fast as the Plaid, yet at about 4.1 s to 100 km/h it should service almost any driver's needs. If you like to do drag races (which is completely legitimate) you should go for the Plaid. I just don't believe that the buyers of this 5.21. m luxo-barge really see drag races as the car's primary purpose.

One car charged 85 kWh in 31 m at a Ionity charger during the test.

Apparently it is the most silent (inside) car with the best ride on the market, ICE and EVs included.

The elctronics suite with entertainment, navigation and driver aids seems to be market leading. I was a bit surprised, as this usually isn't the strongest point of German brands, yet it seems to deliver. I was most impressed with the car's lane keeping abilities in a construction site. European motorway construction sites can be a nightmare, with the currently valid yellow lines happily mixing with the currently invalid white lines, and narrow left lanes that are hardly wide enough for a modern car. Yet the EQS did hold the track.

Despite its length it has an almost ridiculously small turning circle of 10.5 m, less than far, far smaller cars, thanks to its all-wheel steering.

It is remarkably frugal in its energy consumption. During the test (average speed in Switzerland is rather restricted due to draconian speed limit enforcement, though) was absolutely remarkable at less than 18 kWh/100 km (VW take note).

Again, I trust that the forum users here to be able to appreciate the efforts of other manufacturers. The more choice we have, the better for us consumers.
Oh absolutely; German engineering is not about to let anyone, including Tesla or Lucid Air be the top Dog; The new 2023 450 EV suv is unbelievable 👍🏻
 
Mercedes is plush indeed, and many will agree to pay the additional $$$ to drive it.

Biggest issue for many is giving up the superb Tesla Supercharger Network that makes long distance driving possible.

Buyers tend to need to justify their purchasing decisions in forums, but few here would consider Tesla interiors to be bizarre, designed soley to be cheap to build and hyper user unfriendly. Most would feel exactly the opposite.

Most feel the Mercedes is overpriced, slow, too heavy, offers little on road charging options. The interior is a bit over designed with so many buttons and old styling. Some still hold a grudge about their phony "clean diesel" promotions and corruption within. Few would tolerate the arrogant way Mercedes overcharges for service and maintenance. Tesla tends to hold their resale values much more than the falling like a rock way that Mercedes high end vehicles depreciate.

Enjoy your new car. You and it are still in the honeymoon stage. Reality will set in soon.

A side note is that Tesla might not have survived if Mercedes had not given them a financial lifeline long ago...so there is that...
First of all, the EQS is CHEAPER. Mine well loaded, with far more func and features than the MS, was $114K, much less than a S LR wing FSD, upgraded paint and leather.

I'm taking a 1600 mile road trip Monday. As per ABRP, 6 stops at 350kw Electrify America stations all on the interstate route. I plotted the same trip on the Tesla planner: 7 stops, same distance, longer charge. Tso charge stops will be overnight, so it’s really four stops. EA has well located interstate stops every where. They don’t yet.

Only a fanbois would find the elimination of all controls in favor of haptics to be an improvement. And of course it is far, far cheaper! The whole interior has that IKEA vibe and is terrible!

you can tell Tesla hired Apple folks to design it’s user interface for entertainment and car functions. The Mercedes interface sucks and because it has so many more functions, that is an issue. But you can do - unlike the Tesla - almost everything with audible commands. Even change entertainment stations!

Reality with my 2021 MS set in IMMEDIATELY: I hated it (haven’t gone into the bad software issues. And I love the EQS. It is simply in a different class. Tesla needs to up its game . BMW is coming as well.
 
man, you didn't post much when you owned your Teslas. Let us know how those charging stations worked out when you get back. See if it's still all roses. Since you have owned Teslas for eight years I want to hear the Supercharger/EA experience.
Will do! I get two years’ free charging at EA and the car is pre registered so charging starts “automatically “ when I hook up. I tested it locally at EA and it worked perfectly, though two of the four units were down. A Rivian pulled in with me, and a Polestar was just leaving. my road trip experience with my Ss was limited, though pretty good. We’ll see how this goes. One of my overnight stops is at a hotel with a Tesla Destination Charger and I have an adapter for that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: orion2001 and Iain
Will do! I get two years’ free charging at EA and the car is pre registered so charging starts “automatically “ when I hook up. I tested it locally at EA and it worked perfectly, though two of the four units were down. A Rivian pulled in with me, and a Polestar was just leaving. my road trip experience with my Ss was limited, though pretty good. We’ll see how this goes. One of my overnight stops is at a hotel with a Tesla Destination Charger and I have an adapter for that.
And I reported OFTEN on the actual Tesla forum when they still had it, as, first, GADFLY, and then as NOLEKSUM (read it backwards). I was the proud infuriator of the pathetic “Elon Is God And The MS His Flawless Earthly Vessel Fanbois“who often took down any post listing the many issues I and others had with my cars.
 
I don’t know how people argue for the prices of the Tesla models right now, they are ridiculously overpriced for what you get and that is all the more apparent looking at Tesla’s profit margins. The Model S was $70k USD not that long ago and that makes more sense, it does not make sense at $100k compared to other offerings at that price point.

We can argue that’s demand driven and such and that’s fine, but you are not getting $30k more value in the car after these prices increases. If they werent overpriced, the Investor thread wouldn’t be full of people gushing over the huge margins behind made by selling vehicles for far far more than they cost by industry standards.

If you’re value-orientated and want to get your moneys worth, you want to buy something where the seller is making as little profit as possible.
 
I don’t know how people argue for the prices of the Tesla models right now, they are ridiculously overpriced for what you get and that is all the more apparent looking at Tesla’s profit margins. The Model S was $70k USD not that long ago and that makes more sense, it does not make sense at $100k compared to other offerings at that price point.

We can argue that’s demand driven and such and that’s fine, but you are not getting $30k more value in the car after these prices increases. If they werent overpriced, the Investor thread wouldn’t be full of people gushing over the huge margins behind made by selling vehicles for far far more than they cost by industry standards.

If you’re value-orientated and want to get your moneys worth, you want to buy something where the seller is making as little profit as possible.
I'd argue if you were value-orientated you wouldn't be getting a 100K car when Tesla (and others) offer great cars for far less. Not that long ago that Model S was FAR cheaper to build than it is today, plus if you listened to the Tesla press conference after Q1 they said they are pricing them a year out because demand is so high. Unlike all the other car companies you can get your price locked in today for a car you will get in a year, without getting the dealer gouge. Here's a 50K add on for a EQS450
 

Attachments

  • EQS.jpg
    EQS.jpg
    312.4 KB · Views: 58
  • Like
Reactions: Cosmacelf
And I reported OFTEN on the actual Tesla forum when they still had it, as, first, GADFLY, and then as NOLEKSUM (read it backwards). I was the proud infuriator of the pathetic “Elon Is God And The MS His Flawless Earthly Vessel Fanbois“who often took down any post listing the many issues I and others had with my cars.
:) With your own report that your former name was GADFLY, we might draw our own conclusions about nature of your approach in this forum.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rxlawdude
:) With your own report that your former name was GADFLY, we might draw our own conclusions about nature of your approach in this forum.
This is literally the one thread on this entire forum devoted to the EQS. It is quite ridiculous how overly sensitive some folks on this forum are that they have to waltz in here and feel the need to defend Tesla's honor while taking digs at people with counter-opinions. Sheesh
 
  • Like
Reactions: daktari and redalf
This is literally the one thread on this entire forum devoted to the EQS. It is quite ridiculous how overly sensitive some folks on this forum are that they have to waltz in here and feel the need to defend Tesla's honor while taking digs at people with counter-opinions. Sheesh
I was responding, with amusement, to a post from 'srsm' where he noted his former handle as "GADFLY" (presumably before he was banned) on the official Tesla Forum and then referred to "Elon Is God And The MS His Flawless Earthly Vessel Fanbois“ all within three lines. :) Let's just say that I will not necessarily be looking to him for a detached, objective assessment of the EQS vs. the Model S.

And yes, there are some Tesla fanbois on these forums, but there is a lot of well-reasoned criticism of Tesla as well, and good discussion of other EV options. TMC does a good job in allowing for balanced, thoughtful debate. As I said just a few posts up, while I really like our Model 3, I would definitely give some consideration to a Mercedes EV for our next vehicle purchase if Mercedes introduces something in the Model 3 price range.