Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV review

This car is a major financial commitment, but aimed at a strata of society most likely too busy profiting from fluctuating energy prices to worry about it. Prices start at £129,470 for the entry-level AMG Line Premium Plus 450, and you’d better pencil in half a day or more if you plan to get busy on the configurator.

Like all new Mercedes, the options list is more of a three-volume encyclopaedia. Now with the added complexity of ‘over-the-air’ updates, a neat new revenue stream for the car business, but as annoying as it is on your phone or laptop. Top spec Business Class trim (a very apt name) starts at £143,795, and upgrading from the 450 to the 580 will cost you an extra £10,000 no matter which trim you choose. 

The charging process itself is simplified provided the user signs up for Mercedes Me Charging, with charging and billing taking place automatically. It offers access to 850,000 AC and DC charging points worldwide, and Plug & Charge is also available (no need to authenticate yourself).

Mercedes issues a battery certificate for its high-voltage batteries which is basically a performance guarantee: this runs to a service life of 10 years or 250,000km and a remaining capacity of 70 per cent. As for those claimed consumption figures, we saw an easy 2.5 mi/kWh during a run to 11,000ft-plus in the Rockies near Denver, Colorado. The EQS SUV 580+ is a powerful vehicle, but it’s not a performance car. So we didn’t drive it like one.