Styling often plays a prominent role in the success or failure of an automobile especially a futuristic clean EV looking to shake up the world stage. Mercedes-Benz is trying to do just that with their EQ lineup of EVs. But so far, the reaction has been mixed with customers showing their lukewarm enthusiasm for the bulk of the lineup.
But can the SUV version of the EQE reverse this trend while still helping Mercedes-Benz reach out to more family buyers with its enhanced versatility and high level of technology?
EQE SUV Goes Off In a Different Direction
Unlike the controversial EQE sedan, Mercedes-Benz is going in a familiar direction with the SUV version and is placing style and versatility as key priorities in its development. That’s certainly evident when you look at the exterior styling of the SUV with the front fascia having a larger grille panel and headlights that are more aggressive. There are still some hints of its futuristic egg inspiration blended into the styling with the rear lightbar still looking like a half-melted Milky Way bar.
But when compared to some of its EQ siblings, we think the SUV version of the EQE is a humble attempt at standing out from the crowd. AMG models like our tester get bigger wheels and minor trim alterations to help them stand out from lesser versions while also being on par with rivals like the Tesla Model Y and their performance-flavored trims.
Interior Does A Better Job Enhancing Comfort
Unlike the sedan, the SUV does a better job coddling its occupants in luxury with Mercedes engineers putting a better effort into interior quality and technology. Unlike the sedan, the SUV gets the company’s HyperScreen system which houses the infotainment system, instrument cluster, and a smaller screen for the front passenger under one single pane of glass. It looks awesome and the screen does a good job delivering crisp graphics and lighting quick operation.
The front seats themselves have a balanced amount of comfort and support with the bolstering doing a good job of keeping occupants in place but without being too aggressive. The HyperScreen system also eliminates many of the analog controls with occupants being forced to use the main screen to access the bulk of these items. While this setup works alright newcomers will need some practice and a few trips to the owners manual to help make sure that they have the system mastered.
Room in the second-row seats is also good and the airy nature of the SUV helps create a strong sense of roominess with the large roof-mounted glass panel letting in plenty of light. Room in the rear cargo area is good and folding the rear seats down allows the EQE to haul bulkier items The cabin really shines at night with strategically placed strips of ambient lighting providing occupants with plenty of visual entertainment especially when switching through its various color modes.
Tesla Slaying Performance
Power for the AMG version of the EQE SUV comes from a dual-motor setup that’s similar to what we see in its sedan counterpart. The two also share the same default 617 hp and 701 lb-ft of torque with those figures going up to 677 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque when the SUV is equipped with the Dynamic Plus Package and set to the proper drive mode. That’s more power than a base Rivian R1S and a BMW IX M60 with the company saying that the SUV can rocket its way to 60 mph in under 3 seconds.
While you don’t have the raucous sound of a V8 lurking under the hood, the amount of torque that the dual electric motors generate is almost instantaneous and it does a good job of throwing you into the back of your seat. When you’re not impressing your friends with its dynamic manners, the EQE SUV delivers 235 miles of range between charges. That’s lower than some of its rivals with a similar Model Y getting 285 miles of range but it’s still usable enough for most buyers.
The company says that the EQE is capable of getting 100 miles of range put back into its battery pack in just 15 minutes thanks to an onboard 9.6 kW charger. Hooking it up to a DC fast charger allows the SUV to take up to 170 kW of charge.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2024 Mercedes EQE SUV starts at $77,900 which is a slight bump up over the sedan’s base $74,900 figure. As you climb up the trim ladder, pricing goes up accordingly with a range-topping AMG model like our tester starting at $109,300. Our tester arrived with a large list of optional extras which caused the final as-tested price to go up to over $110,000.
That’s a hefty chunk of change for a performance EV but unlike its sedan counterpart, the SUV’s extra space and usability helped alleviate some of the sticker shock that exists between trim levels and the higher-quality materials inside also do a better job projecting how much money you invested into your EV purchase. That said, the range figure here is lower than many of its rivals and the art of cross-shopping between the EQE and some of its EV rivals will be more difficult since the Benz has a noticeable disadvantage in that category.
But if you’re willing to look past that, the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV is certainly worth a look. The amount of comfort and tech that it has is hard to ignore and when you look at some of its finer qualities, they manage to make a good first impression.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.