Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV Review: The Best 7 Seater?

What’s the fascination with three-row SUVs? Are people even buying them? Especially in the luxury space? Three-row vehicles, which now comprise about 15 per cent of all SUVs sold in India, have risen from around 12.5 per cent three years ago. Overall they account for about 7.5 per cent of all passenger vehicles sold in the country. No wonder then, that Mercedes didn’t bat an eyelid before introducing its 2nd three-row EV in the country. 

With the EQS SUV, Mercedes-Benz now has four three-row SUVs. There’s the GLB, its electric version the EQB and the GLS. At now at the TOP of them all sits the EQS. 

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: Design

The EQS SUV looks like a quintessential electric SUV from Mercedes-Benz with its large blacked-out grille with 3 pointed star motifs you’ve also seen on other EVs from the brand. The size of the grille is a tad big like how it is on the EQE SUV. Overall the EQS SUV is not the best-looking luxury EV in India currently. It takes the middle ground of being understated and flashy with the Audi Q8 e-tron having a more understated design and the BMW iX being flashier. 

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: Tech & Interior

No surprise that the Hyperscreen is part of the EQS SUV and sadly nothing new on there. The seats are very comfortable and come with heating, ventilation and massaging functions which just makes it very luxurious. There’s no wood on the dashboard because of the hyperscreen but the little pieces on the centre console and on the doors are exquisitely finished.

You get two colours for the cabin - a brown and a grey. We’d expected something regal like say burgundy. you also get a dual-pane panoramic sunroof which is quite large. Adding a bit more pizzaz is the 15-speaker audio system from Burmester sounds epic too.

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: Rear Seat

The second row of the EQS SUV is quite spacious. There’s a decent amount of legroom and headroom isn’t bad either. The seats are fairly comfortable. They’re power adjustable and get a heating function but no cooled seats? WHYYYYY oh WHYYYY?

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: Third Row

Access to the third row is fairly easy. The second row moves ahead enough to provide a big enough gap for you to step into the third row. 

Now with most three-row SUVs, the last row is destined for children mostly. that’s not the case here entirely. If the passenger in the second row is willing, You can get a decent amount of legroom back here but you’ll still be seated pretty alright. Not unbearable but manageable for short journeys only. 

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: Performance

The EQS SUV gets dual electric motors churning out a healthy 536 brake horsepower and 858 Nm of torque. Compared to its Maybach version, it develops 113 horses and 92 Nm less. But that doesn’t mean it is slow in any shape or form.

All that power the EQS SUV churns out can be felt on the road. It's blisteringly quick but that’s not surprising because it's an EV and it properly pushes you back into your seat when you put your foot down. 

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: Ride & Handling

Because of the air suspension set up that is offered as standard on the EQS SUV just wafts along. Bumps are hardly felt. Overall it’s a very comfortable ride. Again, not surprising because that S in the EQS signifies it’s a top-of-the-line Mercedes model.

The EQS SUV’s steering is very light and is very easy to operate such a big vehicle. It measures over 5 metres in length and that is masked by the light steering but also by the rear axle steering. The rear wheels turn by up to 10 degrees at slower speeds Which Mercedes claims helps reduce the turning radius by up to 2 metres.

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: Charging

Its 122 kWh battery pack allows it to have a massive claimed range of 809 km. That’s good enough for a nice roadtrip with the family without having range anxiety. And a claimed charging time of 31 minutes will also help it munch a lot of miles. If you can find a 200 kW DC charger on your journey that is.

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV: Price & Verdict

Mercedes-Benz has been able to price the EQS SUV relatively competitively as it being locally assembled. Compared to the smaller EQE SUV which is a full import, the EQS SUV is just a shade under ₹2 lakh dearer. However, that’s not the case when you compare it to its rivals. The BMW iX is ₹1.50 lakh more affordable while the Audi Q8 e-tron’s top variant is nearly ₹14 lakh cheaper!

But the EQS SUV has an ace up its sleeve. Its rivals don’t offer three rows of seats and don’t even offer the kind of range the EQS SUV has to offer. And the fact that it is so comfortable to drive makes it a real mile muncher. Mercedes sure is on a roll and there’s no doubt the EQS will find takers in India. 

Photography by Prashant Chaudhary