If there’s a signature Mercedes-Benz, it’s probably the E-Class. It’s stately in the classic Mercedes sense but much more athletic than its size would suggest. It has almost every in-cabin technology the automotive industry has devised and an admirable list of safety features. When you say the name Mercedes, it’s probably the image that comes to most people’s minds.
But it’s gasoline-powered, and Mercedes is going electric. The company plans to sell an all-electric lineup in every market that has the infrastructure to support one by 2030. So they need a new icon. An electric one.
What better choice than the E-Class?
Shares a Role with the E-Class, but Not a Chassis
The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQE debuts at this week’s Munich Auto Show. It plays the role of an electric E-Class but was designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle, sharing no parts with the gas-powered car.
Mercedes did the same early this year with the EQS, an electric flagship set to go on sale soon alongside the gas-powered flagship S-Class.
Now comes the EQE. It will appear in dealerships early next year as a 2023 model. Mercedes has offered no pricing information yet.
A Curvier Look for Mercedes
Its exterior dimensions are slightly larger than those of the E-Class, but it’s much larger inside, as is common with electric vehicles (EVs). Mercedes designers have given it almost a consistent arch from grille to trunk lid, stretching the greenhouse further forward and back than on its gas-powered sibling. It dispenses with a traditional grille, substituting a simple black panel between two sharply angled headlights to clearly distinguish it as an electric-drive sedan.
Only One Model Detailed so Far
At launch, the EQE will come in two versions. Mercedes has given details on just one. The EQE 350 will offer 288 horsepower, with a single motor mounted to the rear axle. Its 90.6-kilowatt-hour battery is relatively large. Mercedes expects it to be certified for a 410-mile range in European testing. The American EPA’s test results traditionally result in a shorter certified range.
A second model will be detailed before launch. If its big-brother EQS is any guide, we expect that version to be all-wheel-drive, with a motor on each axle and quicker acceleration, if shorter range.
Optional performance upgrades will include an air suspension with adaptive damping and rear-wheel steering, which allows the back wheels to steer up to 10 degrees, giving a big car a smaller car’s turning circle.
Available Hyperscreen, Aural Themes
The interior is overflowing with high-tech features. The EQE displayed in Munich features a dashboard made of a single, door-to-door expanse of glass capable of functioning as three separate display screens. The so-called Hyperscreen is an added-cost option on the more exclusive EQS, so it almost certainly won’t be standard equipment on the EQE. A head-up display can project turn-by-turn directions, speed, and other info directly in the driver’s view of the road.
Options will include several digital soundscapes to fill the place of the absent engine noise. As on the EQS, these carry ethereal titles like Silver Waves, Vivid Flux, and Roaring Pulse and change in response to acceleration and braking.
