Mercedes-Benz EQE review: what the car critics say
This is a ‘rounded’ electric vehicle, but looks underwhelming – like a ‘squashed Prius’
Mercedes has been trying to “out-Tesla Tesla for a while, and may finally have succeeded” with the latest addition to its EQ electric range, said The Sunday Times. The EQE is “stylish, spacious, pin-drop quiet and effortlessly quick”. It offers everything you get from the Tesla Model S in terms of the range and fast recharging, and a cabin that’s “better appointed”. It’s also “unashamedly priced” to undercut the Model S by a good margin.
This medium-sized electric saloon is the little brother of Mercedes’ top-of-the-range electric saloon, the EQS: the EQE is 90mm shorter, but sits on the same EVA2 chassis. Both the basic EQE 300 and the 350+ get a single motor, rear-wheel drive and 288bhp, with 0-62mph in 7.3 and 6.4 seconds respectively. Overall, it’s a “rounded” electric vehicle, but looks underwhelming – like a “squashed Prius”, said Top Gear.
In the real world, the EQE has a working range of about 250 miles (officially, it’s 395 miles), said The Daily Telegraph. It can fast charge at up to 170kW, so in 15 minutes it can take on a range of 155 miles, but a full home charge will take eight hours. Inside, the tech is over-complicated; the back headroom is limited, and boot space is an inadequate 430 litres. The EQE drives well and it’s beautifully built, but all-in-all it’s a little disappointing.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In pictures: Ford Fiesta 2022
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
A Taste of Honey: 'wonderful' revival remains 'vital and relevant'
The Week Recommends The 'period-perfect' production features a 'universally excellent cast'
By The Week UK Published
-
Best music albums: new releases of 2024
The Week Recommends A round-up of the best pop, dance, indie, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
6 inviting homes with rental units
Feature Featuring a restored Victorian home in Illinois and ocean-view windows in Nova Scotia
By The Week Staff Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Puglia's rich medieval heritage
The Week Recommends Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II built 'the most flawless of all medieval European castles' in the southern Italian region
By The Week UK Published
-
Recipe: chickpea, cavolo nero and harissa stew
The Week Recommends Tinned tomatoes are warmed by harissa paste and become the base for a versatile stew
By The Week UK Published
-
A Very Private School: a 'moving, if sadly familiar' story from Charles Spencer
The Week Recommends Memoir of the privately educated boarder makes for 'horrific reading'
By The Week UK Published
-
Tropical Modernism: Architecture & Independence – rise and fall of unique design
the week recommends A 'nuanced' and 'scholarly' examination of European architecture across the 'late British empire'
By The Week UK Published