LIKES
- First electric AMG SUV
- Hyper-modern yet classic luxury
- Good standard tech
- Heat pump
DISLIKES
- Range?
- Price?
- Interior dimensions?
BUYING TIP
- The 2023 EQE SUV goes on sale early next year, followed by the AMG model in the summer.
The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV stresses the sport part of SUV, especially with the brand’s first electric AMG model.
What kind of vehicle is the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV? What does it compare to?
The battery electric EQE SUV is a taller, roomier take on the EQE mid-size sedan. It seats up to five passengers, but leans more toward sport than utility compared to the related EQS SUV that seats up to seven. A forthcoming AMG model due for the 2024 model year extends the difference between the two SUVs even more. Rivals outside the brand include the Audi E-Tron, BMW iX, Polestar 3, and Jaguar I-Pace.
Is the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV a good SUV?
We expect the EQE SUV to maintain the balance of performance and luxury of the EQE sedan, but also enhance utility. And the 677-hp AMG version sounds like a beast of its own. We won’t rate it, however, until we drive the EQE SUV early next year, followed by the AMG in mid-2023.
What's new for the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV?
Everything, though the EQE SUV shares its powertrain with the EQE sedan. It’s aligned with the GLE mid-size crossover SUV in taxonomy only. The fourth model riding on Mercedes’ dedicated EVA2 electric vehicle platform, along with the larger EQS SUV and EQS/EQE sedans, the EQE SUV seats five but ratchets up a sportier take on electric sport utility.
Mercedes pushes wheels that range in size from 19 to 21 inches to the corners, especially at the rear. AMG versions have available 22-inch alloy wheels.
The design is all smooth curves intended to optimize aerodynamics, including the integrated rear roof spoiler. The rear has a LED light bar, and the helix LED taillights spiral like a heat coil. The rearview camera hides beneath the three-pointed star logo to stay clean, and pops open when the SUV is in reverse or at low speeds.
The front end takes a more rounded approach, with a traditional grille replaced by a black panel hiding the driver-assist camera lenses and sensors and decorated with Mercedes stars. LED headlights come standard, and a light bar connects the thin daytime running lights like a slender unibrow. The Mercedes logo features prominently on the solid panel black grille, and it can be illuminated.
Mercedes takes the light show inside, with ambient lighting and the brand’s available Hyperscreen, which consists of three screens under a pane of glass stretching 56 inches across the dash. Mercedes resets the bar for luxury in the electric age, blending the light show with classical wood and metallic trim elements, but leather upholstery only comes on the top trims. A crossbar cuts through the standard panoramic sunroof, so there’s no full fixed glass roof as in many other electric vehicles.
Large lower air intakes become real on AMG models, and special aero blades such as wheel spoilers or design tweaks meant to reduce drag are hidden all over the body, including on the optional running boards.
The charge port is on the passenger’s side rear fender, and on the driver’s fender is a port for windshield wiper fluid. As in other EQ models, that’s the only service component owners are allowed to access without tools, since the hood is sealed. Instead of a frunk, the hood covers the front motor and HVAC components.
Performance and capacity
The base EQE 350+ is rear-wheel drive only, and has a 215-kwh motor that generates 288 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes has only disclosed the weight for the heaviest model, the AMG, which comes in at a whopping 5,930 lb. The EQE 350+ hustles to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, according to Mercedes.
The dual-motor EQE SUV 350 4Matic adds a motor up front for all-wheel drive, and even though it increases the torque to 564 lb-ft, it goes from 0-60 mph in just 6.2 seconds.
The EQE SUV 500 4Matic only comes with dual-motor all-wheel drive, and it employs larger motors with a total output of 300 kw. The system generates 536 hp and 633 lb-ft of torque, shooting the EQE SUV 500 in 4.6 seconds.
But that’s not the best. Dismiss the letters, the EQE SUV AMG is all about the numbers. Equipped with two AMG-specific motors (Mercedes hasn’t disclosed the size), it puts out 617 hp and 701 lb-ft of torque, unless you opt for the AMG Dynamic Plus Package. The boost function boosts output to 677 hp and 738 lb-ft, and drops the 0-60 mph time to an estimated 3.4 seconds. For a 5,900-lb SUV. That’s like the football lineman with an astonishing 40-yard dash.
Top speed on non-AMG models is 130 mph, but the AMG ticks up to 137 mph, and Dynamic Plus goes up to 149 mph.
Suspension and handling
The suspension options firm up as shoppers climb the model lineup. A four-link front strut setup and a multilink independent rear suspension gird the base EQE SUV 350+. An optional air suspension with adaptive dampers comes with the 4Matic all-wheel-drive models, which add an Offroad mode to the Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Individual modes. It raises the suspension an inch for off-roading and the EQS SUV with a similar system proved adept in a muddy Rocky Mountain trail, in part because of the inclusion of rear-axle steering.
This optional feature can be had two ways, by turning with the front axle at a rate of four degrees or a rate of 10 degrees. At low speeds, under 37 mph, it operates counter phase, or opposite the front wheels, thereby shortening the wheelbase even more to make the three-point turn a thing of the past, like the V-8 engine. Based on the EQS SUV, it’s even better off-road, when equipped with all-terrain tires not offered from Mercedes, in clipping corners and making improbably tight turns. It will likely be best on sidewinding roads, where slight flicks of the flat-bottomed steering wheel should have a pronounced effect. At speeds above the mid-30 mph range, the rear wheels turn in phase with the fronts for greater high speed stability and agility.
The AMG model comes standard with the air suspension and rear-axle steering, but it only goes to 9.0 degrees because of the wider track and larger available wheels with exclusive Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires. In addition to stiffer bearings and other AMG-specific tuning that further separates Sport and Comfort settings, it also has active anti-roll bars front and rear. They decouple on uneven surfaces for greater comfort or rejoin during more spirited driving to limit the amount of body lean in turns. Steering wheel dials let drivers change drive modes and suspension characteristics, or it can be customized to have a hot button, essentially, for other drive functions such as steering feel.
Range and capacity
Mercedes hasn’t disclosed an estimated EPA range for any of the models, but the EQE sedan is expected to get a 300-mile rating. The 550-kilometer estimate based on the European emissions testing cycle translates to a rough EPA estimate of about 305 miles. A DC fast-charge at up to 170 kw would take 32 minutes to charge the battery from 10% to 80%. Mercedes estimates the AMG model can recoup up to 100 miles of range in 15 minutes.
A 9.6-kw onboard charger enables a Level 2 240-volt output at 32 amps to charge the battery to full in 9.5 hours.
A regenerative braking system has four levels selectable via paddle shifters; in our testing of other similarly equipped EQ models, it can go down to a stop for one-pedal driving, but it also affects the throttle feel, which takes some getting used to.
The EQE SUV is the first EQ Mercedes to employ a standard heat pump to conserve energy on battery preconditioning as well as using waste heat from the drive system to heat the cabin instead of using the battery.
Safety and features
Every EQE SUV will come with automatic emergency braking, active lane control, blind-spot monitors with steering assist, and active parking assistance with a surround-view camera system. Options include adaptive cruise control with speed-limit recognition, stop-and-go control at speeds of up to 35 mph, and other crash-impact mitigation technology.
How much does the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV cost?
We won’t know until closer to its early 2023 sale date. The feature set is structured to be cheaper than the loaded 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV 450+ that costs $105,550, including a $1,150 destination fee.
The EQE SUV comes standard with a 12.8-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, wireless smartphone connectivity and charging, 64-color ambient lighting, native navigation and natural voice commands, synthetic leather upholstery, Burmester sound, satellite radio, a panoramic sunroof, and 19-inch wheels.
Options range from a heated windshield washer system to Mercedes’ Hyperscreen to an immersive 31-speaker Burmester 4D sound system with Dolby Atmos.
Where is the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV made?
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, alongside the EQS SUV as well as the brand's GLE and GLS gas SUVs.
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