TOPGEAR’S LONG-TERM CARS. TESTED & VERIFIED
Mercedes-Benz EQE
HELLO
£68,810 OTR/£87,040 as tested/£xxx pcm
WHY IT’S HERE
To discover what role the EQ range actually fulfils for Mercedes
DRIVER
Ollie Marriage
WHAT IS THIS CAR FOR? THAT’S THE QUESTION I NEED TO ANSWER
here. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to take me a few months to work it out. But I’ll make an early prediction. Once the EQE’s likely eight year model cycle is over, it’ll disappear. So will the EQS, the EQE SUV and all the rest of them.
Here’s why: we’re in a transition period. Every carmaker is watching each other to see what works in the electric era and what doesn’t. They’re either electrifying their regular cars or creating these virtual sub-brands. So VW has its ID range, Audi has e-tron and Merc has EQ. Eventually it’ll ditch EQE and revert to E-Class. Because that’s what buyers understand.
Anyway, let me stop the chin scratching and tell you what we have here. It’s an executive saloon with seating for five and a boot out back. It’s the kind of car you’ll see in corporate car parks across the land. It comes in several varieties, including a twin motor EQE 53 with well over 600bhp. This is the entry level EQE 300. It has a single motor on the rear axle, developing 241bhp and 405lb ft, fed from an 89kWh battery pack. It’s the model that makes most sense to me because there’s absolutely nothing sporting about the EQE. It’s a cruiser, a wafter, a car that claims a range of up to 380 miles. This one’s a Premium Plus, wearing fat 21s instead of 19s, which means more friction so the range drops over 40 miles.
First impressions? It comes across as well engineered but with a sense of theatre created by the whirring doorhandles and pulsing lights. But it’s a bit hectic compared to the Range Rover, which was ultra calming to drive. At least it’s easier to navigate the central screen than I expected. And I like the built-in Google linked satnav. Helpful at tracking down charging stations.
But I’m finding it a hard car to get hold of, if you see what I mean. It’s like trying to grab wet soap. Apt, given the physical resemblance.
SPECIFICATION
Single electric motor, RWD, 89kWh battery, 242bhp
3.8 miles per kWh, 337 miles
0–62mph in 7.3secs, 130mph
2,535kg
MILEAGE: 804 OUR MPKWH: 2.1
GOOD STUFF
Just the thing for slipping surreptitiously around.
