As the new Mercedes-EQ division begins to populate its all-electric offerings in more segments in the United States, the German luxury brand introduces its second sedan model powered solely by electrons. At first blush, the all-new EQE appears to be a Mini Me version of the larger EQS flagship sedan, based on the company’s same premium-class electric vehicle (EV) architecture. Mercedes calls the EQE an executive sedan.
The new EQE embodies the same cab-forward, one-bow aerodynamic design as the larger EQS, and in doing so, is much different than the long-dash-to-axle proportions of internal-combustion Mercedes-Benz sedans built over the last century. This is a brave reapportionment based on the fact that without the sizeable internal-combustion engine and transmission up front, the nose of the sedan can be much shorter, and the passenger compartment stretched forward. Some other EV models, such as the Jaguar I-Pace, have also done this, but to lukewarm sales. Most other electric sedans and crossover SUVs, such as the Audi E-tron, BMW i4, Cadillac Lyriq, Genesis Electrified G80, Mercedes-Benz EQB, Volkswagen ID.4, Volvo C40 Recharge and XC40, have maintained the traditional cab-rearward design ethos.
The new EQE is significant because it is the first all-electric offering from the new Mercedes-EQ division in the higher-volume premium midsize sedan segment.
I recently drove the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE over 60 miles of suburban residential, rural two-lane, and limited-access interstate highway in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area.
Mercedes-EQ says the EQE competes with the Audi E-tron GT, BMW i4, Lucid Air, Porsche Taycan, and Tesla Model S.
At its U.S. launch, the all-new Mercedes-Benz EQE midsize electric sedan is available in rear-drive, single-motor, 288-horsepower EQE 350+; all-wheel-drive (AWD), dual-motor, 288-hp EQE 350 4Matic; and AWD, dual-motor, 402-hp EQE 500 4Matic configurations. Including the $1,150 destination fee, base prices are:
Available EQE trims include the base Premium, upgrade Exclusive, and range-topping Pinnacle. The EQE is currently on sale at U.S. Mercedes-Benz dealers.
The EQE 350+ with base Premium trim includes these notable standard features:
I drove a 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 4Matic in top Pinnacle trim with the following options:
Including the $1,150 destination charge, the as-equipped total came to $93,840.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The cab-forward design of the EQE means longer-than-average doors that ease ingress and egress to the cavernous interior, provided there’s enough room to open them in tight parking spots. The EQE is significantly roomier than its gas-powered E-Class sedan counterpart, not just in more generous physical space such as headroom and legroom but also in the overall feeling of spaciousness. Aside from the instant torque and relaxing quiet of the electric powertrain, roominess is the EQE’s most compelling feature.
Mercedes pushed the dash forward due to the EQE’s cab-forward design. It’s a clean and elegant design, minimalist in the lack of switchgear clutter, and bold with a sharp and colorful driver-configurable 12.3-inch gauge cluster, OLED center infotainment screen, and clean, horizontal instrument-panel design that sweeps into the doors. The automatic climate control uses all-touch-sensitive controls with haptic feedback along the lower portion of the big center screen. The test car’s two-tone beige and saddle-brown interior color scheme was particularly fetching and, in low light, came to life with the cascading 64-color ambient light feature highlighting the edges of the dash, center console, and doors.
The Pinnacle-trimmed EQE 350 4Matic exhibited top-notch material quality, fit, and finish with creamy Nappa perforated leather-trimmed seats and natural grain Linden wood trim cabin accents. As you’d expect of a premium luxury sedan, the EQE’s multi-adjustable heated and ventilated front buckets were cushy yet supportive and available with massaging functions.
With no need for a transmission hump or driveshaft tunnel, the EQE has a nearly flat floor atop the large EV battery, which also conveys a sense of spaciousness. That means more foot space for the center rear passenger. Mercedes took advantage of it up front, adding a large bin under the high-mounted center console for a tablet or purse. With no remote infotainment controller hogging space on the center console, the EQE adds a covered compartment for cupholders, a wireless charger, and small items, adding to the storage provided by the deep covered bin under the bomb bay doors of the center armrest and pockets in the doors.
Mercedes equipped the EQE test car with Energizing Air Control Plus with HEPA filtration. While driving on a side road past a farm where workers had just applied fresh and very organic fertilizer, the ionizing HEPA filter substantially improved the cabin’s air quality.
The EQE isn’t a hatchback like its larger EQS sibling, instead featuring a conventional trunk with power open and close and a full-size sedan-like 15 cubic feet of luggage capacity. The trunk has additional storage under the cargo floor for storing the home-charging cable and small valuables. The 40/20/40 split rear bench seat folds flat to accommodate longer cargo items. When you lower the power-operated rear seatbacks, it practically doubles the available trunk space.
There is no front trunk or “frunk” for additional storage as offered in some other battery electric vehicles.
Photo: Ron Sessions
Mercedes equips the 2023 EQE 350 4Matic sedan with a new-generation MBUX infotainment system with advanced features. Standard elements include:
The EQE 350 doesn’t offer the super-wide, three-display Hyperscreen of the EQS, but its standard 12.8-inch portrait-format infotainment touchscreen makes a big statement of its own. The OLED display provides vivid colors and enhanced contrast for good readability of infotainment, climate control, smartphone, and other functions. Using what Mercedes-EQ calls a Zero Layer design, it displays the most frequently visited apps and functions onscreen, toward the outer edges of the display, on easy-to-see-and-tap tiles. This helps eliminate the distraction of scrolling through menus while driving.
The driver can interact with the MBUX system via the touchscreen and touch controls on the steering wheel. But in many cases, the easiest way to do those things is with its keyword-activated, natural language-enhanced voice control.
Without pressing any buttons, you can wake up the voice-control assistant with a key phrase such as “Hey, Mercedes” or “Hello, Mercedes.” Once it recognizes you, you can tell it to do things like call a person or business by name, check the local weather (the car already knows where you are on the globe), navigate to the nearest pet store, choose an audio source by station, artist, or genre, or adjust the climate control settings. The artificial intelligence in the system knows where you are sitting, so if the driver or front passenger says, “Hey, Mercedes, I’m hot,” the MBUX system will lower cabin temperature by 2 degrees on the side of the vehicle from which the voice came.
When planning a trip, the standard navigation system takes into account weather, topography, traffic, remaining driving range, and the location of charging stations en route.
Mercedes also equipped the EQE 350 4Matic Pinnacle test car with Augmented Reality. It works when navigation is active, layering animation detailing navigation instructions, lane guidance, major cross streets or highways, and the direction of the upcoming turn atop a real-time view of the road and traffic ahead from the front camera. Augmented Reality adds a smaller version of it in the available head-up display at the lower part of the windshield, appearing directly in the driver’s field of vision.
The EQE is tranquil on the road, which makes the excellent fidelity and separation of the sedan’s top-of-the-line Burmester 3D audio system so enjoyable. The system has several selectable soundscapes, including one you can download, putting the listener in the audience of a grand concert hall or even onstage among the musicians.
The EQE offers an extensive roster of available advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) but groups many of them in an optional Driver Assistance package. Standard ADAS on the EQE includes:
An optional Driver Assistance package adds:
At publication time, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had published crashworthiness ratings for the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan.
Photo: Ron Sessions
The same 288-hp, dual electric motors that propel the smaller EQB 350 4Matic SUV also power the EQE 350 4Matic sedan (as well as the rear-drive EQE 350+). The inverter for the propulsion system limits the torque in the rear-drive EQE 350+ model to 391 pound-feet, but in the AWD EQE 350 4Matic test car, that jumps to a healthy 564 pound-feet. Because EVs develop full torque at zero rpm, that means healthy low- and midrange acceleration.
Mercedes-EQ estimates a 6.2-second zero-to-60-mph time for the 5,200-pound EQE 350+ and 6 seconds flat for the 5,400-pound EQE 350 4Matic. The crisp launch acceleration, however, tapers off somewhat at highway speeds, requiring a bit more time to overtake other vehicles.
Ride quality with the standard steel springs proved luxury-car worthy, even over Michigan’s less-than-perfect roads, and would probably have been even creamier with the optional Airmatic air suspension. Steering was precise if a bit artificial-feeling. The optional 10-degree rear steering installed on the test car aided low-speed maneuverability, enabling U-turns on two-lane roads without the usual back-and-fill one might have to engage in with other long-wheelbase luxury cars.
The brake pedal response took some time to get used to but was robust and enhanced with regenerative braking. When set to the maximum setting, the steering-wheel paddles make it possible to drive most of the time with just the accelerator pedal.
Both fingerprint and eye identification for functions such as selecting from different driver profiles are available.
The big 90.6-kW lithium-ion battery has a maximum range of 305 miles, besting some electric luxury-sedan competitors. According to Mercedes-EQ, charging times are 9.5 hours from 10 to 100 percent using a 240-volt AC home charger and 32 minutes from 10 to 80 percent with a 170-kW DC fast charger.
The all-new 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE represents the first of the brand’s electric offerings in the higher-volume midsize segments. The markedly aerodynamic design is a brave one, no doubt helping to extend the driving range to a maximum of 305 miles. While the exterior design requires a recalibration of what some buyers think a Mercedes-Benz should look like, there’s no doubt that the spacious and luxurious cabin will be a big hit. The performance of the EQE 350+ and EQE 350 4Matic will be more than adequate for most luxury buyers. Those looking for more juice need look no further than the 402-hp, 633-pound-feet EQE 500 4Matic and AMG variants that are sure to follow.
Ron Sessions is a seasoned vehicle evaluator with more than three decades of experience. He has penned hundreds of road tests for automotive and consumer websites, enthusiast magazines, newsletters, technical journals, and newspapers.
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