The electric sedan market is new and exciting but we’re not entirely convinced that EV automakers can rest on their laurels just yet. Tesla arrived first with the Model S and everyone rushed to follow suit, throwing out more new models and trims that we can keep up with – think Porsche Taycan, BMW i5, Lucid Air, Audi e-tron GT. But it’s not the variety that bothers us. It’s the thought that goes into them, and the focus that many of them seem to lack.
Take this new Mercedes-AMG EQE 4MATIC+ Sedan for example. It’s a bit of a handful to mouth off at your family dinner but it’s the latest electric sedan to roll off the line at Affalterbach. In other parts of the world, it is called the EQE 53 but since we don’t expect a hairier version, Mercedes has just coined it the Mercedes-AMG EQE. With that badge comes many expectations and for all intents and purposes, this beefed-up AMG delivers. We’re talking power. Mighty Morphin’ levels of power.
From its 90.6 kWh battery and two electric motors, the EQE generates 617 hp and 701 lb-ft of torque, but that output isn’t always readily available and depends on the selected driving mode. Sport+ allows for 100% power while the others dial that percentage down in the name of efficiency. Selecting RACE START mode, otherwise known as launch control, temporarily bumps the output to a staggering 677 hp and 738 lb-ft, allowing the EQE to sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. That makes it quicker than the BMW i5 M60 (3.8 s) and on par with the BMW M4 xDrive Competition (3.5 s) and Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon (3.5 s).
Has electricity caught up to combustion then? In some ways, yes. The instant slug of torque is exhilarating, the first few times at least. It’s eye-opening just how quickly this sedan accelerates considering it weighs as much as a Range Rover SUV. There’s even a Track Pace software option ($1,500) that displays and stores your performance data with every measurable data point from top speed, acceleration times, and lap times.
Range? Mercedes quotes 362 km. We achieved a yield of 316 km – not bad considering the below-zero temperatures and our tendency to keep the heated seats and steering wheel on for the majority of our drives. Admittedly, we weren’t driving like geriatrics either and utilized RACE START and its full chariot of 677 horses now and again. So not a bad yield at all.
But this unbridled AMG and its point-to-point pace were never in doubt. Rather, and much like other EVs, it’s the build-up, play, and cohesion in between those points that is lacking. The brakes, chassis, and user interface do not give us the sense of driving enthusiasm that we had expected. Sure, we are benchmarking its combustion cousins like the E 63 AMG and even the C 43 AMG with its novel electric turbochargers, and it might be an unfair battle as electric mobility is still in its infancy.
But the EQE AMG doesn’t tempt us to drive fast. It doesn’t offer the confidence to brake late, steer more, and coax the rear to finally let go of its tight reins. Body roll is immense, and the seats aren’t laterally supported enough to keep your torso straight. Driven in isolation, we’d be okay with that but put it next to the polished BMW i5 M60 and we’re not so sure. The BMW is slower but more progressive in its power delivery, more natural in its steering, more assuring and predictable in its braking input, and feels more like a connected driving partner.
The EQE feels like a product of excess rather than a product of desire or necessity. It’s there to plug in the gap in the model lineup. What’s an EQS without an EQE? But then again, there’s no EQC. Still, it’s almost like they felt compelled to build one, even if they weren’t quite confident with what they wanted it to be. Should the EQE AMG be a luxury cruiser with oodles of power and comfort? Or should it be a corner carving showboat of tech, fireworks, and drama, backed up by palpable steering and a compromised suspension setup to account for the expected body roll and weight? After driving the EQE AMG for a week, I’m not so sure it’s either.
The steering is overboosted and too reactive to inputs. Exceedingly tense and determined, the synthetic vagueness and artificial rotation disconnect the driver from the front wheels. Granted, it is amazingly easy to drive and you can steer with the strength output of just your pinky finger, but it can take a while before you fully acclimatize to the way it rotates, and even longer to fully trust flogging the EQE around at higher speeds. The rear wheel steering system that rotates the rear wheels up to 3.6 degrees further augments that sense of agility and nervousness. It shouldn’t sound like a complaint – oh the car rotates too fast – but it is, and we simply can’t gel with the road the way we would in an E 63, or even the i5 M60.
On the other hand, the EQE AMG does exhibit an exceptional level of on-road refinement when driven at five-tenths. A-to-B traffic commutes are dispatched with ease, and the EQE can vary its output to the front or rear axle, allowing it to maintain stability even when traction is minimal, quickly enveloping you in a sense of security. Handling is sound enough to keep our worries at bay about painting a guardrail Obsidian Black, but it weighs 2,511 kg and you feel every gram in certain situations on the road, like when hammering down on the throttle when going at 120km/h, hitting deep potholes, or throwing the EQE around a constant radius bend.
The brake pedal is springy, non-linear, and difficult to modulate smoothly. There’s little slack and tolerance in the pedal movement. If you lift your foot by a mere millimetre, the vehicle throws itself backwards to regenerate energy. The unmanageable inertia disconnects us from this AMG, an odd feeling when this is marketed as a driver’s car. A quick remedy for this was flipping the paddle shifters between strong and zero regen and using that as a substitute for the brake pedal. Though not as convenient, stopping action was certainly smoother and more predictable. Another remedy? Drive faster and brake harder. The brakes are well-suited for aggressive driving but not for the mundane stop-and-go traffic that the majority of these EQE AMGs will be tasked with. Maybe the optional carbon ceramic brakes would fare better but for $13,750, we can’t see any level-headed owners opting for them.
We consistently give high marks to these electric AMGs for their road presence. The EQE is absolutely dripping in it and commands attention and second glances everywhere it goes. The soapbar silhouette makes it appear sleek and aerodynamic like it’s able to effortlessly carve through the air. The deep front and rear aprons give it a low and wide stance, as do the flared side sills and rear lip spoiler. The 20-inch wheels look great and we admire the square slots around the outer circumference. But it’s the signature front grill and its vertical bars that have us constantly looking over our shoulders after we’ve parked. When dressed in Obsidian Black, the EQE AMG looks as sharp as a tailored striped tuxedo.
The cabin is a digital circus piled up with thick hides of leather, which doesn’t stray very far from the standard EQE. You do get a different AMG steering wheel with a flat bottom and paddle shifters that control the strength of brake regeneration, and the seats are deeply sculpted with an adjustable headrest, providing excellent comfort and lateral support.
We expected terrible rear seat headroom due to the sloping roofline of the EQE, but we discovered that wasn’t the case. Headroom and legroom were generous for my six-foot figure, and I had no issue slotting myself into any five of the available seats. There’s even a passenger-side display as part of the expansive (and expensive) Hyperscreen setup ($9,900). Watch enthusiasts will surely appreciate the IWC stopwatch display menu too.
But there are some drawbacks. The view out the rear windshield is abysmal. We would have an easier time peering out of a mailbox slot. And though visually grand, we prefer and highly recommend the standard two-screen setup over this optional and rather expensive Hyperscreen due to the former’s ease of use and it doesn’t require us to get off our seat just to reach the upper far corners of the screen. Voice recognition is an easy remedy but many like us just despise talking to our cars.
The steering wheel uses haptic touch sensors – the left controls the driver’s screen while the right pad controls the infotainment unit. But as sleek and seamless as they are, they lack any grooves or tactile borders so you can’t tell where that specific button ends. We had a frustrating time searching for the optimal way to push the buttons while driving but to no avail. The most infuriating of them is the seat control panel on the door. There are no grooves between each of the three memory seat buttons, and the panel is mounted vertically and angled away from the driver so you can’t tell where you’re pressing.
The EQE AMG is an ambitious sedan with a lionheart of an electric powerplant, but it’s hamstrung in the way it grooves and gels with the road. It is difficult to find confidence behind the wheel and tough to recommend to driving enthusiasts who cherish tactile steering that breathes with the road, and the chassis fluency that is expected with a six-figure AMG. We are positive that this EV segment is still in its infancy due to the weight of the batteries and its subsequent penalties, and we are glad that the world now offers other efficient means to the same ends, but unless all you value is the premium badge, the latest tech and Hyperscreens, and mind-boggling power outputs, then we suggest either waiting for the next crop of EVs or stick with AMG’s strengths: its combustion offerings.
Specifications:
Model: 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQE 4MATIC+ Sedan
Paint Type: Obsidian Black
Base Price: $121,500
Price as Tested: $136,400
Wheelbase(mm): 3,119
Length/Width/Height (mm): 5,001 / 1,961 / 1,494
Curb weight (kg): 2,511
Powertrain: 90.6 kWh lithium-ion battery, two electric motors
Horsepower: 617 hp (677 temporary hp in RACE START mode)
Torque: 701 lb-ft (738 temporary lb-ft in RACE START mode)
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Claimed Range: 362 km
Observed Range: 316 km
Tires: 265/40R20 front; 295/35R20 rear
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