Mercedes EQE unveiled at 2021 IAA Munich

The Mercedes EV onslaught is picking up pace, with its second new executive sedan on its dedicated EV platform – the EQE.

It’s about the same size as the CLS and with a boot just like its ICE-powered brother, it’s yet another fully electric Benz as the company moves swiftly towards its electric future.

Shown at the Munich IAA Show, the new EV will launch with the EQE 350 – a rear-wheel drive, 215kW sedan. Its 90kWh battery is said to take the four door as far as 660km on the WLTP cycle. That is quite a distance, especially given the size of the battery, and is a significant improvement on the EQC 400’s 80kWh battery’s driving range.

The on-board 170kW DC charger allows for 220km (WLTP) of driving range in just fifteen minutes. Bremen-made cars will have the CCS plug type for European, US and presumably Australian examples, while Japan-deliveries will have CHAdeMo plugs for vehicle-to-grid capabilities. Chinese market vehicles will be made in Beijing and will also feature a CHAdeMo plug.

5

Domestic charging goes up to 22kW with a wallbox for slower recharging. The battery management software also has an option for slower, gentler charging to eighty percent for longer battery life.

Mercedes me charging customers are also assured by the manufacturer that every single electron put into the EQE is from renewable energy sources.

The company makes much of the EQE’s aerodynamic efficiency, echoing a lot of the EQS’s approach by delivering a tiny drag coefficient. The EQS’s is a mere 0.20 although the EQE’s is still a state secret.

While the EQE is based on the same EA2 EV platform as the EQS, its wheelbase is 90mm shorter and its overall length is similar to that of the current CLS four-door. Unlike many such coupes, it has a normal boot with a capacity of 430 litres, which matches the C-Class.

5

The advantages of the dedicated platform means that while the exterior dimensions are similar to the CLS, the cabin is appreciably larger. With more shoulder room in the front and another 80mm in length, the EQE is roomier for the same footprint.

As an option you can fit the gigantic MBUX full width screen layout, also seen in the EQS. As with the flagship, over-the-air updates will mean you can add new features to the EQE as you go.

Other extras include air suspension, and, over the next few months, we’ll see 4MATIC all-wheel drive variants – as well as presumably higher powered and sporty versions. Mercedes says the 4MATIC system monitors torque distribution 10,000 times every minute and says it outperforms mechanical all-wheel drive.

The EQE will start rolling out across globe in the second-half of 2022. Most Australian details are yet to be announced, however the German marque's local arm has confirmed the model will land Down Under in the second half of 2022.

5