The 350 Km range looks little challenging for same-day return trips.
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I did a longish drive of this today—a lot of positives but significant negatives(at least for me). I will list a few. Also, I drove the iX recently, and some comparatives are mentioned.
Negatives
- That steering wheel is sooo large – entirely out of place. Anyone with a habit of keeping the knee upright and not stretched will find steering rubbing against the knee. Besides, ergonomically it’s a disaster. Per SA, AMG has a smaller size; the iX in contrast has a beautiful and futuristic cute steering..
- Fake MB leatherette – Although the quality is good, nowhere near BMW’s level on iX, which is also manmade. This leatherette does not justify a car costing 1,6 Cr. You cannot choose the colour either; it’s only beige.
- Limited headroom for drivers- I usually keep my seating posture high, but in EQS, your head will almost touch the roof, even at mid settings.
- Digital screens and no Physical controls – Touch controls everything, including the seat control knobs on the door, which don’t move, unlike other MB models. You have to touch these and wait. The whole operating system is probably designed, developed and implemented while sitting standstill. Very difficult to do simple tasks like choosing a radio station or changing the screens’ volumes. Yes, there are shortcuts on the steering, but those are also touch-type. and so tiny. There is no way an occasional driver will be able to get used. Not sure about muscle memory for the daily user, as those controls are super tiny.
- Super loud blower- Not sure if the test drive car had this problem, but even at the lowest settings, the blower is super loud, and vibrations were being felt in the steering. So I assume this has something to do with the car I drove. But if that’s standard, then it’s loud and unacceptable.
- Seating posture, Comfort – The primary reason for me, buying one is the ease of driving. My right knee has a broken ligament, and my shoulders are frozen. Two months ago, I fell from stairs and now have an L5 issue too. So, you can well imagine the pain I get while driving or sitting. After about 45 minutes of driving, my right shoulder is a mess despite those lovely massagers. My back hurts much more than it does after a long-distance drive. Now, this can be well attributed to someone damaged like me, but on the contrary, I was completely at ease while driving iX. You sit upright; one can move the left leg freely due to the space between the front seats, and you never feel cramped. I didn’t sit in the back of EQS (I forgot after a longish drive), so I cannot comment.
- Assisted driving- Now, this is the best part of premium EV’s. For a moment, I thought, I am driving in Canada with lane assist and dynamic cruise, the vehicle can drive independently before some fellas start cutting in and seeing the gap (I had kept comfortable in the settings). For highway runs, this will be very helpful. Heads up on both EQS and iX is very big, but it appears MB has removed the AR feature on the head-up while navigating on the EQS (reserved for AMG), but iX gets it. Not a big feature, but AR does work well, and you will never miss those intersections/ exits that sometimes can be confusing.
Some Excellent points on the EQS
- Battery Range – You can drive all day long and do multi-city runs and come back or get freshen up in the lounge at the MB dealership, sipping tea or cappuccino while your car is being charged by 200KW chargers that are free and exclusive to use by MB vehicles. You don’t pay for anything
- Am sure we can find an MB dealership within 600 Km across India. This is one of the most useful features I find over any other brand, BMW dealers will charge you 20-22 Rs per KW, and their chargers are open to everyone. Though you can still enjoy Tea or Coffee at the dealership.
- If someone is doing long intracity runs like Delhi- Chandigarh- Ludhiana and back, it can be done free by charging your car on the way or at the destination at MB dealers. How long will it be like this? Difficult to say, though.
- Seat Ventilation/ Massage/ Ionic filtration- Works well as intended. Massage functions are the same as on the other high-end MB cars, unlike BMW, which has a very basic massage function on iX. The ionic process is beneficial for places like NCR where you can see the real-time OM outside and inside the car.
- Acceleration – As mentioned in the review, the car is rapid. Just point, and you will be there. Won’t be surprised if these things beat some of the most fastest Sports cars from Porsche and likes in 30-60 or 40-90 speed runs.
- 120KM Beeps – Annoying, as we all know, but it looks MB India has given a fix to the dealership. You can reduce the sound levels while getting the car serviced. I am unsure how much this will ease, but SA was confident it would make an appreciable difference. So MB owners should check with their local dealers.
- 22 KW charger – New cars are getting 22KW chargers and the portable charger as standard. This should reduce the charging time from 0-100 to less than 8 hours in the home. In comparison, BMW gives 11 KW charger, and they no longer give the portable charger complimentary as they used to do before.
- Rear screens – You can now get these optionally. Not sure about the costs, though.
- One issue referred to in the review is Ground clearance. Yes, the car is low, and it can be a challenge with a long wheelbase, but someone who is used to driving such cars should be ok. I scrapped only at one of the larger speed breakers, the car was at its highest setting, but I could not take it sideways and braked when on the top. There was too much traffic to go a little diagonally.
Audio – I forgot to take my phone, so I had to listen to Radio which sounded okish. Per SA, via carplay it sounds good. I won’t doubt it. iX sounds very well too. And those fake sounds definitely cheer you up, which I found missing on MB.
Summing up – I will take another drive at both and probably decide. Comfort features, long-range, Free charging, 3-Year warranty (8 Years on battery) and service interval of Two Years/ 30 K on MB are big positives for most people. As for me, seating posture remains the most significant priority; besides, there is no issue of scrapping the iX anywhere. However, the 350 Km range looks little challenging for same-day return trips.
Keyword: Mercedes-Benz EQS: A 7 series owner's observations post a long drive