2023 Mercedes AMG EQE 43 4MATIC - Interior
9The Mercedes-Benz EQS may cost similar to what a Tesla Model S does, but the two aren't to be mistaken for competitors. Not only is the EQS a segment above the Model S, it's also the flagship of the foremost automotive luxury brand in the world. Soon, though, Tesla will have to worry about Model S sales being driven down by the AMG EQS's smaller sibling, the Mercedes-AMG EQE, which drops next year with up to 677 all-wheel horsepower and four-wheel steering, as well as styling that's... Let's just say aerodynamic.
Mercedes' midsize performance EV has a chassis constructed largely from recycled steel, which in its floor encloses a 90.6 kilowatt-hour battery, whose range hasn't been finalized but is expected to come in somewhere in the upper-mid 200-mile range. The AMG model's headlining feature is the power generated by its AMG-specific permanently excited synchronous motors, which have unique windings, laminations, and a different inverter to enable higher speeds.
And of course, greater power, nominally 617 horsepower and 701 pound-feet of torque, laid down through torque-distributing all-wheel drive with thermally managed reduction gearing. Zero to 60 mph takes just 3.4 seconds, and it'll top out at 137 mph. More performance still is available with the AMG Dynamic Plus Package, which adds "Race Start" launch mode that boosts power approximately 10 percent to 677 horse and 738 pound-feet. They cut zero-to-60 to 3.2 seconds, and escalate the EQE's top speed to 149 mph.
Turn off stability control and that power will also put to test the EQE's AMG-exclusive sway bars, hubs, and suspension links, which help suspend the body on actively damped air suspension (four-link front, multilink rear), which adjusts height to reduce drag at speed. Its standard 20-inch wheels are optimized to cut drag too and can be upgraded to 21s to accommodate optional ceramic disc brakes.