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Mercedes is cooking up an EQE SUV, and we’ve finally caught it in the wild!
by Sidd Dhimaan, on LISTEN 01:23The Mercedes EQ line of EVs isn’t very old, but the automaker is adding products to the lineup at a superficial rate. At the 2021 IAA Mobility Show, the automaker revealed a total of five EQ products, namely – the AMG EQS performance sedan, the EQE family sedan, the EQB crossover, EQG Concept off-roader, and the Maybach EQS SUV.
As if these weren’t enough, our spy photographers have now spotted the EQE SUV testing in the wild. It will slot in between the EQB crossover and the EQS SUV.
Update 12-14-2021: The EQE SUV has been spied yet again, this time doing winter testing. See it below!
December 12, 2021: EQE SUV Winter Testing
The Mercedes EQE SUV has been spied testing once again, but this time it’s doing cold-weather testing and having a lot of fun in the snow.
This Is The First Time We’ve Seen The EQE SUV
The SUV is camouflaged well and it doesn’t give out a lot of details. It goes without saying that stuff like LED headlights, DRLs, etc. will be offered as standard. Just like Audi has Matrix headlights, Mercedes also has something special in its arsenal in the form of ‘Digital Light’ and this could be an optional accessory.
We expect the black panel grille up front that’s a staple with the EQ models. For a range that is still in its infancy, such aesthetic cues serve as a brand/model recall for the common folk. It seems to be riding on aero wheels to churn out every last mile of range possible. The shorter overhangs, the flat roof, and the smooth hood-windscreen transition are the other cues we can decipher from the images.
On the inside, a lot of color combinations and themes can be offered. Mercedes could use its famous 56-inch Hyperscreen as a ‘first-in-segment’ kind of proposition to make the EQE SUV stand out. For those of you unaware, the Hyperscreen runs the entire width of the dash and is essentially three screens under a common bonded glass cover. The setup includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 17.7-inch central display, and a 12.3-inch passenger display.
The EQE SUV will most likely be offered with the same set of features and specs as the EQE sedan.
The EQE sedan was launched with only one powertrain option. This was a rear-mounted single motor setup that churned out 288 horses and 391 pound-feet of torque.
The dual-motor options with the 4MATIC system would be unveiled later on. If the EQE SUV debuts before the production-spec EQE sedan reaches the showrooms, then expect it also to be launched with the single-motor setup.
The same goes with the battery options as well. Expect it to feature a 90 kWh battery pack at launch. In the sedan, it offers up to 410 miles of range as per the WLTP cycle. In all likelihood, the EQE SUV will offer less than this; perhaps around 380 miles on a full charge. This is because SUVs aren’t as aerodynamic as the sedan and will have a higher drag coefficient rating. As per EPA ratings, this would mean around 340 miles of range. The charging architecture could also be the same and it would support up to 170 kW fast charging.
Conclusion
Too soon to comment on this, but we speculate the EQE SUV to start around $60,000 for the base trim. Until we get more details about the EQE SUV or spot it again, enjoy these spy shots and share your thoughts about it with us in the comments section.
Picture credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
