2023 MERCEDES-AMG EQE BLENDS ULTIMATE COMFORT WITH 3.2-SECOND 0-60
- The Mercedes-AMG EQE is the most powerful car in the Mercedes lineup, with a maximum output of 677 hp, or 1000 Nm, if you want to be more European.
- That gives it a 0-60-mph time of 3.2 seconds—not bad for a luxury sedan that may weigh as much as 5500 pounds (estimate).
- Pricing and range will be announced closer to the EQE AMG's launch later this year.
Performance has not been left out of the equation as Mercedes-Benz—and the world—converts its fleet to electric drive. Yes, electric cars: We already have the EQS all-electric S-Class and the EQE all-electric E-Class, now AMG gets into the act with its own all-electric version of the E-Class, called the EQE AMG. (In Europe they call this car the EQE 53, and they get a less powerful version called the EQE 43, but for us it’ll be just this, the torquey EQE AMG.)
Granted, not exactly a snappy name, but it more than makes up for it in snappy performance, as in neck-snapping performance. To quote from my own sweaty notebook in shaky script penned after driving the car in industrial France a couple weeks ago, “Stomp on the accelerator and your pencil neck risks snapping clean in two as your walnut-sized head slams back into the head restraint with alarming whiplash-like force.” Maybe that was the jet lag talking, but this thing really does get off the line well. Mercedes quotes a 3.2-second 0-60-mph time, which is impressive indeed considering that it’s a full-featured five-seat sedan weighing in at around 5500 pounds wet.
True, there are different drive modes and you have to be up in the highest of them to get that full acceleration experience. In mere Comfort mode you get 493 hp, in Sport 555, and in Sport+ 617 hp. It’s only when you have the Dynamic package and engage launch control (called Race Start) that you achieve 677 hp and 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds. But whatever it takes it’s quite thrilling, even if you’re not dehydrated and jet-lagged.
The power comes from two electric motors, one at each axle, with unique AMG-spec inverters that pump more current through the system—so much more that they require special heat-resistant coatings throughout to manage thermal output. The result is the most powerful drivetrain of anything Mercedes or AMG offers in production trim, more powerful than the 6.0-liter biturbo M279 gasoline V12 at 621 hp and the 4.0-liter M177 biturbo V8 at 630 hp.
Another way to look at this new EV’s output is with the scientific, European, Newton-meter figure, which comes in at an even 1000, or the less marketable 738 lb-ft of torque. As with all electric motors, that figure is available as soon as the motors start turning at 1 rpm. With one motor in the front and one in back, distributed front to rear as needed, you definitely feel and appreciate the torque in this big, heavy beast.
The heft gets in the way when the corners start coming up. Not necessarily in an intrusive way; the EQE AMG’s active suspension takes care of that, yanking it back into place around corners and keeping body roll, dive, and squat to a minimum, but there’s no hiding heft, especially at the 5500-pound range or whatever the EPA decides the car’s curb weight will be. The AMG version of the EQE gets its own AMG-specific wheel carriers, suspension links and antiroll bars similar to those in the AMG GT 4-Door Coupe. Then the car’s adaptive adjustable dampers compensate for both jounce and rebound independently as conditions demand.
Feeding all that torque, the EQE AMG gets the same 90.6-kWh battery as the non-AMG EQE, which is about 17 kWh less than the big battery in the EQS. Range from that battery pack will be revealed closer to launch, but on the wildly optimistic European WLTP cycle it can get as much as 518 miles, according to Mercedes. Our range will surely be less than that by, just guessing here, at least 100 miles, maybe more, especially in the sportier drive modes. Crank it down to Comfort mode and you’ll get more range, we just don’t know how much yet.
In a straight line at normal highway speeds just cruising along on the autoroute, this may be AMG’s most comfortable ride short of the regular EQS electric S-Class. It carries you along as if on the taffeta wings of German suspension engineers. The only thing that could potentially get in the way of pure driving bliss are the lights and sounds that come with the car. Yes, through the miracle of modern acoustics you can pretend it’s an internal-combustion engine, adding spooky sounds both inside and outside of the cockpit. Inside you can even add enough lights to make you think you’ve landed in a ’70s disco-era B-movie. But you can—and should—turn all that off.
Pricing, range, and everything else will be revealed “later this year” when the EQE AMG goes on sale at your Mercedes dealer. Until then, you can start deciding whether you want this, a Porsche Taycan, or any number of Tesla variants. But so far, the EQE AMG might have the lead in everyday livin’ comfort.