When I previously reviewed the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, I said that the smart thing to do is to buy the EQE SUV instead. Sure, it’s slightly less powerful and has slightly less range, but it’s available with almost all of the same options and same level of comfort but at a lower price. So now that I have the Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 SUV on demo, was I right?
Performance
Motors – The EQE 500 is powered by two electric motors that are mounted at each axle. In total, it produces 402 hp & 633 lb-ft of torque (300 kW & 858 Nm). Mercedes claims a 0-100 km/h time of 4.9 seconds which is still very brisk considering the 2,404 kg (5,300 lbs) curb weight. Just like many other EVs, this EQE provides instant power the moment you press on the accelerator pedal. It sheds all of its weight and becomes relentless in its acceleration. The rate of acceleration does slow down the faster the SUV goes but that’s normal for most EVs and gasoline powered vehicles.
Battery & Charging – The battery of this EQE 500 SUV is a bit smaller than that of the EQS 580 as 90.6 kWh. The EQE is capable of up to 170 kW of DC fast charging speeds. At that maximum charge rate, 10% to 80% battery state can be recharged in 32 minutes according to Mercedes-Benz. Maximum AC charging speed is 9.6 kW and it’ll take approximately 9.5 hours to recharge from 10% to 100%.
Efficiency & Range – The Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 SUV has an estimated driving range of 433 km (269 miles). During my time with the SUV, I averaged 24 kWh/100km (2.59 miles/kWh). That is a little bit high which meant that if I had not recharged the battery, I could have driven the car for only 377 km (234 km). Granted, I had climate control running every time I drove the car and the ambient temperatures during that week were hovering around 10°C.
Braking – Braking was the biggest gripe that I had with the EQS SUV. The brake pedal felt disconnected from the brakes. Lightly applying my foot on it felt as though I was stepping on feathers. Only when I pressed harder on it did the pedal begin to provide some resistance. But by then, it was already too much force and I had to back off. As a result, it was very difficult to smoothly stop the EQS SUV. On top of all that, the brake pedal moved on its own under the strong regen braking mode.
Things are better in the EQE SUV but they’re not perfect. The brake pedal provides more resistance, even under light applications. But you can still feel the transition between regen braking and the strong physical brakes. The difference is not as discernible as in the EQS but it’s still there. Additionally, the pedal still moves on its own while using strong regen braking. So if you need to stop more quickly, the brake pedal will not be where you expect it to be. But as I said, the overall braking performance of the EQE SUV is better than the EQS SUV.
Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV has a few different regen braking modes. No regen allows the car to coast, normal regen is almost like engine braking but a bit stronger, and strong regen is a one-pedal mode so long as you disable the creep function in the infotainment system. Otherwise, you’d still have to put your foot on the brake pedal to bring the car to a complete stop.
Handling – With a big & heavy battery, the Mercedes EQE SUV is planted around corners. The adaptive dampers are always fabulous in Mercedes-Benz vehicles in keeping the body stable when hitting really big bumps, particularly through corners. However, the suspension is soft which allows for more body roll than some gasoline-only luxury SUVs. Steering is direct but the car doesn’t feel agile through corners. It may say AMG on the wheels, but this is most certainly not an AMG SUV. It was meant for comfort.
One area where this Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV shines is in parking lots. It may look big and complicated to maneuver but it isn’t thanks to the standard rear wheel steering system. On the EQE SUV, it allows the rear wheels to turn in the opposite direction to the front ones by 10 degrees. This significantly reduces the turning circle. It’s a bit of an odd feeling at first because you tend to turn the steering wheel more than you should. But after a while, your brain gets used to it. At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front which increases stability, particularly when changing lanes.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – Generally, larger Mercedes-Benz SUVs have really good ride quality and this EQE SUV is no exception. It almost glides over bumps which is impressive considering this demo car is not equipped with the option air suspension system.
The seats further enhance the ride quality with enough support and padding that is not too firm. The seats, at least in the front, can be equipped with a massage function. Sadly, this car was not equipped with that feature either.
Interior Space – On paper, the EQE SUV has a little bit less interior passenger space than the EQS SUV. In reality, it’s not noticeable because there is plenty of legroom across both rows of seats for my above average height of 6’4”. Even sitting behind my tall driving position I feel like I’m sitting in a minivan. There is a lot of leg space. Headroom is equally just as good across both rows.
Unfortunately, the EQE SUV is not available with an optional 3rd row like the EQS SUV. But in fairness, the 3rd row in that car is extremely tight. Even little kids would complain about legroom.
The biggest difference between the two cars is with cargo volume. Behind the rear seats, the EQE SUV has 520 L (18.4 cu-ft) of space. With the seats folded, cargo capacity increases to 1,675 L (59.2 cu-ft). The EQS SUV has 651 L & 2,095 L (22.9 cu-ft, 73.9 cu-ft) respectively. Under the floor, you’ll find a little bit of space for small items and like all Mercedes EQ vehicles, the hood does not open.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – The EQE SUV has a very quiet cabin. There are no powertrain noises (unless you want to introduce some through the stereo system), there is barely a whisper of wind noise, and tire noise on highways is well below the threshold of other gasoline-powered luxury SUVs.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – While the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is less expensive than the EQS SUV, it’s still going to cost you a pretty penny to own. It starts at $104,900 CAD ($89,500 USD) and this demo car is equipped to a price of $117,930 CAD. These are prices for the 2023 model year. Mercedes-Benz, for some reason, has not advertised the prices for the 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.
Gadgets – As I stated at the start of the review, the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV can be equipped with just about the same equipment as the EQS SUV. These features include Nappa leather upholstery, heated, ventilated, & massaging front seats, heated back seats, 4-zone automatic climate control, built-in air fragrance, 64-colour ambient lighting, panoramic sunroof, Burmester 3D surround sound system, head-up display. The MBUX Hyperscreen, wireless charging pad, hands-free power liftgate, pop out door handles, and many more features.
Some of the features that are not available on this EQE compared to the EQS include the 3rd row seats which in turn means that there is no 5-zone climate control function. This EQE SUV also doesn’t get the power adjustable rear seats, they can only fold down 40/20/40. That’s about it really.
Interior Design – The Mercedes EQE SUV has the same interior design as the EQS 450. The 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen creates the illusion of flowing into the center console. There is a large space underneath the floating center console while the cupholders and the wireless charging pad are within it. The driver has a 12.3” display to look at while the passenger has a black panel with Mercedes star logos to look at. The dash trim can also be open-pore wood or Anthracite 3D Relief-optic. Sadly, the center console lid remains piano black regardless of which trim you option your EQE SUV with.
Overall, the interior is impressive to look at but the functionality of it is not as easy to use as some older Mercedes vehicles from just a couple of years ago. What I mean by that is that the controls are all either touch sensitive or they’re integrated into the touchscreen. I find it very distracting to try to change the climate air direction or changing something on the driver display. The steering wheel mounted controls can be pushed down, which is fine, but you can also use a swiping motion to change settings. Sometimes it doesn’t recognize the correct swipe movement. Mercedes-Benz, please bring back physical controls and toggle switches.
Exterior Design – The exterior of the EQE SUV is designed with aerodynamics in mind. That’s why it looks… odd, compared to all other EVs. It has an efficient design and the front fascia looks a bit better than the EQS SUV in my opinion, but it’s still not an aesthetically pleasing design like the Lotus Eletre for example.
Safety – Another difference between the Mercedes EQE SUV and the EQS SUV is the list of standard vs optional safety & driver aids. In the EQS SUV, it only has 3 optional features which include a built-in dashcam, rear side-impact airbags, and rear seat beltbags. In this EQE SUV, it has the basic safety features and river aids such as blind-zone detection, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, surround view cameras, front & rear cross traffic alert and so on. But it can also be equipped with enhanced safety features such as evasive steering assist, exit warning assist, trailer stability assist, active stop & go assist, active steering assist, and more. That’s a lot of assists.
Warranty – The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 SUV comes with a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle warranty. It also comes with 4 years / unlimited km roadside assistance, 4 year / 80,000 km surface corrosion, and 10 years / 250,000 km for the battery. For more information on Canadian warranty, click here. For U.S.A. warranty information, click here.
Conclusion – In the end, I think I was right when I said in my EQS SUV review that the smarter buy would be this Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. It may not have a 3rd row, or power rear seats, or be as powerful, but it has the same comfort and most of the same gadgets but at a much lower price. Plus, you can get this in an AMG trim 😉
Thank you to Mercedes-Benz Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Mercedes-Benz.ca
Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 SUV Gallery
I had one as a loaner when my 2023 Mercedes hybrid broke down again. Nice car but the issue is Corporate. Terrible support. Just filed lemon.law on mine. Stay away from electric more so with Mercedes. Just my opinion.
Oh sorry to hear about your bad luck with your Mercedes. It just so happens that I’ll be publishing a review of the GLE 450e in a couple of weeks. What is going wrong with your hybrid Mercedes?