AMG’s first ever electric SUV is here, and it’s the exact opposite of a G-Wagen. While the big bad G gulps fuel, shouts loud and brutally headbutts the air around it, the EQE SUV is sleek and silent. So what’s it got in common with a petrol-powered AMG 4x4? Well, it’s fast, and it’s heavy. 2.6 tonnes-heavy. Ouch.
The EQE SUV slots beneath the EQS SUV in Mercedes’s electric line-up. It’s smaller and less expensive and you can’t have seven seats. Think of it as the jacked-up estate version of the EQE saloon.
There are normal non-AMG versions, but we’re ignoring them because this is the one you want to know about. The one with the slatted (fake) grille, the 22-inch rims, and up to 677bhp.
That’s what you’ll receive from the dual motors of the EQE 53 when specced with the optional Boost function. Even when you’re not deploying this overboost feature it’ll still kick out 616bhp... when you tell it to. Y'see, AMG has come over all sensible and decided you can turn down the power. Brave new world...
Select Slippery mode and you only have 308bhp to control. Choose Comfort and it’s now set to 493bhp. In a hurry? Try Sport mode for 555bhp. Only in Sport Plus or Race mode does the full 616bhp come out to play. Said modes also alter the steering weight, electronic anti roll-bar stiffness, the augmented 'engine' noise, and you can even turn the ESP off, if you’re certifiably loopy.
Rear-wheel steering is standard, but carbon ceramic brakes are an option. They’re useless off-road, but honestly, who’s taking one of these dune-bashing?
Anyway, the EQE 53 will get you from 0-62mph in 3.5sec and can top out at 240kph. the lesser AMG EQE SUV 43 (seriously, ever seen a car with an uglier name?) maxes out at 462bhp, does 210kph, and manages 0-62 in 4.3sec.
Both cars use a 90kWh battery pack good for up to 479km of range. AMG’s lower estimate of 374km sounds a bit more plausible to us.
Inside, the massive ‘Hyperscreen’ is optional, but an annoying steering wheel festooned with touch-sensitive controls is standard.
If you want a more sensible EQE SUV, then the one to look out for is the entry-level rear-drive EQE 350+, which claims a 590km range. If you’re wafting about in a big heavy electric SUV, surely being able to cover great distance in huge comfort is more useful than stomach-emptying power?
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