MERCEDES-BENZ EQE

Electric E-Class equivalent aims to add some excitement to ultra-refined EQS recipe

- GREG KABLE

TESTED 10.3.22, ARVIDSJAUR, SWEDEN ON SALE SUMMER

TESTER'S NOTE Two four-wheel steering options will be offered. One can swivel the rears up to 4.5deg, the other up to 10deg. London limo drivers will be grateful for the latter. GK

This undisguised cold-weather prototype is our first taste of Mercedes-Benz's all-electric alternative to the E-Class. Specifically, it's a four-wheel-drive EQE 500 4Matic, and a car at a more advanced stage than the rear-wheel drive EQE 350+ that I sampled from the passenger seat in February. It's also a good deal more powerful.

With a dual-motor driveline using hardware similar to that seen in the even longer, more opulent EQS 450 4Matic, the most powerful of the planned 'mainline’EQEs develops around 402bhp. That's 114bhp more than for the EQE 350+, although still 67bhp less than the AMG-fettled EQE 43 4Matic and a way off the 617bhp of the AMG ECE 53 4Matic.

Bookending the range at the lower end is the EQE 300+, meaning the EQE line-up will be five models strong at launch later this year.

Energy is provided by a standard 90kWh battery, which can be heated or cooled on the move in a preconditioning process aimed at ensuring that it's always ready to accept the fastest possible charge.