Mercedes Benz EQS 580

The EQS is the most important Mercedes of our time touted as the S class of the future and is currently the flagship of the EQ range.

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It is touted as the S class of the future and is currently the flagship of the EQ range. It is India's first luxury EV with assembly of the EQS 580 4Matic variant, taking place in Chakan, Pune. That's the first factory outside of Germany to make the EQS. We got to drive one just as it rolled off the assembly line, the previous day.

Mercedes claims, it is the world's most aerodynamic production car with a drag coefficient of just 0.20. That's achieved by a complete redesign of the sedan form as we know it. The cabin is stretched out with the A and C pillars forming an arc-shaped roofline. To further help with the flow of air, the front grille is blanked out, the door handles retract when not required and the whole underbody is covered to smoothen things out. Interestingly Mercedes has kept the full-size wing mirrors intact while most manufacturers have resorted to using cameras in an effort to reduce drag.

The overall shape may take a while to get used to, but the sheer size of the EQS is quite imposing. It has a nearly identical 3210mm wheelbase as the S class, but is shorter with an overall length of 5126mm. The wheels are pushed towards the corners to accommodate the battery pack in the centre and the lack of an engine means the bonnet can be much shorter. The frontend styling may be a bit polarizing but the rear looks the part, especially from the three quarters. The inclusion of suitably large 20-inch wheels gives it a well-balanced look.