The EV world is seriously heating up. Great EVs are getting cheaper, and cheap EVs are getting better — and while we still have a long way before they’re truly affordable for everyone, that reality seems to be at least in sight. But not everyone wants a great car at a reasonable price. Some simply want a luxurious driving experience and are willing to pay for it.
If that’s you, I think I’ve found the car for you — the Mercedes-AMG EQE.
To be very clear, the Mercedes-AMG EQE is not the car for everyone. It’s not even the car for most people. It’s the car for … a select few. But despite the AMG badging and the fact that it’s in Mercedes’ ultra-expensive “EQ” line, the car is cheaper than the EQS and still offers 90% of what makes the EQS a high-end car.
A premium interior
I’m going to skip right over the exterior of this car, because the reality is, it’s pretty much just fine. Like Mercedes’ other electric cars, it has a bulbous nose that doesn’t look great, but the rest of the exterior isn’t bad — especially when it comes to the 21-inch wheels on the review model I’ve been driving for the past week.
But I digress. The true luxury that this car has to offer has nothing to do with the exterior. It’s all about the inside.
It starts with supremely comfortable seats. They’re built with soft-touch coverings, plenty of padding, and tons of adjustment options. They’ll also heat, cool, and massage you — and I loved the red seatbelts that give them a splash of color.
The rest of the interior is mostly premium too. I don’t love the matte silver plastic that seems to be used a lot in luxury cars these days, including the EQE. But for the most part, the materials felt strong and premium.
That extends to the tech, too. Unlike the EQS, you won’t get the expansive Hyperscreen, but you will get a huge center screen and digital instrument cluster — and as the driver, I didn’t miss the Hyperscreen once. Without having an EQS handy to test side-by-side, the display in the EQE seemed just as high-quality, bright, and colorful. And, like the EQS, you’ll get bright and colorful accent lighting that looks stunning at night.
Like driving a cloud
Driving this thing is pretty luxurious too. In classic Mercedes fashion, the car’s steering is not the most responsive, but it makes up for it in acceleration, which is responsive as you would expect from an EV with 617 hp.
The general feel of the car is definitely part of the appeal — it’s like driving a big cloud that goes really, really fast. The car goes from 0-60 in 3.2 or 3.4 seconds, depending on the model that you get. My wife likened it to a rollercoaster.
The superb performance is something you would expect from an AMG, of course. AMG is famous for its performance cars, and this is the EV version of that.
Luxury at a price
The Mercedes-AMG EQE isn’t cheap, but as mentioned, it doesn’t quite approach the extreme prices of the EQS. It also proves that you don’t need to spend that much money for a supremely luxurious car.
There are still some things that you’re giving up for the EQE over the EQS. Perhaps the most notable of those is driving range — considering the fact that the EQE has a 210-mile range, while the AMG EQS has a 277-mile range.
Of course, it’s also worth considering the non-AMG variants of these cars. While the AMG EQE starts at around $107,000, the standard Mercedes-Benz EQE starts at around $75,000. Compare that with the $105,000 Mercedes-Benz EQS and the $148,000 AMG EQS, and you’ll find that the EQE has a lot to offer.
And, it’s probably also worth noting the fact that there are other great luxury EVs out there. The BMW i7 is one of the best of those, with added features like a TV screen for the passengers. But my personal favorite is the Mercedes-AMG EQE, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with one.
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