Both the EQE and EQE SUV use the same platform and the same electric powertrain options. Both start at an identical $77,900 price point with all-wheel-drive (the EQE offers a cheaper single-motor version, which the EQE SUV doesn't have in America). Is one of them the better buy? I drove all-wheel-drive versions of both the EQE 350 sedan and the EQE 350 SUV to suss out the differences ... which are, admittedly, subtle.
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I think the EQE SUV is better-looking, but it's very close
Tyler Duffy
The looks for all of the Mercedes EQ cars have been polarizing. We don’t know which specific brand the Polestar 3’s designer was referring to when discussing "potato-shaped" EVs, but both the EQE and EQE SUV fit that aero-first, aesthetics-as-an-afterthought camp. And the looks could be a main reason the EQ cars — according to a Mercedes dealer — lack the “lust factor” of the combustion models.
I think that criticism is fair. The rounded shapes of the EQE and EQE SUV don’t provide much gravitas and would be hard to read as premium if the giant three-pointed star were removed. Subjectively, I think the cars look good from the front, rear and side profile; things get a bit weird when viewing them from the quarter angles.
Deciding which is better is a tough call. I’d give a slight edge to the EQE SUV. I think the difference is expectations. Crossovers are bland and formless anyway; the EQE sort of fits that mold. But I have a firm conception of what a Mercedes sedan should look like, and the EQE sedan looks more like a Toyota Prius than anything else from some angles.
Both the EQE and EQE SUV have excellent interiors
Tyler Duffy
Both the EQE and EQE SUV have pretty much the same interior. That’s a good thing, because the interiors are spacious, comfortable and eye-catching. Neither tester I drove had the giant Hyperscreen (which is probably for the better). But you still get an ample-sized touchscreen and a more-or-less intuitive interface (a volume knob would have been nice).
Mercedes offers an option for every taste with, in the EQE’s case, 13 interior upholstery options and everything from backlit, laser-cut star patterns to natural-grain yacht-design Brown Walnut wood for the dash. I had multiple relatives hop in the car to check out the interior. I even got tracked down by a parking lot attendant who wanted a look.
If there is a drawback to the EQE and EQE SUV interior, it’s visibility. As with the Lucid Air, swooping aero shapes can impede sightlines: both cars have big chunky A-pillars that can create blind spouts of the front, and compressed rear windows don’t offer much of an organic view.
Both the EQE and EQE SUV drive exceptionally well
Tyler Duffy
At least in the base range tested, neither the EQE and EQE SUV will titillate sporty driving enthusiasts. But they do capture the base E-Class vibe pretty nicely. Their mutual powertrain delivers a mammoth amount of torque — 564 lb-ft — but a moderate-by-comparison 288 horsepower. So, you get lift-off with the instantpon electric torque, but not enough power to rocket into the stratosphere.
Both cars I drove were super-quiet with the Acoustic Comfort Package. The EQE SUV I drove offered a ride that felt a tad more comfortable, fitted with the optional air suspension and 20-inch wheels instead of 21-inch ones like on the sedan. However, the EQE sedan still felt quite pliant — especially for an EV — on bumpy Michigan roads.
Mercedes’s regenerative braking system works well, but it can feel a little odd because the pedal moves on its own as though you're pressing it when you're not. It takes some getting used to and feels sort of funky, but never seemed unsafe.
Both of my test cars also had the optional 10-degree rear-axle steering system. It reduces the turning radius dramatically. I like it. But I've also driven several Mercedes cars with it already. It may feel seem a little aggressive and be an adjustment for drivers not used to it.
The EQE sedan may be more practical, at least relatively
Tyler Duffy
SUVs are typically the more practical vehicles. But you can make the case that the EQE sedan is the more practical of the two, at least relatively. The EQE SUV has 14 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row; you can reconfigure the seat to get 20 cubic feet. It offers about 55 cubic feet in total. That’s substantially less than the GLE’s 33.3 cubic feet and 74.9 cubic feet with the seats down.
The EQE sedan offers a sedan-spacious 15 cubic feet of space in its trunk — more than the EQE SUV and more than the combustion E-Class sedan’s 13.1 cubic feet. Both proved more than adequate holding my backpack and the gear for my son's soccer game.
The EQE sedan offers a little bit more range
Tyler Duffy
Sedans are slipperier than boxier SUVs, even jelly bean-shaped ones. So the EQE sedan offers a bit more range (a maximum of 305 miles) than the EQE SUV (a maximum of 279). That dips a fair bit — as one would expect — for the 4Matic AWD models. The EPA rated my EQE sedan tester for 260 miles vs. the EQE SUV tester’s 253 miles.
I went about my normal driving life with the vehicles and didn't conduct a formal range test. But those figures seemed accurate. And it was more than enough for both cars to get through a typical week on a full charge — including lengthier treks to automotive events I had to attend.
Both EQE models are expensive
Tyler Duffy
Both the EQE SUV and EQE sedan I drove started with the same MSRP, $77,900. Keep in mind, though, that’s the starting point for leveling up. Features like the Acoustic Comfort Package, Airmatic air suspension, Mercedes’s complete suite of driver’s assistants and 10-degree rear-axle steering all cost more than $1,000 each. And features you’d expect to be standard on that expensive of a Mercedes — ventilated seats ($450) and a heated steering wheel ($250) — are not.
Both cars came out a little bit above $90,000 with destination and delivery added. That's about the same price as a Tesla Model S Plaid, which can outrun a Bugatti in the quarter mile.
Yet that pricing is reasonable by Mercedes EQ standards — which may say something about why EQ vehicles are piling up on dealer lots. Those prices are still about $18,000 more than the comparable Mercedes E-Class sedan and GLE-Class SUV, which will put them out of reach of many buyers.
What are some Mercedes EQE and EQE SUV alternatives?
Tyler Duffy
Mercedes's traditional rivals chose different tacks with their initial EV offerings. BMW's i4 is a less premium offering than the EQE sedan but the iX crossover is a more premium and capable product than the EQE SUV. Audi sells the Q8 E-Tron (formerly known as the E-Tron), which offers a similar output and range. Lexus won't have like-for-like EV offerings until later this decade.
