Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has revealed the locally-assembled EQS, built at its Pekan plant in Pahang. Launched in fully-imported (CBU) form last year, the luxury electric sedan gets more power and, astoundingly, it’s also quite a bit cheaper less expensive than before.
Mercedes-Benz EQS500 CKD Malaysia price and availability
Malaysians will now get the EQS in the higher-end EQS500 4Matic form, instead of the CBU EQS450+. Despite offering more power, it’s actually a whole RM50,000 cheaper than before, retailing at a still-hefty RM648,888 on-the-road without insurance. This is despite the previous model already being offered with zero import tax and excise duty.
Included in the purchase price is a four-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and a ten-year/250,000 km battery warranty. Sales will kick off in mid-March.
Power output and charging
Unlike the rear-wheel-drive EQS450+ before it, the EQS500 is powered by two electric motors—one at the front and back—to provide all-wheel drive. However, they’ve been uprated to produce 330kW (443hp) and a whopping 855Nm of torque, which is a substantial 85kW (115hp) and 290Nm increase. That shaves nearly two seconds off its zero to 100km/h time, which it completes in 4.8 seconds; top speed is electronically limited to 210km/h.
Juicing both motors is the same massive 107.8kWh battery, although because the EQS500 is more powerful, it’s also less efficient, with a quoted range of between 580 to 696km. As usual, our high specification means increased weight (an insane 2,615kg), which—when combined with our hot climate—means that the local car should achieve a figure somewhere closer to the lower end of the spectrum. That’s still somewhere in the region of 600km, which is impressive any way you slice it.
As before, the giant battery pack takes an age to charge from 10 to 100% using an 11 kW AC wallbox, at ten hours. It’s just as well, then, that the car can also accept up to 200 kW of DC fast charging power, which can fill the battery up from 10 to 80% in 31 minutes. Drivers can adjust the level of regenerative braking through paddles on the steering wheel, feeding up to 290 kW back to the battery. You also still get Airmatic air suspension and up to ten degrees of rear-wheel steering, helping to reduce the turning circle at low speeds.
No more sporty AMG Line look
In order to offer more for less, MBM has had to make a few sacrifices. First of all, the EQS500 no longer comes with the sportier AMG Line bumpers, instead being fitted with the more subdued and elegant Electric Art look. The wheels are also an inch smaller than before, still measuring 20 inches in diameter and featuring a five-spoke design and a machined two-tone finish.
You also continue to receive a Three-pointed Star grille motif and Digital Light LED headlamps, which uses micro-mirrors to give the high beams an effective resolution of 1.3 megapixels, enabling it to better block out other road users to prevent dazzling them.
Again, the EQS measures 5,216 mm long, straddling the difference between the standard- and long-wheelbase S-Class in terms of length; its 3,210 mm wheelbase is just six millimetres shy of the LWB model. Pop the hands-free powered tailgate and you’ll find a capacious 610 litres of luggage space. Still no front boot underneath the stubby bonnet, however.
Interior still fully fitted with MBUX Hyperscreen
Thankfully, the spec omissions stop when it comes to the interior. Aside from the colour change to the Nappa leather upholstery (now black and space grey), the EQS still comes with all the bells and whistles that were offered before. These include the giant Hyperscreen that spans the width of the dashboard and forms part of the updated Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), consisting of a 12.3-inch instrument display and 17.7-inch centre and 12.3-inch front passenger OLED touchscreens. All three are covered by a single piece of glass.
The centre and front passenger screens offer haptic feedback and pressure-sensitive touch input, similar to Apple’s defunct 3D Touch. To prevent the driver from getting distracted, the car uses a camera to detect if they are looking at the passenger display and dims it if certain content is playing. The revised MBUX interface features a “zero-layer” design to reduce the number of taps required to get to any function and offers predictive suggestions, while the “Hey Mercedes” voice control can now recognise different voices.
Rear seat passengers continue to live in the lap of luxury, with two 11.6-inch displays and two wireless headphones, an Android tablet for controlling various functions and a Qi wireless charger at the back (in addition to the one at the front). Music again gets piped through a 15-speaker, 710-watt Burmester 3D surround sound system.
Other retained features include keyless entry, push-button start, four-zone climate control and a panoramic sunroof. You also get active ambient lighting that’s bright enough to be seen in daylight, along with power-adjustable, heated and ventilated front (with a memory function) and rear seats.
Additionally, the EQS500 adds Air Balance, an enhanced air freshener that is piped in through the air-con vents. One notable omission of this electric “boss car” remains, however—the rear seats still don’t offer a massage function, unlike the front.
Plenty of safety features remain
The EQS also continues to be well-equipped in terms of safety, featuring all the driver assistance systems you could want. The Driving Assistance Package Plus throws on Distronic adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist for Level 2 semi-autonomous driving, along with evasive steering assist and blind spot monitoring. This is in addition to the standard autonomous emergency braking and lane keeping assist.
There’s also Pre-Safe Impulse Side that uses the air suspension to raise the side of the car if it senses an impending side collision, providing better crash protection. Park assist, a 360-degree camera system, seven airbags and rear belt bags to prevent submaring are fitted as standard.
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