Mercedes EQE 350+ review: Showing excellence in electric evolution

We don’t get terribly excited here at Examiner Motoring about anything much: maybe it’s a sign of growing age, maturity or simply a case of us having been around the metaphorical block a couple of times.

And when it comes to electric motivation, there has not been much that has come our way that has fuelled adrenaline-filled excitement, but I must say that when a planned test of the new Mercedes EQE had to be cancelled some time back, there was a genuine sense of disappointment in these quarters because expectations were so high about the car.

However, the test was rescheduled and a few weeks ago the said EQE was finally delivered at chez Colley and welcomed by cheery bunting and balloons and a few fizzy fireworks.

Our expectations were dulled a little by the somewhat challenging look of the car, but supercharged once we got behind the wheel and drove it.

And what a thing it is.

Much like the fantabulous S-Class electric – the EQS – which we drove earlier in the year, the capabilities of this very tech-driven beast were astonishing and distilled – much like the BMW i4 which we also drove earlier in the year – the feeling that the German automotive giants are finally making up ground on those who have thus far made the running in the electric sphere.

Of course, Tesla is the one with the target on its back as the big automotive guns train their sights on what they consider to be an upstart, an outsider and not a member of their premium club. But if this evidence is anything to go by, Elon Musk’s brand is going to have a serious fight on its hands if it is not to go down in flames under the withering barrage coming from Germany.

The EQE is the second – the EQS having been the first – car to be based on Mercedes’ EVA2 platform and as such it is a pure electric and not something adapted from what was originally designed as an ICE package, as so many early electrics from Stuttgart were.

The EQS is the bigger of the two – understandably given the status of the S-Class in the Mercedes firmament – and it is a seriously classy thing just to sit in, not to mention driving. But the EQE (as an electric E-Class, if you will) is, if anything, even better as a driver’s car and equally impressive as a tech monster.

Now I did earlier mention the car’s challenging looks, what with its’ grille-less front end and stumpy rear, and it has to be said it is not something that will turn every head. Indeed, there were as many people approached me during my time with the car to express their shock at how ugly it was, as there were eager enthusiasts.

These things are, for sure, subjective and as we’ve so often said in these columns, one guy’s meat is another’s murder, but the look of the EQE is not something which will please everyone – me included.

For many the E-Class has for years been the epitome of what an executive car should be: sophisticated, smart, relaxed and reassuringly resilient. The thought of moving to anything else is generally anathema to those buyers.

E-Class fans do have the choice of hybrids within the model line-up, but if they want to move to a full-electric – as they will ultimately be forced to do, whether they like it or not – then the EQE is the one they will seek out. They will not be disappointed – certainly by the driving experience.

The car we drove was the EQE 350+ in AMG Line spec and this is the first of the EQEs we will see as there are plans for an entry level EQE 300 and a higher powered EQE 500 will arrive in due course; AMG 43 and 53 models will become available later. 

In character, the tester was very much of the E-Class genre in that it is not going to blow your mind with its’ performance, even though it’s bloody quick.

Like most of the ‘E’ lineage this is a serene, unruffled and awfully comfortable thing – although this time around with a very heavy tech bias – and will thus ferry you around town in as calm a fashion as is possible outside of limo territory, while it will also cruise the highways with the sort of magic carpet ride and easy high speed cruising ability that, generally, is only seen on limos.

The ride is exceptional on good surfaces although it does get a little unsettled on bad ones and the steering is very sharp.

That makes it – marginally, it has to be said – a better driver than the EQS, which is saying something. But a shorter wheelbase and optional rear wheel steering make the driving experience nothing short of memorable.

There is 292 bhp on offer from the rear-axle mounted electric motor and a savage 565 Nm of torque; acceleration figures see you with the 100 km/h from a standstill in just 6.2 seconds and top speed is 210 km/h.

Most importantly, the range is a claimed 641 km, but that was obviously attained with Lewis Hamilton’s granny at the wheel. When Lewis himself is driving, you can still expect to attain somewhere in the region of 550 km without going bonkers.

And, speaking of bonkers, the acceleration – while not being of the neck-snapping Tesla variety – is still very sharp and overtaking manoeuvres are seamless and worry-free.

Indeed, I was accompanied by a notoriously nervous passenger at one point during my test and she expressed the opinion that the car was “fast but not at all frightening.”

Smoothness is at the heart of everything this car does and that includes acceleration. Sure, if in Sport mode you will find things snappier than in normal mode, but even in the Normal setting, this thing is quick without any apparent retaliatory bite.

Energy recuperation is part of the deal here and I must say that whatever system Mercedes has adopted, it felt to me like the brakes were a bit vague and distant. There are differing levels of recuperation and at the lowest setting there is little braking at all, while at the other it’s like hitting the proverbial brick wall.

Even when plumping for the setting in the middle of these two extremes, the brake pedal seemed somewhat disconnected from the calipers and it took quite a bit of getting used to. The same applies to some of the driver assistance systems which are a little too keen, although I did like the fact the car is able to read the road ahead and the head-up display thus acts as something of a navigator if you’re unfamiliar with the road. Not quite rallying pace notes, but useful enough.

All told, however, the driving experience is from the top drawer and when you throw in an interior which is among the most comfortable and high-tech – outside the luxo-barge segment – you will find out there. 

The twin instrumentation and infotainment screens (12.3” and 12.8” respectively) are state-of-the-art and truly impressive to live with and operate.

Exterior looks aside there is very little to quibble with here – I’ve tried my best – and that can only leave us to conclude that this is an excellent iteration of the characteristics and standards that Mercedes has embedded in the various E-Class models we’ve seen down the years.

It is an excellent evolution into the world of electric cars and, although not cheap, one of the best we’ve driven thus far.

Our dislike of the look of the car and the lack of brake feel are the only two things preventing a rare five-star rating here.