Priced Same As EQS Sedan, But More Spacious

The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is one of the most interesting all-electric luxury SUV models in the United States.

The car is locally produced in Alabama, and priced basically on par with the EQS Sedan version.

There are currently three main versions of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV – the entry-level, rear-wheel drive EQS 450+ SUV, the all-wheel drive version called the EQS 450 4Matic SUV, and a more powerful all-wheel drive EQS 580 4Matic SUV version.

The starting price of the EQS SUV is $104,400 (plus a $1,150 destination charge). Despite local production, the car is not eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit, as it significantly exceeds the $80,000 price cap.

Because the MSRP prices are the same as in the case of the EQS Sedan, customers might very flexibly decide whether they prefer a car or an SUV type of vehicle. In Q1 2023, more customers in the US selected the EQS SUV than EQS Sedan.

All of the versions are equipped with a 108.4-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery, just like in the case of the EQS Sedan.

However, because it’s a larger, less aerodynamic, and heavier car, we can’t expect the same range or acceleration.

Range-wise, the EPA Combined results are about 13-17 percent lower than in the EQS Sedan and vary from 285 to 305 miles. Meanwhile, acceleration from 0 to 60 miles per hour (mph) is roughly a half second slower.

It’s worth noting that earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz introduced a new performance acceleration on-demand upgrade, as a subscription service, which improves the acceleration of the EQS 450 4Matic, EQS 450 4Matic SUV, EQE 350 4Matic, EQE SUV 4Matic SUV.

In the case of the EQS 450 4Matic SUV, the 0-60 mph time is reduced by 0.9 seconds from 5.8 to 4.9, at an expense of $90/month, $900/year, or $2,950 for a lifetime of the vehicle.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV already was listed on the EPA’s website, confirming its range and efficiency numbers.

As we can see, the base version was rated at 85 MPGe: 396 watt-hours per mile (246 Wh/km), including charging losses. The AWD versions will consume about 10 percent more energy, which is the main reason why the range is slightly lower.

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All of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV versions are equipped with a 9.6-kW onboard charger, which is promised to recharge the battery from 0 to 100 percent of state-of-charge (SOC) in 12.5 hours.

In terms of DC fast charging, 10-80 percent SOC recharge is possible in 31 minutes at up to 200 kilowatts of power.

Comparison with the EQS Sedan

Using the 450 4Matic all-wheel drive version as an example, we will now compare the basic specs of the EQS SUV with the EQS Sedan.

As we can see, the EPA Combined range is about 16 percent lower, acceleration is over 9 percent slower, and energy consumption (including charging losses) is noticeably higher.