Not the first luxury electric car brand to be present in Vietnam, but Mercedes-Benz EQS is a convergence of trendy beauty, a series of the world’s most advanced electric driving technologies, premium user experience, and an affordable price compared to competitors.
Supernatural acceleration ability – on par with supercars
Power is a huge advantage in electric models in general and Mercedes-Benz EQS in particular. Thanks to the ability to almost instantly utilize all torque, instead of slowly building up torque before reaching its peak like an internal combustion engine, the EQS 580 4Matic can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds.
The first feeling when seated, placing both hands on the elegant white steering wheel and pressing the accelerator to launch the EQS is likely to make you dizzy: 516 horsepower, maximum torque of 858 Nm can push your body backward, press it into the seat and make the scenery on both sides of the window blur as the car begins to reach speeds of over 120 km/h; the wind noise goes away and all thoughts in your mind disappear, making way for focus from your eyes to your hands to regain control.
In the face of such a large acceleration, your first reflex will be to grip the steering wheel tighter, at the same time immediately release the throttle to reduce acceleration (although the car continues to accelerate but the acceleration slows down). Pheeew!
As your senses return even though you are still “dizzy”, at this point you can hear your heartbeat pounding because your body is overloaded with adrenaline. Emotion! It’s truly emotional! With just over VND 5 billion, you can completely experience the “ferocious” feeling no less than the supercars priced at tens of billions of VND.
At any time, whether at speeds of 40, 60, 80 or 100 km/h; the car is always ready to sprint whenever the driver steps on the accelerator. Especially when switching to Individual driving mode and Vivid Flux sound mode, you will also be “gifted” with the effect of zooming like on a very “catchy” spaceship. This is an extremely interesting and unique experience that not every car can provide to users.
That is when you operate the car in a youthful, enthusiastic style. But if you drive in a normal way for daily commuting, Mercedes-Benz EQS will completely conquer you with the comfort and silence that the interior can bring.
Contributing significantly to the “supernatural” sound insulation ability of the EQS is the aerodynamics of the car. Specifically, the drag coefficient on the Mercedes-Benz EQS is only 0.22 Cd; while the Porsche Taycan competitor owns a corresponding value of 0.23 and the Tesla Model S is 0.24 Cd.
Functional design yet still sleek and refined
It needs to be stressed again: Mercedes-Benz EQS has a drag coefficient of only 0.22 Cd – a figure that belongs to the “supernatural” category in today’s automotive world. To achieve this, German engineers had to maximize the curves, minimize gaps, and optimize aerodynamics through the shape of the car.
Therefore, we have an extremely sleek EQS: a single-piece hood, hidden door handles, 20-spoke wheels, and the car’s ceiling smoothly flowing down to the trunk, exactly like a Coupe. Even the trunk-opening handle – also a rear camera – is protruding.
At this moment, the design has to give way to optimal functionality; however, this does not mean that the Mercedes-Benz EQS is not beautiful. On the contrary, the German water-electric sedan has an extremely charming allure. The extremely alluring curves – a completely opposite extreme to the rough and rugged appearance of the “prince” G63 – make the EQS “long legs” stand out and differentiate on the road; even when placed next to other models in the “Mẹc” family.
The most prominent exterior feature is the full LED Digital intelligent lighting system. These exquisite eyes consist of 1.3 million light points on each side, which can accurately identify, calculate, and precisely increase brightness (e.g., signage system) or decrease brightness (e.g., people or vehicles moving in the same direction, oncoming) in complex conditions.
Spacious, ultramodern interior
Perhaps there is no need to elaborate on the softness of the leather, the smoothness of the wood, or the beauty of the metal details – elements that are probably already standard for every Mercedes-Benz. All details are perfectly finished, smooth, and harmoniously “eating up” one another like each note in a concerto. However, what impressed me was in a different aspect.
Stepping into the cabin of the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580, you will easily mistake that you are “traveling to the future”. Not only does the car feature the highest quality materials in the modern automotive world, such as leather, wood, metal, suede…; the electric sedan is also integrated with the most advanced features as a demonstration of extremely impressive technology.
In front of the passengers in the front seats are three large display screens, located behind the steering wheel, in the middle of the dashboard, and in front of the passengers in the front. Even passengers in the rear seats will be satisfied with two screens placed on the backrests of the front seats. The total area of the display screens in the car reaches 57 inches!
Thanks to maximizing the display area, the cabin of the EQS has very few buttons. The only physical buttons are a row of glossy black buttons located in the middle of the center armrest for quick access to the most essential features.
All features, information, and operating status of EQS can be easily accessed, monitored, and adjusted regardless of the position of the passengers in the car. For example, even if sitting in the rear seats, car owners can adjust massage mode, recline the seats, adjust the sound, lighting, and even the driving mode of the car.
With a wheelbase length of up to 3.2m – equivalent to the long-wheelbase S-Class models – it is not difficult to understand why Mercedes-Benz EQS can provide such spacious rear seats.
However, when compared to the top-of-the-line version – the S580 Maybach sedans – the rear seats of the EQS may not be able to satisfy even the most discerning owners in terms of comfort or backrest inclination.
Unforgettable “full enjoyment” experience
In addition to its “wild animal-like” acceleration ability, Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 also proves to be very “obedient like a house pet” when driving in urban areas every day. The car is equipped with full autonomous driving assistance features: smart headlights, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, front and rear automatic braking, automatic parking, blind spot warning, etc.
In a joking manner, this is the “easiest car to learn to drive”, because the abundance of technology can support and compensate even for the poorest driving skills to ensure smooth and safe travel.
In particular, the ability to steer the rear wheels helps make a large-size EQS a very agile and flexible mover in small crowded streets. When traveling on highways or expressways, this feature helps the car operate (entering corners, changing lanes, changing directions) more neatly and safely, eliminating unnecessary motion for the car to run in the desired trajectory.
The air suspension system has an excellent ability to recognize road surfaces to quickly dampen any motion. The battery system – the heaviest component for an electric vehicle – is placed under the floor of the car, further increasing the rigidity as well as the sound insulation ability of the EQS.
In short, when holding the steering wheel of the Mercedes-Benz EQS, you can temporarily put aside any worries outside the car. You just need to simply close the door, recline the seat to enjoy the fresh air, gentle light, and soothing sound to relax your mind; or simply enjoy the road safely and leisurely.
It is still a car built on the trend of “enjoyable driving” and supplemented with impressive acceleration abilities, rather than a “violent sports car” with aggressive behavior; therefore, the steering wheel of the EQS 580 stops at a good level – just in line with the common ground of German models, but it has not achieved the level of road response accuracy and “sophistication” for demanding, discerning users.
The 107.8 kWh battery capacity allows the car to travel up to over 700 km after each full charge. In fact, Vietnamese expert – Nguyen Hong Vinh, chairman of the RedLine Club – even set a world record when completing a 850 km journey from Hoan Kiem Road – Hanoi to Nui Thanh – Quang Nam on an EQS 450. In other words, if you only travel within a radius of 400 km, you don’t have to worry about anything with the EQS.
The time to fully charge a Mercedes-Benz EQS falls around 12 hours when using an 11 kW DC charger costing VND 50 million. If using the car’s portable charger, the time to fully charge the battery will have to be extended up to 30 hours. Therefore, this charger is almost only used as a “lifesaver” on the journey and it can hardly play the role of the main charger for the car.
In summary, Mercedes-Benz EQS is a sedan with a very high level of enjoyment. With great incentives from the Government (support policy of exempting registration fees for electric vehicles), the EQS can provide a “super sports car-equivalent” driving experience at an extremely affordable price.
The car has a large battery capacity, can travel up to more than 700 km, which somewhat dispels the common concern of electric vehicles in Vietnam – the lack of charging stations. Superabundant technology, exquisite perfection, and spaciousness are also values that are worth experiencing on the Mercedes-Benz EQS.
Anh Phan (Tuoitrethudo)
