Mercedes-Maybach EQS previews 2022 electric SUV

September 6, 2021October 6, 2021 John Carey 2530 Views eq, Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Maybach EQS isn’t any ordinary electric SUV – it’s an uber luxury wagon designed to take on Rolls-Royce and Bentley with the ultimate in EV luxury. It also showcases the new Mercedes-Benz EQS that will ultimately replace the GLS seven-seat SUV.

Officially called the Concept Mercedes-Maybach EQS, the opulent machine is a pointer to the shape and style of the big electric SUV Mercedes-Benz is currently working on.

Though it wears the badge of the company’s ultra-luxury sub-brand – Maybach – the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV concept actually foreshadows a not-so-distant Mercedes-EQ model.

Built on the same purpose-designed EV platform as the EQS and EQE, the SUV will be an electric alternative to the existing Mercedes-Benz GLS. It will go into production in 2022, and a Maybach version will follow in 2023.

“The Concept Mercedes-Maybach EQS represents the transformation of the tradition-rich luxury brand into a more progressive, all-electric future,” says Philipp Schiemer, Head of Top End Vehicle Group at Mercedes-Benz. “Like every Maybach, it stands for Sophisticated Luxury in all its facets.”

The EQS SUV concept was revealed on the eve of the opening of the 2021 Munich motor show, but Mercedes-Benz isn’t giving away many details, other than to confirm the car is “near-production” ready, so don’t expect wholesale changes with the car that eventually arrives in showrooms.

Though an executive promised the production version would have a maximum driving range of around 600km, the big SUV’s battery-pack capacity and electric motor outputs weren’t divulged.

It’s likely these will align closely with the big EQS luxury sedan that went on sale in Europe this month and which is scheduled to reach Australia around March next year. Read our review of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ to get an idea of what that car is all about; there will also be an EQS53 AMG and it stands to reason some of that high-performance technology could one day make it into the SUV version.

From the outside, the Concept car has the familiar toothy grille of Maybach – which was once marketed as its own brand to take on Rolls-Royce, but is these days a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz – and flashy 24-inch chrome wheels.

“With the Concept Mercedes-Maybach EQS, we’re transforming the brand into an electric future after 100 years,” says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler Group. “The futuristic design consists of an emotional integration of surfaces and shapes. In conjunction with the new-style aerodynamic SUV proportions, we’re completely redefining the luxury SUV of the future.”

Inside is where much of the focus is for the Mercedes-Maybach EQS.

Few surfaces has been left untouched by white leather or rose gold highlights, although there is some “fashion-inspired, progressive textile” on the doors and parts of the seats. It’s clearly one for those who like their luxury delivered overtly; expect less blingy finishes and trim options when the car eventually hits showrooms.

There’s also no shortage of tech, with the Mercedes-Benz Hyperscreen sprawling across the dash as well as a separate 12.3-inch display for the front passenger.

John Carey

Grew up in country NSW, way back when petrol was laced with lead. Has written about cars and the car business for more than 35 years, working full-time and freelance for leading mags, major newspapers and websites in Australia and (sometimes) overseas. Avidly interested in core EV technologies like motors and batteries, and believes the switch to electromobility definitely should be encouraged. Is waiting patiently for someone to make a good and affordable EV that will fit inside his tiny underground garage in northern Italy, where he's lived for the past decade. Likes the BMW i3, but it's just too damned wide...