Mercedes-AMG EQE53 revealed, EV sports sedan confirmed for Australia
Mercedes-Benz has revealed two new variants of the upcoming EQE electric sports sedan: the AMG-developed EQE43 4Matic and EQE53 4Matic+.
At this stage only the Mercedes-Benz EQE53 AMG is confirmed for sale in Australia, providing a counterpunch to the Mercedes-AMG E63 S that until now has been the four-door sledgehammer of choice for those wanting a large sedan with the three-pointed star badge.
As with all AMGs, performance is at the heart of the new EQE models with each reviving numbers familiar with the ICE-powered AMG models already on sale – and the bigger the number, the more grunt there is to play with.
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The new Mercedes-AMG EQE43 uses dual motors to drive all four wheels and produce a combined 350kW and 858Nm.
Mercedes-Benz says that’s enough to launch the large 2525kg sedan to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds, although to achieve that it needs at least 50 percent charge remaining in the battery.
The battery capacity is 90.6kWh, enough for a WLTP range of between 462km and 533km, depending on options and tyres fitted.
The battery is a new generation running at 328V that is claimed to have a higher energy density, so less weight.
Charging can be done at up to 170kW DC while the standard AC charge rate is 11kW but can be optioned up to 22kW. When DC charging AMG says it will add up to 180km of range in 15 minutes; that’s fast, but still slower than the fastest charging EVs on the market.
The same basic mechanical package is used for the EQE53 4Matic+ that has been confirmed to be sold in Australia, down to its battery capacity and dual motor setup.
However, the EQE53 gets AMG specific motors “with adapted windings and laminations, higher currents and a specific inverter”. The motor on the rear is a six-phase unit that produces more power than the one up front, although Mercedes-Benz hasn’t so far released details.
The peak regular outputs are 460kW and 950Nm.
However, the EQE53 also gets a Race Start mode as part of the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package, which allows a temporary boost mode to take the peak outputs to 505kW and 1000Nm.
In typical AMG fashion, that still allows the AMG 53 version of the upcoming EQS – the EQS53 AMG – to hold the EV power high ground, with up to 560kW and 1000Nm.
However, the more compact body and lighter weight of the EQE means it out-accelerates its more expensive sibling to 100km/h – albeit by a single tenth of a second.
The EQE53 is claimed to take 3.5 seconds in its regular guise, or 3.3 seconds with the AMG Dynamic Plus package with EV boost mode. That’s tantalisingly close to the fastest acceleration AMG available, the AMG GT Black Series, which takes 3.2 seconds.
That Dynamic Plus mode also brings with it a more advanced sound to accompany the electric motor whir.
Different drive modes – including efficiency-focused Comfort and Sport/Sport+ – adjust the front-rear torque split, with more drive sent to the rear motor in the sportier modes.
They also adjust the power levels. In Comfort, for example, the EQE53 limits maximum power to 80 percent of the maximum, so 368kW, while in Sport it steps up to 414kW and Sport+ the full 460kW. Race Start is the only way to unleash the full 505kW.
Developed only for the AMG electric cars, the Performance sound has three levels: Balanced, Sport and Powerful, each changing in “tonality and intensity”.
The additional performance of the EQE53 lowers the range slightly compared with the EQE43, but there’s still between 444km and 518km depending on options.
Mercedes-AMG believes it’ll create a tempting performance proposition.
“The compact format of the EQE forms the perfect starting point for realising a highly agile and very emotional driving experience with our AMG-specific solutions,” said Jochen Hermann, Chief Technical Officer of Mercedes-AMG. “This applies in particular to the areas of drive, chassis, brakes and, above all, sound.”
Mercedes-Benz Australia hasn’t confirmed pricing or details yet, but the regular EQE is due later in 2022.
Given Australia has occasionally taken only the more powerful versions of the petrol-powered AMGs, we wouldn’t be surprised if our cars come with the AMG Dynamic Plus pack as standard.
Considering it’ll in some way compete with the Audi e-Tron GT, Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S Plaid, Mercedes-Benz will likely want to put its best foot forward on outright performance.
But there’s plenty more to the EQE53 package.
Compared with the regular EQE suspension has been tuned by AMG to provide adjustable stiffness with adaptive dampers, allowing a broad spread between comfort and sports settings.
There’s also rear-wheel steering that allows the back wheels to turn up to 3.6 degrees.
AMG-specific brakes, including six-piston front calipers, are part of the handling package. There are also optional carbon ceramic brakes, which can only be had with the optional 21-inch wheels.
Design tweaks for the AMG models include a unique grille with vertical metal inserts and an AMG badge.
There are also unique black side skirts and a black rear diffuser as well as a small wing on the bootlid.
As for where the EQE fits into the fast-electrifying Mercedes-Benz world, it’s a large sedan that provides an EV alternative to the E-Class that has seen sales drop in recent years. As the E-Class is slightly smaller and more affordable than the S-Class, the EQE will sit below the soon-to-arrive EQS.
What do you mean with “to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds, although to achieve that it needs at least 50 percent of the battery charge”?
Does the battery need to have a SOC of at least 50% to get that acceleration… or that it takes 50% of the battery to accelerate that quickly (surely not..!)
50% state of charge (we’ve updated the story to make it more obvious). It looks like the drop in voltage means slightly less power when the battery has less than half its SOC.