Expectations are high for the 2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS, and rightly so. Rivals may not like to admit it, not publicly at least, but where the S-Class goes its counterparts tend to follow: the iconic sedan may not have debuted every must-have feature among the luxury set, but is still responsible for more than its fair share. Now, with the EQS representing the Sonderklasse’s electric evolution, it’s AMG’s opportunity to bring the performance to back up the promises on its aggressive 2030 roadmap.
Aerodynamics clearly rule the roost in Mercedes’ EQ division. We’re used to EVs being slippery, but the EQS goes further than most with its river-smoothed-pebble silhouette. When I look at it, I can’t help but see those abstract car models that dealerships have to show different paint samples, only blown up to full size and then with surface detailing painted on.
Find the right angle and it’s handsome and imposing. AMG’s beefy aero wheels – available in 21- and 22-inch sizes – help, offsetting some of the visual heft from the side. I prefer the AMG-specific grille, too, with its crisp vertical struts above a reworked lower intake. At the rear there’s a larger spoiler and a new diffuser with crisper fins.
It’s a head-turner, certainly, not least because it looks a little like a CGI creation that just rolled out onto the street. Inside, the high-tech sense continues, with Mercedes’ vast Hyperscreen fitted as standard. Does the modern dashboard need 55-inches of display, including a dedicated touchscreen for the front passenger? No, probably not, but it makes the controls of every other vehicle on the road feel retro by comparison.
In use, it’s less distracting than you might expect. The EQS makes good use of the inches on offer, with AMG-specific graphics and animations, even if some of the standard versions actually fit more info into the driver’s screen and head-up display. The central touchscreen manages to feel comprehensive rather than crowded, and while I know many prefer physical buttons and knobs for things like HVAC settings, Mercedes does at least make them persistent across the bottom of the display.
All in, the AMG EQS cabin lives up to its “the S-Class of EVs” billing. It’s lavish and cohesive in a way that no other electric car on the market can match right now, a blend of highly visible high-tech with old-school attention to detail and materials. It’s also hugely spacious, not just in the front where the custom AMG sports seats are supremely comfortable, but in the rear where legroom is particularly capacious.
