Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV Is The Next Electric Merc For India

• Mercedes-Benz EQE will debut in India on September 15.

• Gets multiple powertrain options globally.

• Maximum range variant offers an EPA-claimed range of 449km.

• It will sit between the EQB SUV and EQS sedan.

• The EQE could be assembled locally, just like the EQS sedan.

The Mercedes-Benz EQE, which broke cover globally back in October 2022, is headed to India. The electric SUV will break cover on September 15, which should be followed by a launch soon after. It will slot between the EQB SUV and EQS sedan in Mercedes’ electric car lineup for India. There’s also a sedan equivalent of the EQE SUV sold in markets abroad, just like the EQS SUV and sedan siblings.

Design

The EQE SUV follows the design language of all modern electric Mercedes, with the omnipresent black panel unit which replaces the conventional grille. The LED DRLs extend out of the main headlights and outline the bonnet line, while the lower grille gets flanking faux air intakes.

The side profile of the EQE SUV is clean, with a faint crease defining the shoulder line and flush fitting door handles, while the wheels, that go up to 21 inches, give the SUV a purposeful stance. 

The smooth flowing surfaces come to a conclusion at the rear. The connected LED light strip looks chic and extends towards the rear quarter panel. The bumper design is a bit confusing, though, with exhaust-exit-like air vents at the base, despite this being an EV. Overall, the EQE SUV sports a sweeping design which helps it boast a slippery drag coefficient of 0.25 Cd  for the19-inch wheels variant.

Cabin

The aesthetic quotient of the EQE gets dialed up to 11 inside the cabin. The dashboard is screen heavy, with three different screens spanning the width of it, including a 12.3-inch touchscreen for the front passenger, just like the EQS sedan. 

The sleek central air vents run above the screen, while the usual turbine-inspired vents flank the dashboard. Mercedes takes cabin air quality a little too seriously inside the EQE and has packaged it with what it calls ‘ENERGIZING AIR CONTROL Plus’ air purification system. Other cabin highlights include a Burmester sound system with Dolby Atmos (for theatre-like surround sound), leather-free interior and creature comforts such as powered seats, four-zone climate control and a panoramic sunroof.

Apart from your usual safety kit which includes multiple airbags, 360-degree camera, and ABS with EBD, you also get a full kit of driving assistance which comprises lane keep assist, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring and even parking assist. 

Powertrains

Mercedes offers the EQE SUV with multiple powertrain options globally. The 350+ variant gets a single electric motor mounted on the rear axle, which is fed by a 90.6 kWh battery pack. Output is rated at 288PS and 565NM and the setup offers an EPA-claimed range of 449km. 

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The mid-spec 350 4Matic makes use of a dual electric motor setup with an output of 288PS and 765NM. It is paired to a 89kWh battery pack which offers an EPA-claimed range of 407km. The top-spec 500 4Matic trim makes use of the same 90.6 kWh battery pack as the base variant but feeds two electric motors which combine to produce 402PS and 858Nm. It has an EPA-claimed range of 433km. 

All these variants support DC fast charging and the batteries can be replenished from 10-80% in 32 minutes using a 170kW charger. The EQE SUV also gets AMG variants, which was actually the first for an electric Mercedes SUV, but that is likely to make way sometime after the standard SUV’s launch in India. It also remains to be seen which of these variants will make it to India first, but considering it’s a SUV, we bet it will be either of the all-wheel drive models. 

Just like the EQS, we hope Mercedes locally assembles the EQE SUV to price it competitively. If that happens, the Mercedes EQE is likely to be priced around the Rs 1 crore (ex-showroom) mark in India and will rival the likes of the BMW iX and Audi Q8 e-tron.