Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 SUV Review: Serenity Mobile

Luxury is often interpreted as its weight in tech and glamourous features that make for great Instagram reels. That, however, is a surface level interpretation. In all honesty, luxury lies in the intangibles - from the way people perceive you based on the badge of what you drive to the noise insulation delivered by what you drive, so there are fewer things for you to bother perceiving.

But First, Who Are You?

The EQS 580 SUV is the penultimate model in the Mercedes-EQ SUV lineup, second only to the Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV. By virtue of being assembled in India, it’s priced more or less the same as the smaller but imported EQE SUV. Courtesy Mercedes EQ’s slightly annoying nomenclature, you have to suffix ‘SUV’ each time you refer to them, since the EQE and EQS also exist as sedans.

GLS EV? Not Even Close

Truth be told, the Mercedes-EQ design language just doesn’t seem to click the way Merc’s petrol or diesel cars do. From the EQS sedan to the EQE, the styling is evidently aerodynamically-optimized. Forget the engineering, it just looks slippery! But placed next to the GLS itself, the EQS SUV has a “soft station wagon” personality rather than SUV. 

That being said, road presence is still assured. It does look expensive and a 5.1 metre SUV was always going to turn heads, especially in heart-pinchingly beautiful colours like Emerald Green or Velvet Brown.

Flush-fitting door handles that pop-out with a tease, digital LED headlights with more computing power than the processors that helped put a man on the moon and classy 21-inch wheels make the EQS SUV look grand. But as it goes with most “family looks”, the styling’s distinctive from everyone but its own blood. It just looks so much like an EQE SUV.

Zone Out

Focus is a great thing and the EQS SUV knows it’s all about comfort. Even for the plus-sized, the seat cushioning is incredibly comfortable with memory settings, heating, ventilation and multiple (and very effective) massage programs available for those seated up front. The driver’s position has you cocooned by the dashboard and doors in a manner akin to luxury speed boats with top notch materials and immersive ambient lighting transporting you from chaos mere millimeters away from you outside.

The rear seats urge you to relax too with perfect cushioning and the famous Mercedes bonus head cushion that may well have been made by Pillsbury because how on earth is it so beautifully soft? It’s also very spacious and even someone who is 6.5ft tall can sit behind themselves with great headroom too.

However, folks over 6ft tall may want for more underthigh cushioning. More importantly, while the rear seat can be electrically slid back-n-forth, the recline angle should’ve gone sharper. Even at the most laid back setting, it’s falling short of letting you lounge out at peak laziness. And missing electric sunblinds at this price or at least offering manually retractable ones is a big no no. Also, while the rear seats are heated, there is no ventilation.

These misses are amplified when you see what a thorough job Mercedes has done with its own 2024 E-Class long-wheelbase. In its latest generation, the E-Class offers: 

• More recline than the EQS SUV (36 vs 30 degrees)

• Better and electrically adjustable underthigh support for the rear seats

• Motorised-blinds for the rear windows/rear windshield 

• And controls to adjust the front passenger’s seat from behind too (EQS SUV lets the driver adjust the front passenger’s seat using their own door mounted controls)

As for the third-row, it’s a place for occasional use and best left for kids or your pets. Internationally, the last row is an option but it comes as standard for us. The last row does fold down (manual) seamlessly into the floor to open up nearly 900 litres of boot space, while the 2nd row seats can also be electrically dropped down if needed.

ADHD

It’s amazing how this one car can make you own more screens than you do outside of it. Overkill? Yes, there’s no two ways about it but it’s not all show and no purpose.

Other features: 4-zone climate control, wireless charging (front and rear), high-res 360° camera, configurable ambient lighting, panoramic sunroof and powered tailgate.

Royal Rocket

Possibly the aspect of the EQS SUV that’ll remain the most unexplored. As you’d expect from something dropping over 850Nm of torque via dual electric motors, the EQS SUV is fast! No kidding, it will throw you back into your seat and is a very different, no doubt, superior animal to the Mercedes-Benz GLS in this regard. Experiencing sportscar-like acceleration from a barge that can ferry your extended family probably isn’t the highest priority but it’ll get more shock and awe out of your passengers than the myriad of screens.

But importantly, it’s both smoother and more responsive than any petrol/diesel powered SUV you’d buy for similar money. From daily commutes to high speed overtakes and driving up inclines, the EQS SUV is simply sorted for them all. Combine the always-unwrinkled throttle response with the impeccable noise insulation and you get a package that’ll put you to sleep faster than any podcast you’re rewatching for the fourth time. If you spend long commutes between office and home, this is possibly the aspect of the EQS 580 SUV that you’ll appreciate the most.

The ride comfort is also better than what we’ve experienced in some other Mercedes-EQ cars, that tend to be a bit too soft and get floaty at high speeds. Granted, concrete roads are still not its strong suit and small imperfections do get picked up but on most roads, you’ll enjoy the ride delivered by the adjustable air-suspension and adaptive dampers. 

It must be mentioned that while the EQS SUV is ballistic in a straight line, its handling is still tilted towards comfort. In this regard, it’s similar to the GLS and while the EQS SUV may not look as herculean as its PUC certificate-requiring sibling, it feels its size on turns. Luckily, it gets rear wheel steering to improve high speed control and more importantly, make tight u-turns or parking monumentally easier. As for the range, we’d put it between 500-550km in real-world conditions.

If you charge the EQS SUV with the 22kW AC wallbox charger, a full charge from zero takes 6.25 hours. This is likely the mode you’ll use the most since you can charge up overnight with ease. Using a 200kW DC fast charger, 10-80% takes just about half an hour.

Safety features on the EQS SUV include 11 airbags, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive high beams with anti-dazzle and a host of tech including active brake assist, blind spot assist, and lane keeping aid. Auto braking can be switched off and taking feedback from existing owners in India, it’s no longer something you have to do everytime you switch on the car anymore.

Closure

The EQS SUV is heavy on tech, generous with performance and most importantly, superb on everything comfort. While its design may not be to everyone’s taste, the electric drivetrain helps it switch between smooth and savage with hilarious ease, all while offering enough range to end any anxiety. The 10 year/unlimited kilometre battery warranty is the cherry on top and its price, for some, will make the EQS SUV, THE S-Class to get.