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Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. \n \n download the app \n <\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\nMercedes-Benz has seen Elon Musk’s success. And it’s had enough. <\/p>\n
The German brand recently launched the EQS, a luxurious electric sedan that takes direct aim at Tesla’s long-running Model S. I recently drove a $141,000 EQS 580, the top dog of the EQS lineup. And while I loved its palatial interior and extra-long range, it has a few shortcomings too. <\/p>\n
Pro: Super luxurious interior<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. \n <\/figcaption><\/p>\n Tim Levin\/Insider<\/p>\n
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Shut yourself inside the EQS and you’re instantly insulated from the chaotic outside world. Its cushy seats, high-end finishes, ambient lighting, and solid build quality meld to create a classy interior that makes a guy wonder: Is Goldman hiring?<\/p>\n
You don’t need to lift a finger in the EQS, which basically doubles as your personal butler. Ask it to activate your massaging seat, and it obliges dutifully. <\/p>\n
Pro: A comfortable, silky-smooth ride<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. \n <\/figcaption><\/p>\n Tim Levin\/Insider<\/p>\n
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Even cheap electric cars are pretty quiet and smooth to drive as compared to typical gas vehicles. But the EQS is a cut above. It glides down the road like a hovercraft, totally unbothered by bumps and cracks in the pavement. <\/p>\n
Con: Weird, mushy brakes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. \n <\/figcaption><\/p>\n Tim Levin\/Insider<\/p>\n
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Like all EVs, the EQS slows itself down when you lift off the accelerator using regenerative braking, a process which captures energy from a car’s motors and feeds it to its battery pack. But Mercedes didn’t quite nail the interplay between the regen and the brake pedal. <\/p>\n
Stopping the car, particularly on short notice, can be nerve-racking, as you often need to stomp harder and farther than you expect. <\/p>\n
Pro: Rear-wheel steering<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. \n <\/figcaption><\/p>\n Tim Levin\/Insider<\/p>\n
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The EQS is a big car, but it doesn’t act like one. That’s thanks to a built-in rear-wheel steering system that helps it make sharper turns. <\/p>\n
It’s actually so effective that it caught me completely off guard the first time I experienced it zipping around a parking lot. With the optionally upgraded rear-wheel-steering package, my EQS 580 swerved into parking spots like a Fiat. <\/p>\n
Pro: Range fit for road trips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. \n <\/figcaption><\/p>\n Tim Levin\/Insider<\/p>\n
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If you’re spending $100,000 and up on an electric car, it had better deliver what EV buyers want most: range. The all-wheel-drive EQS 580 provides a generous 340 miles of range, as estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ promises up to 350. (That base model costs a little over $100,000.)<\/p>\n
Pro: Lots of flashy technology, if you’re into that<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n\n
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\n The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. \n <\/figcaption><\/p>\n Tim Levin\/Insider<\/p>\n
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The EQS is a tech wonderland, featuring not one, not two, but three separate screens up front if you select the optional “Hyperscreen” add-on. Bump that to four if you count the head-up display, which projects important driving info like speed and turn-by-turn directions onto the windshield. It’s five including the tablet rear passengers get as part of the “Executive Rear Seating” package. <\/p>\n
When you approach a turn, a forward-facing camera view pops up with a blue arrow indicating where to turn or which exit to take. And on the highway, Mercedes’ advanced cruise control feature swiftly changes lanes when you flick the turn signal. <\/p>\n
There’s even a fingerprint reader that customers can use to access their preferred driving settings. <\/p>\n