2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE: Mercedes’ Performance Division Goes Electric

Luxury vehicles from brands like Mercedes-Benz have been popular for more than a century, while factory-supplied high-performance vehicles first hit their stride about 60 years ago. The market dominance of SUVs began more recently — about 20 years ago — followed by the shift toward electric vehicles, which gained momentum in just the last 5 years. This year, Mercedes-Benz decided to roll all these precedents into a single model, the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV, creating Mercedes’ first electric-powered high-performance luxury SUV.

ADVERTISEMENT

That’s a lot of history for a single model to carry, but Mercedes-AMG has outfitted the EQE SUV with some serious hardware to handle the load. It includes standard dual electric motors offering up to 677 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque when engaging the EQE SUV’s “RACE START” mode. These motors utilize AMG-specific internal components (versus the standard EQE SUV), and are powered by a 90.6 kWh battery pack that can absorb up to 170 kilowatts of charging energy from a level 3 charger, which equates to 100 miles in 15 minutes. Mercedes-AMG hasn’t released a final range number, but we’d expect it to be somewhere around 240 miles.

Unlike the base EQE SUV, this AMG model comes with standard 4MATIC+, Mercedes’ fully variable all-wheel-drive system that measures each wheel’s output 160 times a second. The system adjusts power distribution between each wheel based on available traction and what driving mode is in use, with Comfort mode prioritizing efficiency while Sport and Sport+ mode prioritize rear-wheel power distribution to improve driving dynamics. Mercedes-AMG says the EQE SUV can hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds in RACE START mode (part of the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package) and offers a top speed of 159 mph.

ADVERTISEMENT

The EQE SUV features a similar level of active tech in its adaptive suspension. Dubbed AMG RIDE CONTROL+, the system utilizes air suspension technology to control the four-link front and multi-link rear suspension through continuously-variable air control valves. With a wider spread between its stiffest and softest setting than the standard EQE SUV, AMG says its EQE provides both more comfort and tighter body control than the non-AMG model, depending on the selected drive mode and driving conditions. The system also features rear-wheel steering of up to 9 degrees to improve low-speed maneuvering and high-speed stability.

ADVERTISEMENT

We tested the EQE SUV’s advanced engineering on canyon roads and freeways between San Diego and Los Angeles. Like most modern SUVs, this one hides its heft remarkably well. With a near-three-ton curb weight (5,930 pounds) you don’t expect sports-car-like steering, braking, and throttle response, but that’s exactly what the EQE delivers. Knowing it does zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds sounds fast in theory, yet it isn’t until you’ve pinned the throttle and felt the quiet, confident “whoosh” of forward thrust that the performance-nature of those AMG-specific motors hit home.

The same is true when braking and/or turning the EQE. Its active suspension quells body role through long sweepers and moderately tight left-right transitions. Only in low-speed, tight corners or rapid direction changes does the SUV’s considerable poundage make itself known, and even then in a benign way that feels manageable at anything approaching responsible velocities. Brake pedal feel is, overall, progressive and easy to modulate. A regenerative element can be felt at times, but it never compromising faith in the electric SUV’s stopping power. For those seeking further braking confidence, AMG offers an optional ceramic composite brake system with even larger disc brake rotors.

ADVERTISEMENT

Stepping back from the EQE SUV’s performance intentions to focus on its luxury accoutrements reveals a — literal — wide swath of premium amenities. Starting with the standard 56-inch wide high-definition “Hyperscreen” that blends three displays into a single digital element stretching beneath the windshield. While its total area is industry leading, the Hyperscreen’s true beauty is in the straightforward MBUX control interface that makes it easy to find and utilize the EQE SUV’s many advanced features. Everything from climate to audio to navigation and phone controls are intuitive, with a fast learning curve and no need to “read the owners manual”.

ADVERTISEMENT

The EQE SUV’s most exciting controls don’t even require the Hyperscreen. They involve shift paddles and control dials on the steering wheel to quickly change driver modes and individual performance settings. These controls, along with the full-color head-up display and re-configurable gauge cluster, allow for an extremely personalized driving experience between multiple drivers in a single household.

Mercedes-Benz hasn’t release pricing for the AMG EQE SUV yet, but based on other comparable vehicles, both within and outside Mercedes-Benz, we’d expect a base price above $130,000, before options like the AMG Dynamic Plus Package (which includes the RACE START extra power mode and 149 top speed) are added. The standard 21-inch wheels can be upgraded to 22-inch designs, and an AMG Track Pace option lets drivers record more than 80 data points, including lap times with real-time feedback in the head-up display on your current pace versus previous laps.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV is certainly capable of delivering thrills and impressive lap times at a race circuit, but we think its best appreciated on rural public roads with minimal traffic and long straightways, ideally broken up with sweeping turns. With two rows of seating and 19 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row it can also serve family road trip duty, though as with all electric vehicles you’ll want to identify and plan your distances, charging options, and time requirements before departing.