Mercedes-Benz is continuing the slow tease of the new EQS ahead of its world premiere this year. In the first instalment of what appears to be a multi-part video series, Stuttgart is giving viewers a peek (in vertical form, annoyingly) of what its new electric executive sedan is like to drive.
In this seven-minute film, Danish television host Felix Smith meets up with powertrain chief engineer Eva Greiner to sample a development prototype at the Immendingen test track. Awkward jokes and interactions aside, the two also demonstrates some key features of the EQS, the first being the Eco-Assist function.
When activated, the system essentially takes control of acceleration and braking – likely with the help of navigation and sensor data – to drive the car in the most efficient manner possible. Taking into account the geometry of the road (and probably traffic conditions as well), the car slows down and picks up speed on its own; it’s almost certainly part of the car’s wider semi-autonomous driving capabilities.
Smith also experiences the car’s torque shifting, which shuffles the power delivery of the front and rear motors to deliver maximum traction. Putting the EQS through its paces back-to-back with a C217 S-Class Coupé, the former feels more surefooted on the twisting wet tarmac, Smith says.
Beyond that, not much is known about the car, but we do know that it will come with a range of up to 700 km on the WLTP cycle. It will also feature a new MBUX Hyperscreen interface that consists of three screens – one for the instrument cluster, one for the infotainment system and a separate display for the front passenger, the last two of which utilise OLED technology.
The 56-inch panel looks slick, equipped with two 12.3-inch screens and a centre 17.7-inch display, all covered by a single piece of Gorilla Glass. A new “zero-layer” interface puts the navigation screen at the front and centre, with panels for media, telephony and other AI-curated functions being clustered above the digital climate controls. One new feature of the voice control system is the ability to enquire about points of interest that the user is driving past – a feature that will be extended to the regular S-Class.
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