Mercedes-Benz EQE in Malaysia – Taycan-sized EV a good replacement for E350e, take on BMW iX?

Mercedes-Benz EQE in Malaysia – Taycan-sized EV a good replacement for E350e, take on BMW iX?

Mercedes-Benz is embarking on a mission to electrify its entire lineup, as it plans to go all-electric by the end of the decade (at least where market conditions permit). It’s an ambitious strategy, but it will all be for nought if it didn’t have any affordable (sorry, less expensive) electric vehicles to sell.

That’s why the new EQE is so important – until an EQC sedan (yes, we know that the moniker is currently used on Stuttgart’s first electric SUV) arrives in 2024, this will likely be the cheapest dedicated Mercedes EV, being smaller than the EQS. Even though there are the even cheaper GLA– and GLB-based EQA and EQB available, the company’s bread and butter is its four-door models, so there’s a lot riding on this car.

This focus on affordability is apparent when you look at the variant Mercedes chose to highlight during today’s reveal. No fancy, super powerful all-wheel-drive model that will get from zero to 100 km/h in no seconds flat – instead, the EQE 350 produces an entirely reasonable 215 kW (292 PS) from a single rear motor and is capable of a perfectly sensible 660 km of range thanks to its 90 kWh battery.

Indeed, the power figure and the “350” badging line up perfectly with the mild hybrid E 350 and plug-in hybrid E 350 e models, both of which were discontinued when the W213 E-Class was facelifted. This makes the EQE 350 an ideal candidate for their replacement, particularly in the context of the local market.

Mercedes-Benz EQE in Malaysia – Taycan-sized EV a good replacement for E350e, take on BMW iX?

Pricing is the main stumbling block for EVs in Malaysia, but there’s a reasonable chance of the EQE 350 being competitively priced even against conventional petrol-powered models. We only have to look at main rival BMW, whose iX SUV is priced at a shade under RM420,000 – only RM20,000 more than what the E 350 and E 350 e (the latter with GST) used to cost. That’s a marginal difference in premium segment terms.

Of course, the BMW’s price is with a sub-par two-year warranty – it’s just under RM436,000 with a five-year warranty and service package – and the iX xDrive40 also has a smaller 71 kWh battery (providing a range of “only” 425 km). And as we’ve written before, the battery makes up the vast majority of an EV’s cost.

The EQE counters, however, by being less powerful – versus the iX’s 240 kW (326 PS) of all-wheel-drive thrust – and in a cheaper-to-produce sedan body style, which should offset the battery cost. Even if the EQE ends up being slightly more expensive than the iX, it will still be good value, especially as its only other pure electric rival is the Porsche Taycan.

The similarly-sized Zuffenhausen model is priced at RM605,000 (all prices listed here do not include the rebate on the sales and service tax or SST, which expires at the end of the year), and that’s for the base rear-drive variant. That car is just as powerful as the iX (it’s temporarily capable of up to 350 kW or 408 PS under hard acceleration) but its 79.2 kWh battery provides a piffling 431 km of range.

Mercedes-Benz EQE in Malaysia – Taycan-sized EV a good replacement for E350e, take on BMW iX?

No EV is immune from the issue of range anxiety, but the EQE 350’s decent range of 545 km even in its least efficient form should alleviate the matter somewhat. That’s especially true given that DC fast charging stations are being planned (ironically by rivals BMW and Porsche, although Mercedes will likely have plans of its own) across the country, making interstate journeys a viable affair. Even without these stations, an 11 kW AC charger will juice the battery up in 8.25 hours, which can be easily done overnight.

It seems like with the EQE, you can have your cake and eat it too, so what’s the catch? Well, the car is only going on sale internationally starting in the middle of next year, so you’d be lucky to be able to get one by the end of 2022. By then, there will likely be several electric vehicles on the market, not least of which being the smaller (and almost certainly even cheaper) BMW i4, potentially stealing some vital customers. Whatever happens, the next 12 months will be a very eventful one for the premium EV market in Malaysia.

So, those in the market for an E-Class or a BMW 5 Series (or who currently own an E 350 e or a 530e), would you be interested in an all-electric EQE 350 next year if it’s priced around, say, RM400,000 here in Malaysia? Let us know if you would or would not (and why) in the comments below.

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • haiya on Sep 06, 2021 at 4:13 pm

    would love one but just wish all these pure ev dont look so ugly. both eqe and ix look equally bad la… just make it look like a normal car.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 13
    • iX doesn’t look bad. Interior looks fresh and exterior looks a bit updated, even grill is big

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 6
  • Victoria on Sep 06, 2021 at 4:27 pm

    Yes , the developed world including USA all heading towards global emission free BUT …….

    only the Malaysia incompetent NASI LEMAK authorities like JPJ , MITI , Ministry of Transport charged very extravagance EV road Tax . The calculation for EV road Tax heard based on KWH , the higher KWH the more expensive

    But EV road Tax in most hamburgers and hot dogs countries charged accordingly based on

    1) CO2 standard
    2) Weight of vehicles , the heavier the more expensive
    3) Flat rate

    4) DEFINATELY NOT BASED ON cubic capacity (cc) or KWH but ONLY NASI LEMAK MALAYSIA GOVERNMENT IS REAL MORON AND GREEDY TO CHARGED BASED ON CC OR KWH . Really Nickampoo ..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 19
    • Yes , but syukurla Msia Govt ministers busy politiking then resolve real issues… They for sure smarter to calculate parlimen seats then EV road Tax. LOLL

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
    • Copy Paste on Sep 06, 2021 at 5:06 pm

      Copy paste: “Unfortunately, because of the first round of tax-free hybrids, Malaysians have come to expect hybrid models to be cheap, or at least cheaper than their petrol-only equivalents. Which is not always the case.”

      Copy paste: “Even then, Malaysians saw little value in all this, as the Honda hybrids were priced around the same as the top-spec V models (or just a few hundred less), but offered less in terms of kit. Sales were slow, and in the case of the Jazz Hybrid, nowhere near the volume achieved by the original. Honda Malaysia finally gave up playing that game, and its latest City e:HEV is now positioned as the model’s top dog in this current generation, which is where it naturally belongs; it’s also how the hybrid variant is placed in virtually all other markets. The result? It only makes up 3% of the latest City’s sales.”

      Copy paste: “Mind you, this is a unique situation compared to global markets, as PHEV models are generally priced more than their petrol equivalents. In Germany, the 330e and the 530e are more expensive than the 330i and 530i siblings, respectively. However, that convention won’t be accepted in Malaysia, because we’ve come to expect hybrid cars to be cheaper.”

      Copy paste: “Back to the main point. Malaysian consumers are a demanding bunch. Give us the latest technologies, and give them to us cheap, and only then will we buy into it. This happened with the hybrids, and they are expecting the same to happen with EVs. Price them super cheap, as in no more than the petrol cars, and then we’re talking. Well, if you look at the UK price comparisons we’ve laid out above, that’s just not going to be possible.”

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 4
    • Troll Hunter on Sep 06, 2021 at 10:58 pm

      talk kok can lah
      how to put kok emoji here

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 0
    • SCion on Sep 07, 2021 at 12:18 pm

      Here government like punish rich and succesful so bulk of the population rather stay poor and lazy to get free hand outs….

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
      • Jeremy on Sep 08, 2021 at 12:32 am

        So they should reward the rich and successful with even more riches and money? That doesn’t sound right at all.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • (Like) Porsche Taycan RM605,000.
    (Dislike) Mercedes EQE RM400,000

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 16
    • Juan Mata on Sep 06, 2021 at 6:39 pm

      Different price point bro. 205k is a considerable amount.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • Bieight on Sep 06, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    EV are for sissies and women because real man drive big American muscle V8 with manual transmission!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 17
  • stick on Sep 06, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    definitely getting one as soon as it’s available, nicer than EQS

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2
  • Only corrupted cina tokey can effort to buy lah…ordinary business people can only buy proton ev ehh

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3
  • Lee Chong Wei on Dec 05, 2022 at 8:01 am

    If trade-in available and with hyperscreen (currently in shortage) RM 400K , can consider.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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