Mercedes quotes a zero-to-100 km/hr time of 3.4 seconds, though this EQS variant feels quicker than that in a straight line
From the time AMG formed in 1967, and for nearly 40 years after, Mercedes-Benz shared a formidable relationship with the Affalterbach-based tuning house responsible for some of the era’s most memorable fire-breathing brutes. Flash to the present day and Mercedes not only owns AMG outright, but it’s leveraged the future of its electrified-performance range through AMG’s inaugural production EV spinoff, the Mercedes-AMG EQS.
If the standard-issue EQS is an electron-powered alternative to the stalwart S-Class sedan, then AMG has done here what it historically has for S-Classes throughout the decades: amped up the experience, specifically to the uprated tune of 751 hp and 1,020 Nm of torque. Not that you’d know it from this model’s styling, which is more soft-spoken than the AMGs of yore and leaves us longing for a stronger visual wallop. And while closing the door provides the reassuring, thunking solidity Mercedes is renowned for, the car’s plastic air vents are a far cry from those found in certain British luxury sedans.
But this is an AMG, which means the main attraction is performance, particularly the neck-straining acceleration induced by launch control: The pair of motors are not only tuned to produce more power, they’re also dialled to send more of it toward the rear axle—just like in sporty internal-combustion-powered cars. Mercedes quotes a zero-to-100 km/hr time of 3.4 seconds, though this EQS variant feels quicker than that in a straight line.
The electric sedan heightens the sensation of speed using speakers inside and out; the auditory drama can be set to Authentic or a more aggressive Performance selection. But it belies what the seat of your pants tells you. This is a disarmingly smooth ride paired with seamless forward thrust, likely more refined than most AMG traditionalists prefer but succeeding in the one way that every memorable AMG-tuned Mercedes has succeeded since 1967: It’s the more compelling car.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA
