First comparison: Mercedes EQS vs Tesla Model S

Tesla Models Facelift vs Mercedes EQS
,
7.55K 0

Tesla is renovating the successful Tesla Model S just as Mercedes unveiled its first all-electric luxury limousine – the Mercedes EQS. The first static comparison.

I have said many times that a comparison between the new Mercedes EQS and the Tesla Model S facelift is uneven and forced because the luxury sedan from Mercedes is more luxurious and offers more space and comfort to the rear passengers. Probably the correct comparison will be between Tesla Model S and Mercedes EQE which will have dimensions close to those of Models S.
But until the EQE is presented towards the end of this year, we make the first considerations between the Tesla Models S and the Mercedes EQS.

Mercedes EQS offers more space in the rear

The Mercedes EQS is over 24 cm longer and has a wheelbase of 3210 mm, 25 cm longer than the Model S. Thus, the kneeroom in the rear is significantly larger in the Mercedes. The EQS also offers a much more comfortable bench in the rear than the Model S which does not treat its rear-seat passengers too elegantly.

Tesla promises a trunk volume of 793 liters of which 744 liters in the rear and 49 liters under the front hood. Mercedes EQS has a volume between 610 and 770 liters.

More elegant and high-tech ambiance in Mercedes EQS

The whole interior is more luxurious and elegant at EQS. The Tesla Model S has a multimedia system with an 17-inch touchscreen  that not only looks but is actually a laptop screen.

Ergonomics is complicated because absolutely all the functions of the car are included on this screen. The instrument cluster is displayed on a 12.3-inch display and in the rear you can order an entertainment system with 8-inch screens.

By comparison, the Mercedes EQS will offer standard the 12.8-inch portrait screen from the S-Class and the 12.3-inch display for the instrument cluster.

Optionally, Mercedes offers the spectacular Hyperscreen which is 1.41 meters (56 inches) wide. It includes three screens: a 17.7-inch center screen and two 12.3-inch, one for the  instrument cluster and one for the front passenger. With a memory of 24 GB RAM it is the most powerful and sophisticated multimedia system ever available in a car.

Despite the existence of more functions than the Model S, the ergonomics are more intuitive being similar to that of the S-Class to which are added functions specific to electric propulsion.

Tesla offers only top versions with minimum 670 HP

Tesla wants to impress with the range and power of the engines and no longer offers a cheap basic version. The weakest version is the Model S Long range which has a battery of 100 KWh and promises a range of 663 km. The two engines develop 670 HP and propel the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.2 second,s the maximum speed being limited to 250 km / h.

Above this version, Tesla offers two supersonic models called Plaid and Plaid + which develop 1020 and 1100 HP respectively. Both have three engines, one at the front and two at the rear, one on each rear wheel. Both promise a fabulous acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.1 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h.

Tesla Models S Plaid has the same 100 kWh battery from the Long range version which gives it a range of 628 km. Tesla did not announce the battery capacity at Plaid + but it is certainly higher because the Americans announced a record range of 840 km and the price of the Plaid + version is about 20,000 euros higher than Plaid.  A big part of the price difference is probably found in bigger capacity of the battery.

Mercedes targets a wider range of customers and also offers a basic version with a single engine at the rear axle. The Mercedes EQS 450+ develops 333 HP and 568 Nm, and the 107.8 kWh battery gives a range of up to 770 km, over 100 km longer than the Tesla Models S Long range.

The next version, Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic, features as the Tesla Models S, two engines that  supply together 523 HP and 855 Nm propelling the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds while the top speed is limited to 210 km/h on both versions.

Mercedes does not announce the range of this version but it will be slightly smaller because the battery capacity is the same but the power consumption is higher: 21.8 kWh/100 km compared to 20.4 kWh/100 km for the single engine version.
Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic offers the Torque Shitfing function that allows the distribution in milliseconds of the torque between the front and rear axle.

Tesla Models S is faster due to the low weight

Due to its smaller weight, the Tesla Models S is faster than the Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic. With only 2069 kg, the Model S Long Range accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.2 seconds while the Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic, heavier with 516 kg, needs 4.3 seconds. But Mercedes will also have an AMG version with 761 hp which will certainly be faster but Mercedes has not given more details yet.

Mercedes EQS will be more expensive

Mercedes has not announced the prices for EQS yet, so for now we can only speculate.
Tesla Models S Long Range starts at 90,000 euros and we estimate that the Mercedes EQS 450+ will start at 110,000 euros while the EQS 580 4Matic which offer closer performance figures with the Models S Long Range will cost around 120,000-125,000 euros. Therefore, we estimate a price difference of about 30,000-35,000 euros, which is absolutely justified considered the level of  luxury offered by the german limousine.