SpaceX Who?
Mercedes-AMG EQE 43 4MATIC
Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
I can already sense you’re rolling your eyes just writing this, but this isn't going to be about glorifying being rich by being an asshole.
One of these guys sells stuff on the internet and the other one builds cars that people think are good (they're not). And both are billionaires who don't know what to do with their money (buy social media platforms maybe? Wait ...). They’re both idols for get-rich-or-die-trying losers. But because it's not enough for Jeff and Elon to be idolised pop stars, and because while you're reading these lines, they’ve earned even more money that they don't know what to do with, they both at some point came up with the idea of shooting themselves or someone or something into space.
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A thought that rarely occurs to normal people, mind, maybe if they dreamed of one day being an astronaut and looking at the earth from above as a child. I'm sure I will not be travelling on a spaceship in my lifetime. I don’t feel too much sorrow about that, though, because a ride in the Mercedes-AMG EQE 43 4MATIC is pretty much the next best experience, should you actually dream of orbiting Earth on a spaceship. With the added bonus that you don't have to be a misanthropic billionaire to do so.
After Mercedes-Benz launched two really good SUVs and a fantastic luxury saloon with the EQA, EQB and EQS in 2021, last year, they followed up with an executive saloon, the EQE. And before the big electric SUVs from Stuttgart arrive soon (we'll just forget about the EQC, which had been around since 2019 already, which I'm sure Mercedes-Benz will not hold against us), the brand with the star is rolling out the AMG variants of the two saloons.
I'm sure I will not be travelling on a spaceship in my lifetime. I don’t feel too much sorrow about that, though, because a ride in the Mercedes-AMG EQE 43 4MATIC is pretty much the next best experience, should you actually dream of orbiting Earth on a spaceship. With the added bonus that you don't have to be a misanthropic billionaire to do so.
An electric AMG? Yes. Yes, of course. But what’s this? Do you hear that, too? Up and down the country, fist bumps are hailing down on pub tables, beer glasses rattling. Just like they rattled when an AMG with a four-cylinder came along. Or an AMG with a turbocharger. Or an AMG with all-wheel drive. Or with a diesel engine. And each time, the outraged punters were proved wrong. (Well, not necessarily with the short-lived AMG diesel.) The two-litre AMGs are insanely fun and even in the C 63, the fuel will soon no longer be combusted in eight chambers. No one can deny the traction advantage of all-wheel drive. But if there were still those big naturally aspirated V8s with rear-wheel drive, then said punters would all buy an AMG straight away, no doubt. But like this? They'd rather stick to their 1.5 Ford Focus TDCi. We digress, though...
Up and down the country, fist bumps are hailing down on pub tables, beer glasses rattling. An electric AMG?
Yes, an electric AMG. Why shouldn't the two concepts go together? That drivel of displacement, displacement, displacement is an old hat. Everyone knows that electric vehicles can deliver insane acceleration with their always-on torque levels. The EQE 43 certainly can. At any time. And it's only the EQE 43 we’re talking about here. With the EQE 53, AMG adds another 150 hp to the 476 hp of the 43, and 4.2 seconds to 100 kph become 3.5. Just as fast as an E 63. Adding the good feeling that every step on the accelerator pedal does not immediately disperse kilograms of CO2 into the atmosphere. And with the even better feeling of driving a car from the future.
Yes, an electric AMG. Why shouldn't the two concepts go together? That drivel of displacement, displacement, displacement is an old hat.
See, the E 63 is a car based on a traditional recipe: take a normal saloon, put a large engine under the bonnet, throw on wider tyres, a new chassis, some cosmetics, done. It has worked for decades. But recipes have to go with the times. Otherwise we would still be throwing all kinds of questionable pieces of meat into aspic and serving them with mixed pickles. Grandma thought that was pretty great in the 60s, but we can be thankful that we’ve come a long way from there. The simple truth is that we will no longer be able to afford insane V8s, as much fun as they are.
If you compare the E and the EQE, it becomes clear that the EQE is simply the better car in 2023. Driving the car, this is noticeable in pretty much all aspects. Thanks to the batteries, the car's centre of gravity is quite low. In corners, it feels much more confident than, for example, a CLS 53. Moreover, no one can deny the driving comfort of an electric car. As an executive saloon, the EQE is a car you expect to be comfortable. Which AMG car is permanently taken to its limits? The quietness when driving, coupled with the linear speed made possible by the 476 hp electric drive, is impressive. And because we are talking about a Mercedes-Benz here, the EQE also impresses with fantastic technology. In addition to the remarkable range, the intelligent recuperation system is a feature that is particularly impressive right from the first drive.It magically slows the car down before bends, junctions and roundabouts and, for example, on motorway slip roads in order to recuperate as much energy as possible. This is how one-pedal driving should work in an electric car. Plus, there are driver assist systems that really make the car drive almost by itself. The EQE is the business saloon for the modern era.
The EQE is the business saloon for the modern era.
The aerodynamically optimised shape of the car is certainly a matter of taste. Radically different from anything else MB has offered so far and not exactly conducive to passenger space in the back seat, but it somehow works out. And: the Panamericana grille (or the "AMG-specific radiator grille trim"), which has become rather embarrassing on the classic AMG models by now, doesn't look half bad on the AMG EQE. Somehow this radiator grille which is not a radiator grille fits the futuristic design.
However, what I personally liked most about the EQE, beyond the design and the unreal driving experience, was the artificially generated engine noise. I know, I know: It’s actually a rather silly idea and so far, many manufacturers have implemented it in a simply terrible fashion, but in the EQE 43 it fabulously accomplishes two things: Firstly, it gives you a feeling for acceleration and speed that is unbelievably good, one that usually only an analogue drivetrain can deliver. And secondly, it almost makes you feel as if you’re on a spaceship and not in a car held on the road by gravitational forces.
Dear Elon, dear Jeff, just drop by your local Mercedes-Benz dealer, will you? You don't really need the nonsense about SpaceX and all that.
Mercedes-AMG EQE 43 4MATIC shot for KBM Motorfahrzeuge GmbH & Co. KG in September 2022.
[Mercedes-AMG EQE 43 4MATIC | WLTP: Stromverbrauch kombiniert: 22,4–19,6 kWh/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km | mb4.me/DAT-Leitfaden-electric]
February 2023