Opinion / Mercedes is bringing sexy back with its electric EQS, the first of a more sustainable range to rival Tesla’s Model S and the Porsche Taycan

Aug 12 , 2021

Mercedes, like many other traditional car brands, is coming to grips with the need for electric models to challenge Tesla and deliver sustainability. Photo: @mercedeseq/Instagram

Maybachs, S-Classes and G-Wagons are known for their comfort, but show Mercedes’ – and the car industry in general’s – former disregard for sustainability

Tesla’s Plaid version of the Model S still outperforms the EQS, offering Netflix and video games, but the Mercedes’ boasts state-of-the-art infotainment

This article is part of Style’s Luxury Column.

A little more than two years ago, I visited the Mercedes-Benz stands at two of the world’s most important car shows: Geneva and Seoul. In Geneva, I recall a stand dedicated to electro mobility, including a bar with wireless charging stations. The message: Mercedes goes electric. The catch: none of the cars shown were fully electric, or if they were, they were not for sale. Instead, as Swiss law demands, the petrol-driven cars on the stand had to be classified according to their fuel consumption and emissions.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Photo: @mercedesbenz/Instagram

I remember how shocked I was walking from car to car, all styled beautifully and all with the ultimate petrol engines money could buy – but all showing the worst rating for environmental impact too. I remember the disappointment I felt that the world’s once most innovative car brand became seemingly complacent and out of touch with the reality of the demand for greater sustainability from affluent consumers.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Photo: @mercedesbenz/Instagram

A few months later in Seoul, I saw a similar picture. The star of the stand was an electric Silver Arrow show car. Spectacular in its design, yet with all the ingredients of vapourware. It was a car made to show the electric future, but by 2019 I was expecting Mercedes not just to show ambition, but also action. I remember flying from Seoul to Hong Kong and discussing my observations with Asian friends, some Mercedes drivers, and the verdict seemed unilateral – Mercedes had become, in their eyes, a brand of yesterday. Tesla was the brand to go for.

I have had the pleasure to be driven many times in Maybachs, S-Classes and G-Wagons. All wonderfully comfortable, but we live in a time where environmental aspects are a critical part of the luxury experience.

A pioneer from the Mercedes EQ family, the EQC on the electric production line. Photo: @mercedeseq/Instagram

Enter 2021 and it seems that Mercedes has its mojo back. After years of playing it rather safe, Mercedes is going on the offensive with the new electric S-class, the EQS. And in my point of view, it’s – apart from Porsche’s Taycan – the first electric car from a legacy car maker that can rival Tesla’s 2021 Model S upgrade.

While Tesla’s Plaid version of the Model S still outperforms the EQS by far, the Mercedes has other qualities. It has an interior that reinterprets the legendary quality and comfort of Mercedes in a futuristic way. And in an area where I felt over the last years that Mercedes was falling behind – the dashboard screens and the overall user experience – the new hyperscreen is a game changer.

Intuitive and self-teaching: with the MBUX infotainment system inside the Concept EQT, Mercedes EQ is bringing the innovative operating and display concept to the small van segment. Photo: @mercedeseq/Instagram