Updated Mercedes EQS brings 810km range and steer-by-wire; NZ pricing to come

Mercedes-Benz has detailed the updated EQS for this part of the world, with the new EQS 400 arriving in Australia at $184,900, 800-volt charging, an 810km WLTP range and the first steer-by-wire system offered on a German production car. New Zealand pricing and timing are still to be announced.

The update touches more than a quarter of the car’s components. The headline change is the switch to an 800-volt electrical architecture with a new in-house drive unit and a two-speed rear transmission, the first gear for acceleration and the second for efficiency at speed. DC charging peaks at 350kW, which Mercedes says can add up to 320km of range in around 10 minutes, and the battery splits into two virtual halves to charge at up to 175kW on 400-volt hardware, which covers most of New Zealand’s public network.

The usable battery grows to 112kWh in the same physical space, through a silicon-oxide and graphite anode chemistry, and regenerative braking now recovers up to 385kW. The single rear motor produces 270kW and 505Nm for a 6.2-second 0-100km/h, with a drag coefficient from 0.20. Australia’s 810km figure is quoted against European 19-inch wheels; on the 21-inch alloys standard there, the practical rating is nearer 788km. Australia will not take the longer-range EQS 450+, rated at up to 925km.

Steer-by-wire and a yoke

The option that will draw the most attention removes the mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels entirely, replacing it with electronic control. Mercedes pairs it with a flattened yoke-style wheel, which it says opens the view of the driver display and eases entry and exit, and with rear-axle steering of up to 10 degrees for low-speed agility. The standard car keeps electromechanical steering and a round wheel with the rocker and roller controls that return by customer request.

Inside, the 55-inch MBUX Hyperscreen now runs the Mercedes-Benz Operating System, MB.OS, an AI-enabled platform that controls every vehicle function and takes over-the-air updates, with a next-generation voice assistant drawing on Microsoft AI. Standard equipment includes Airmatic air suspension that reads Car-to-X cloud data to prepare for speed bumps ahead, micro-LED Digital Light headlights with a 600-metre high beam, HEPA cabin filtration, a 15-speaker Burmester system, heated and powered rear seats, and a panoramic sunroof. Optional heated seatbelts warm to 44 degrees, and twin rear-seat screens are available.

The price move

At $184,900 in Australia, the rear-drive EQS 400 replaces the all-wheel drive EQS 450 at $37,400 less, and sits $79,300 below the cheapest petrol S-Class. Options include the AMG Line at $6,000 and a Comfort Plus Package at $6,900. Australian sales opened on 10 September.

Mercedes-Benz New Zealand has not yet confirmed local pricing, specification or timing. The EQS sedan was previously sold here as the 450 4Matic at $218,700 and the AMG 53 at $310,990, and the brand currently has no electric sedan in its New Zealand range, with the EQA, EQB and electric G-Class its battery-electric line-up. The update lands amid a busy fortnight for long-range flagships, from the Range Rover Electric’s 600km to Skoda’s 936km Peaq run.