Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 review: What’s the point of performance EVs anyway?

Oct 17, 2023 10:43 am

You don’t need to know that the average weight of a tiger is 200 kg to be afraid of it. Your instinct already tells you that you can’t fight one bare-handed. You also don’t need to know that a shark’s bite force can go up to 1,814 kg to be scared of it too. You stay away from it. This is an article about the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ and the “point of performance EVs”, but allow me to go off on a tangent for a bit.

The point of the tangent is, that some creatures scare you anyway without you having to know their “technical specifications”. The same goes for some iconic performance cars that have popped up through the years – you can feel and see their power and have them leave an impression on you. Think of an AMG Hammer, a Dodge Demon, or a Nissan GT-R. And thankfully for the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+, it does create that similar feeling, regardless of whether or not it could live up to the hype of the earlier-mentioned cars.

However, yours truly has driven several performance EVs and their “normal” EV counterparts and is struggling to make full sense of them. Aren’t EVs already fast? Aren’t EVs known to be super-heavy? And what kind of emotion can you expect from absolute silence? With the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ as the core subject here, let’s try to peel the onion and make sense of the world of performance EVs…

Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 Exterior: Proper Evil

Finished in black and matched with the crazy-looking also-black 21-inch wheels, the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ looks… properly evil. As it should. Of course, it comes with the full AMG kit and even gets a slightly larger trunk spoiler compared to the EQS 500 4MATIC. It is quite amazing what a simple colour choice and wheel setup can do to a car – the standard EQS actually looks pretty damn tame.

As mentioned earlier, if we’re judging by first impressions alone, the EQS 53 has the calibre to ignite some sort of feeling inside of you. That’s great, and it is what good design should do – Intentionally make you feel a certain intended way without having to explain itself.

There’s no need for a grille on the EQS 53, but in honour of the iconic AMG front end, it sports fake grille slates on the original black panel. What’s a bit weird is seeing an AMG badge on the car but not hearing that signature V8 rumble – There are not even 4 cylinders in here *cough*W206 C63*cough*, but absolutely no cylinders at all.

The electric motors make no sound at all, but the EQS snarls and purrs thanks to its fake sounds… and this brings us to the next point…

Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 fake sounds – Because we’re not here to listen to the “sound of silence”

There are fake sounds in the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+, and to be honest, I appreciate their presence in the car. The fake sounds are not only heard from inside the car but also from the outside – yes, there are external speakers in the car. And perhaps the reason I appreciate it is because I have become accustomed to petrol-powered performance cars. But hear me out – the artificial sounds are necessary.

The reason why we love the sound of V8s is because is because they imitate the sound of a tiger or anything beastly. It imitates nature, it sounds scary and intimidating, and it gives those behind the wheel a false sense of power. And regardless if it’s a false sense of power or not, it makes us feel great. It’s bloody enjoyable and that’s why we like these big powerful cars. They may be stupid, but we are here for a good time and not a sensible one.

Turn on Sport+ for the loudest sound experience

To add to the silliness of it all, the EQS 53 4MATIC also “growls” when you lock, unlock, or even plug the car in – super silly, but also super necessary in this case.

If you’re asking for any feedback from me regarding these fake sounds, I say make them louder. Give us more freedom to adjust their volume and give us more sound profiles.

Credit has to be given to the EQS 53’s fake sounds as they don’t try to sound like the classic V8 or any other engine *cough*Smart #1 Brabus*cough*. The sound profiles have their novelty but still manage to create that “feeling” that I talked about earlier. And as you start to feel less things as you grow up, you at least want to feel something when you drive.

It does try to hold on to the performance ICE vehicle legacy of having sounds and it isn’t too hard to understand why.

Driving: Here’s where you start to question “performance EVs”

I have driven the BMW i5 M60 and the BMW i5 eDrive40 back to back. I’ve also driven the Smart #1 Brabus and the Smart #1 Premium back to back. As for the EQS, I have been lucky enough to sample the EQS 450+, EQS 500 4MATIC, and now the AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+.

I’ll sum it up for you – There’s not much “gained excitement” when you compare these performance models and their normal counterparts in terms of driving experience. EVs are already fast and making something faster and more powerful doesn’t result in a tremendously more exciting experience.

And it is quite a shame since the EQS 53 4MATIC+ makes 658 hp and 950 Nm of torque (761 hp and 1,020 Nm in Race Start Mode with battery above 75%) which are some crazy numbers. It also does the century sprint in 3.8 seconds (3.4 seconds in Race Start Mode). To give some context, let’s even compare it with the single-motor EQS 450+ which is no longer available in Malaysia.

The EQS 450+ makes 333 hp and 565 Nm, and it does the century sprint in 6.2 seconds. The AMG EQS 53 4MATIC + is essentially twice as powerful and twice as fast. But to be honest, I didn’t feel the same mind-blowing difference as I did when I drove the AMG A 45 S and the A 200 back to back.

And the difference gets even smaller when you compare the EQS 53 4MATIC+ against the locally-assembled EQS 500 4MATIC (449 hp, 828 Nm, 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds). It will kind of make you question what the AMG badge even means anymore. It’s a good question since performance brands will need to look for something new and special to differentiate themselves significantly and give customers that “tremendous excitement” (relative to the standard model).

And I find it quite weird really since the EQS and the A-Class have the same number ratios when you compare their top-end and base variant performance figures. Both top-end performance models are twice as powerful and fast compared to their base standard variants.

The A 200 makes 163 hp and 270 Nm while the AMG A 45 S makes 421 hp and 500 Nm – power is more than doubled while torque is almost doubled. The former does 0-100 km/h in 8.3 seconds while the latter does it in 3.9 seconds – the A 45 S is twice as quick. It is probably the jolts and raw sounds of the A 45 S that make it a whole different car to drive compared to the A 200. There’s a tremendous jump in excitement when you go from an A 200 to an A 45 S.

With that out of the way, let’s also talk about how the AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ drives. It is super fast, it is effortless, and it rides well (thank you air suspension), but there’s no hiding the weight of the car. This isn’t a “corner rascal” as Hyundai would like to call it. It is a futuristic German muscle car and you should expect muscle car-like handling. Great for straight lines, great for showing off, and it wouldn’t look out of place if Sylvester Stallone had to drive it in Demolition Man.

Battery and charging: More than enough

What is the fuel consumption rate of the W204 Mercedes-AMG C63? That’s right, it’s not something you care about. You can sleep well knowing the AMG EQS 53+ has a 108.4 kWh battery pack, a 571 km range (WLTP), 11 kW AC charging, and 200 kW DC charging.

Interior: Should have kept the luxuries

It is hard to note the difference if the AMG EQS compared to the standard EQS with the hyperscreen being the bulk of the interior. That aside, the AMG EQS does add sport seats, an AMG steering wheel, carbon fibre trims, and just AMG bits all around.

What’s not great is that things like screens for the rear passengers (3 screens including the removable one in the centre console), and the electric rear seat controls have been taken out. How much weight are you saving anyway by removing these things? The EQS is a decent luxury EV and these luxury items should be there for all passengers to have a good time. All else, it is a nicely presented cabin although the hyperscreen can be divisive.

No screens for rear passengers in the EQS 53

Verdict

So what is the point of performance EVs anyway? Having driven the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ (and other performance EVs), I can say that it should be about fun, excitement, a sense of power, and a good time. This is not a place to be sensible and there is no shame in being silly. Power? More. Fake sounds? More. Fun? More. Weight? Maybe a bit less.

Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ basic specifications: