Mercedes-Benz EQE electric sedan is mid-sized but big on luxury

The Mercedes-AMG EQS was featured here a while ago, and this week another member of the Mercedes-Benz electric-vehicle family gets the nod.

The 2023 EQE sedan is smaller than the full-size EQS; mid-size, to be exact. While the EQS is the electric equivalent of the brand’s S-Class, the EQE’s counterpart is the E-Class. The lineup includes EQE 350+, EQE 350, EQE 500, and AMG EQE models.

I drove the EQE 500. It has two motors, all-wheel drive, 402 horsepower, 633 pound-feet of torque, an MPGe rating of 83 city and 82 highway, a 260-mile range on a full charge, and a 0-to-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds. Pricing starts at $87,050 including a $1,150 destination charge.

The EQE 500 is a ringer for its bigger EQS sibling when it comes to striking appearance, utmost seat comfort, a lavish interior, and superlative ride quality. I don’t have a penchant for large sedans, so the EQE 500 was more appealing.

The MBUX Hyperscreen available on the EQS is not offered on the EQE 500 in the U.S. market. Hyperscreen spans the entire length of the dash with three displays under a single 56-inch curved glass surface. In its stead on the EQE 500 is a vertical tablet-style 12.3-inch display in the middle dash.

My Mercedes-AMG EQS tester had the Hyperscreen as a standard feature. It’s a tour-de-force among automotive displays, but I preferred the EQE 500’s less flamboyant presentation. I need fewer, not more or bigger, screens in my life.

“Hey Mercedes” voice activation is the soul of the MBUX system’s driver compatibility. With both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road (still the professional way to drive a car), you can easily and safely control the various functions of the infotainment system even at high speeds and during other distractions.

A few of the standard features on the EQE 500 are a Burmester sound system, SiriusXM radio, wireless smartphone integration and charging, heated front seats with trippy contour ambient lighting, an EQ-specific color scheme among the 64-color ambient lighting system, a panoramic sunroof, parking assist with surround view, active lane keeping assist, blind spot assist, and LED headlamps with automatic high-beam function.

The two biggest-ticket items on my EQE 500 test car were an AMG Line Exterior Package ($2,200) and an AMG Line Interior Package ($2,100). They’re both basically appearance packages, and do make the car look even hotter, but if you just need to shave $4,300 off the price to get yourself into an EQE 500, there you go.

2023 MERCEDES-BENZ EQE 500

Base price, including destination charge: $87,050

Price as driven: $98,350

Mary Lowry is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. She lives in Snohomish County. Vehicles are provided by automotive manufacturers as a one-week loan for evaluation purposes only. Manufacturers do not control content of the reviews.