Car Fule

By presenting its large electric sedan EQS, Mercedes intends to tackle the Tesla Model S, for the moment unconquerable in its role of large battery-powered roadster. And Mercedes’ arguments are not without weight: gigantic batteries and XXL autonomy, luxury worthy of an S-Class, and high-tech at the top … Enough to sow panic on Elon Musk’s twitter thread? We take stock!

Exterior: aero above all

In the two large sedans, the influence of aerodynamics, crucial for increasing autonomy, is obvious. The features are soft, with the front end characteristic of the EQ models for the Mercedes, and a slightly more classic look for the Tesla, which is starting to date despite the recent restyling.

Dimensional side, the Mercedes exceeds the Tesla by about twenty centimeters : 5.22 m long against 4.97 m for the Model S. Both are decidedly large sedans, pledge of a beautiful interior roominess.

Interior: opulence versus minimalism

Mercedes and Tesla have gone in two radically opposite directions: the luxe opulent at the German, and the futuristic minimalism at the American.

It is probably here that the Mercedes scores big points against the Model S. Each occupant is pampered, with heated, ventilated and massaging seats, a virtual assistant with small onions, numerous screens and gadgets, and above all materials and quality of finish which is expected to be much higher than those of the Tesla.

Roominess in the rear seats should be excellent in these two large sedans.

Equipment: Star Wars

Tesla no longer has a monopoly on gigantic central screen ! We have to admit that the EQS impresses as soon as you get on board, with a panel of 141 cm containing three large screens. The fact remains that the American’s is still a benchmark in terms of interface and responsiveness, although we will like to see more functions represented by physical buttons.

True to the reputation of the S-Class, Mercedes has put the high-tech side package, with innovations such as automatic doors, light signals projected on the road, a powerful virtual assistant, and a large head-up display. This allows you to display the directions to take over the road in front of you.

Side driving aids, it is white cap and white cap, with semi-autonomous driving on both cars.

Autonomy and charging time: Mercedes on the attack

While Tesla has largely dominated the autonomy debate for years, Mercedes could be the first to really bring himself to his level. All thanks to a gigantic 107.8 kWh battery on the EQS 580 4Matic, for a range announced at 770 km !

Enough to exceed the majority of the Tesla Model S range: 663 km for the Long Range, and 628 km for the Plaid. But Elon Musk’s brand has not said its last word, with a delirious Plaid + version announced at 840 km !

Another great strength of Tesla: its charging network. Thanks to the many brand-specific superchargers, it can charge up to 250 kW, against 200 kW for the Mercedes EQS. In addition, this network reserved for Tesla allows it to ensure charging points in perfect condition, and especially less expensive than the Ionity network, to which the owners of EQS are confined to make rapid charges.

Performance: Tesla strengthens his game

On its two launch versions, the EQS 450+ and 580 4Matic, performance is not the priority. Mercedes announces 0 to 100 km / h of 6.2 and 4.3 seconds, which remains very respectable, but good far from the figures put forward by Tesla.

The Model S Grand Autonomie (670 hp) takes the exercise in 3.2s, against 2.1s for the Plaid (1,020 hp), and less than 2 seconds for the Plaid + (1,100 hp). Suddenly, even if Mercedes has announced the arrival of a future version of 760 hp, Tesla remains difficult to catch up in this area.

Prices: pay attention to the bill

German luxury obliges, prices should soar well over 100,000 € for the Mercedes EQS, not to mention a well-stocked options catalog. For its part, the restyled Tesla Model S is available in France from 89,990 €, and up to € 139,990 for the Plaid +.

With

Mercedes seems to be the first to really attack Tesla on its favorite playgrounds: on-board technology and autonomy. Porsche, with the Taycan, and Audi with the e-tron GT, came close, but with less impressive numbers.

The futuristic private jet interior of the EQS is also reminiscent of the age of the Tesla Model S, despite its latest restyling. Question luxury, there is no photo, the victory goes to the specialist of the genre.

But the Tesla Model S retains three major assets: a large proprietary charging network and much more practical on the one hand, unbeatable performance on the other hand, and above all a much more reasonable price.

Read also :