Having debuted the EQ brand earlier this year with the EQA, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia currently has a wide range of electric vehicles, including the EQS, EQB and EQC. Now, the company has added one more to its lineup with what is probably its most mainstream model yet, the EQE—essentially a shrunken-down EQS, it’s the brand’s zero-emission equivalent of the renown E-Class.
Mercedes-Benz EQE350+ Malaysia price and availability
The EQE is available in Malaysia in a single variant—the EQE350+ AMG Line, priced at RM419,888 on-the-road without insurance. This is the second least powerful model in the global EQE lineup, paired with the largest available battery to deliver the most range (hence the plus).
As the name suggests, the car also gets some styling upgrades from Affalterbach, but nothing in the performance department. All cars come with a four-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and a 10-year/250,000km battery warranty.
Mercedes-Benz EQE350+ power output and charging
Powering the EQE350+ is a single electric motor that produces 288hp and 565Nm of torque, enabling this four-door sedan to get from zero to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds on its way to a top speed of 210km/h.
This relatively modest performance for the price—coupled with an enormous 90.56kWh lithium-ion battery—allows the EQE to deliver a range of between 587 and 669km, depending on the equipment. Given that our EQE is decently (but not fully) equipped, expect this cars range to be somewhere in the middle, around the 630km mark.
Charging the big battery from 10% to full takes eight hours and 15 minutes with an AC wallbox charger at up to 11kW. Alternatively, the EQE supports up to 170kW of DC fast charging, which will fill the pack from 10 to 80% in 32 minutes.
Mini-EQS streamlined design with AMG extras
The EQE features a similar streamlined design as the EQS, albeit with 90mm taken out of the wheelbase. Measuring 4,946mm long, 1,961mm wide and 1,510mm tall, the car is 11mm longer, 109mm wider and 50mm taller than the current E-Class, but its 3,120mm wheelbase is a whopping 181mm longer.
Typical EQ design cues include the smooth, grille-less front end, a sweeping one-box profile that stretches from the front to the rear, flush pop-up door handles and full-width taillights. The AMG Line package adds a more aggressive front bumper with large (fake) air intakes, a sizeable rear diffuser and 19-inch aerodynamic two-tone alloy wheels.
Standard on the Malaysian-spec model is the Digital Light LED headlights that effectively has a resolution of two megapixels. With the Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus active, these high-tech lamps can precisely block out the high beams around other road users to avoid blinding them.
Tesla-style vertical touchscreen, no Hyperscreen
Step inside the EQE and you’ll find a wraparound dashboard with the centre air-con vents visually integrated in the rose-gold strip that runs around the front occupants. Added to that are signature Mercedes touches like the turbine-style side air vents and a 64-colour ambient lighting system. A flat-bottomed steering wheel, alloy pedals and sports seats upholstered in black-and-grey faux leather and suede come as part of the AMG Line kit, while the dashboard has an illuminated three-pointed star pattern.
Notably, the efficiency-focused EQE350+ lacks the outlandish (and heavy) triple-display Hyperscreen setup found on the more expensive EQS. Instead, you’ll find a regular 12.3-inch digital instrument display and a 12.8-inch portrait touchscreen as seen on the S-Class, incorporating the air-con controls. The whole shebang runs on the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) software and incorporates a fingerprint sensor to load the preferences of different drivers.
Given its size, the EQE naturally offers a 80 mm longer interior and 27 mm more front shoulder room compared to the E-Class. Pop open the hands-free powered boot lid and you’ll find 430 litres of luggage space, and you can fold down the rear seats using buttons on the boot lid for more cargo room. There’s no front boot, even though the lack of a front motor means there’s plenty of space underneath the front clamshell, which is only meant to be opened by a service technician.
Standard kit includes keyless entry, push-button start, power-adjustable front seats, four-zone automatic air-con, a Qi wireless charger, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a 360-degree camera system, park assist and a 15-speaker, 710W Burmester 3D sound system. There are also no less than six USB-C ports dotted around the cabin, including two in the massive open storage compartment underneath the centre console.
Full safety features and driver aids
As befits a Mercedes, the EQE is chock full of safety features, including seven airbags, stability control and a Pre-Safe system to prime the car for a collision if it senses an impending accident. It also comes with the usual driver assistance systems such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane centring assist to provide Level 2 semi-autonomous driving capabilities.
Other features include evasive steering assist, blind spot monitoring and a Pre-Safe Impulse Side function. The latter can detect if a side impact is unavoidable and uses inflatable bolsters on either front seat to push the occupants towards the centre of the car, offering better crash protection.
