The 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV Is 3 Tons of 677-HP Fun
With a name like an alphabet soup spill and enough performance to cause one, the AMG EQE SUV is more than capable of making you lose your lunch.
AMG does electric vehicles, too, now; it kickstarted them with the Mercedes-AMG EQS. Now, it's time for its first electric SUV, the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV, which delivers up to 677 horsepower and a zero-to-60 time on par with the Audi R8 supercar.
Based on Mercedes' midsize electric crossover, the EQE SUV, AMG's second purpose-built EV shares its 90.6-kWh battery pack with the regular SUV it's based on. But there's different battery management, an upgraded inverter, more powerful motors, and better cooling, which let it lay down much more power than even the EQE SUV 500 4Matic.
We're talking 617 hp and 701 pound-feet of torque at any time, or even more with the Race Start launch control available with the AMG Dynamic Plus Package. That unlocks bursts of 677 hp and 738 lb-ft for launches, or enough to accomplish zero-to-60 in 3.4 seconds and push on to 149 mph. Because it weighs a portly 5,930 pounds, it needs serious brakes to tame that, which is why it has six-piston front calipers with 16.3-inch rotors. They can be upgraded to carbon ceramic, too, which broadens the front rotors to 17.3 inches.
The EQE SUV's optional air ride is standard in the AMG, though it has retuned, performance-oriented adaptive damping based on that in the AMG GT four-door to increase the difference between performance and comfort modes. Suspension geometry remains multilink front and rear, while the back axle carrier gains stiffer, tighter bushings to amplify feedback from the road. Each side is linked by active sway bars with motor-driven variable stiffness and even Jeep-style disconnects for a smoother ride. Because of the AMG's wider tires, its rear-wheel steering only turns the tires nine degrees to the regular SUV's 10, though odds are you'll never notice the difference.
The AMG will visibly stand out from other EQE SUVs—even those with the AMG Line appearance package—as it has bumpers different from the wannabes, and 21- and 22-inch aero wheels to boost range. Inside, it gets sport front seats wrapped in MB-Tex faux leather as standard, while real Nappa leather is available as an option. There are AMG-specific pedals, floor mats, illuminated sill plates, and even an exclusive flat-bottomed steering wheel in case the carbon fiber accents don't remind you this is the spicy boy of the EQ SUV lineup. The dash-spanning Hyperscreen is also an option (dunno why you'd want it), and with that Dynamic Plus Package installed, the infotainment gets performance gizmos like a stopwatch and G-meter. Also, apropos of nothing, it can tow up to 3,968 pounds.
Pricing and range for the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV haven't yet been confirmed, though pricing will be announced at the same time as the normal version. Arrival, on the other hand, is known to be about three months after the regular EQE SUV, putting it around June 2023 or so. That's almost perfect timing for it to be someone's graduation gift—though let's just hope its recipients are graduating from racing academies rather than law schools. (But let's not kid ourselves.)
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