Orders open for Mercedes-AMG EQS 53

Mercedes-Benz has announced pricing and specifications for the EQS 53 4MATIC+ – the manufacturer’s first all-electric high performance saloon.

Available in Night Edition and Touring trims, the vehicle produces 658hp and 950Nm. Its 107.8kWh battery has a range of 358 miles, yet it can whisk you to 62mph in 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 137mph.

The on-the-road price for the Night Edition is £154,995 and includes an augmented reality head-up display; Nappa leather upholstery; Burmester surround sound system; active parking assist and 360-degree camera; AMG specific sound programmes; Driving Assistance Package Plus; AMG black panel radiator grille with hot-stamped vertical struts in chrome; AMG front bumper painted in body colour; AMG side skirts; AMG rear apron painted in vehicle colour with diffuser-style inserts; AMG spoiler lip on the boot lid; AMG Steering wheel, floor mats and interior detailing.

You also get 21-inch alloy wheels, AMG flat-bottomed steering wheel, sports seats and more besides.

What if 658hp isn’t enough for me? (Ahem)

If you fancy exercising your neck muscles a bit more each morning, then the Night Edition can be specified with the £8995 AMG Performance Pack. This gives the EQS the performance statistics of a passing comet, with 761hp and 1020Nm of torque, which dramatically slashes the 0-62mph speed by a whopping… er… 0.4 seconds.

You do get a higher top speed of 155mph, but perhaps more usefully you also get a ceramic-composite braking system and some oddly capitalised programmes, such as AMG DYNAMIC PLUS boost for RACE START, which increases maximum power and torque for short bursts. You also have an upgraded AMG sound experience, with ‘Balanced’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Powerful’ modes, carbon trim and AMG TRACK PACE, though as we write this it’s unclear as to what this is; maybe a safety car mode that will be useful for the Cambridge ring road?

Something more soothing?

If the Performance Pack and Night Edition trim line is a bit too extreme for your tastes, Mercedes-Benz offers the Touring trim line. For an extra £2995 on top you can specify the the Rear Luxury Lounge, which adds electrically adjustable rear seats including sidebags in the rear; luxury head restraints, MBUX rear tablet, neck and shoulder heating, climate control for rear seats, comfort rear armrest, wireless charging system for mobile devices in the rear, multi-contour seats in the rear, seat heating plus in the rear and additional USB ports.

More is more

All EQS models include three years of Mercedes me Charge subscription, a network of public chargers. It also includes a six-month bp pulse+ subscription for free or lower cost charging at bp pulse+ sites, as well as one year’s worth of IONITY unlimited membership for free charging at IONITY rapid-charging stations.