Mercedes EQE saloon - Interior & comfort

The Mercedes EQE lives up to its high price when you get inside (as long as you forget how many parts are shared with the cheaper C-Class). Quality is excellent, both in terms of the materials used and how well they’re put together. It feels modern and luxurious, and exposes the Tesla Model S’s interior for being 10 years old. Given the choice, we’d much rather spend extended periods of time in the Mercedes than the Tesla.

Mercedes EQE dashboard

We mentioned on the last page that the EQE shares its underpinnings with the more expensive Mercedes EQS; the interior has plenty of similarities, too. A 12.3-inch digital dial cluster sits behind the steering wheel and provides all the required driving information, while media and navigation is taken care of by a 12.8-inch touchscreen that takes up most of the height of the centre console.

The touchscreen is fantastic to use when you’re stationary – it’s responsive, quick, easy to use and great to look at. It’s a shame there aren’t more physical buttons for things like the air conditioning, because prodding at the screen to adjust the temperature can be difficult to do on the move.

When it was launched, the EQE featured Mercedes’ whopping Hyperscreen infotainment system, which uses three screens that look like they’re one big unit. It isn’t currently available, even as an option, perhaps as a result of the current semiconductor shortage. It may be being saved for the upcoming AMG models, however.

Equipment

UK buyers love Mercedes’ sporty-looking AMG Line trim, so that makes up the bulk of the range. Your options are AMG Line, AMG Line Premium, AMG Line Premium Plus and an Exclusive Luxury model that doesn’t look so athletic.

Standard equipment includes a panoramic sunroof, privacy glass, two-zone climate control, heated front seats, a steering wheel trimmed in Nappa leather, a reversing camera and the Urban Guard vehicle protection system that uses the car’s cameras to catch any damage that happens to the car while you’re away.

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AMG Line Premium adds four-zone air conditioning, memory front seats, keyless start, more advanced ambient lighting and Mercedes’ Driving Assistance package, which we’ll cover in the ‘safety’ section of the review.

Spec the AMG Line Premium Plus and you also get air suspension, adaptive headlights with a 650-metre high-beam range, a head-up display, a heated windscreen, augmented reality sat-nav (projecting directions onto a view of the road in front of you) and a Burmester sound system. 

The EQE Exclusive Luxury version has a greater focus on the interior climate, with ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. It also gets comfort seats and walnut wood trim.

Options

Nine paint colours are available, with most being black, grey or silver. There aren’t really any options to choose – only accessories such as bike carriers and a coolbox.

Technology

At the heart of the EQE is Mercedes’ latest MBUX infotainment system. The voice recognition system wakes when you say ‘Hey Mercedes’, and can set the sat-nav destination, phone a contact and find a music playlist, among other things. We’re told it can understand different accents, and that it works out which occupant spoke to it; if the front passenger says they’re cold, the system will only raise their temperature, for example.