Mercedes-Benz EQS

The EQS is a technological showcase for the electric future of Mercedes-Benz. It has a generous EV driving range, an ultra-high-tech infotainment screen, and a plethora of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). It’s tantalizingly quick, has an impressive-looking cabin, and rides in comfort and serene silence down the road. It’s also the most expensive vehicle Consumer Reports has ever purchased, with an as-tested price of nearly $136,000. Even so, we came away frustrated with the EQS’s super-distracting controls and odd-feeling brakes, both of which left us questioning if we’d really want to live with this car on a daily basis.

Rear-wheel-drive 450+ models have a single electric rear motor that produces 329 horsepower, while the high-end 580 4Matic delivers 516 hp through a motor on each axle, which gives it all-wheel drive (hence, the “4Matic” terminology). Both versions have a 108-kilowatt-hour battery pack, with EPA-estimated driving ranges of 350 miles and 340 miles, respectively, allowing days of use between plugging in. That’s good, because it takes about 12.5 hours to charge the battery from near-empty on a 240-volt (Level 2) connector—that’s longer than most EVs, due to the car’s large battery. Owners can benefit from the EQS’s 9.6-kW onboard charger, which is compatible with a 40-amp home-charging unit; this can make for slightly quicker charging—figure on about 30 miles of range per hour of charging vs. about 20 miles.