Just like Golf the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line isn’t just for your Dad or Lolo anymore – Feature
When you think about Mercedes-Benz, words like prestige, luxury, success, and other high-life terms come to mind. However, as a brand image, it is generally associated with older buyers.
However, that image has somewhat changed with the brand’s EV lineup, the EQ models gave them a blank slate to appeal to a newer, younger audience. I got my hands on the EQE 350+ AMG Line to see if it’s a Benz for the present and future.
The Mercedes-Benz EQE: Styled for the young
Before anything else, I’d like to point out just how unique-looking the EQE is. It looks absolutely nothing like any other car in the brand’s lineup, and even the design language differs. Instead of the traditional Mercedes-Benz way of conservative and classy design, the EQE is what I would call a modern and forward-looking vehicle. It’s quite rounded and somewhat reminds me of a sleek spaceship.
I have to say they really nailed the brief on the EQE’s looks, It stands out by itself without having to be a regular-looking Benz dressed up in modern tinsel; had they done that, it would’ve been like putting a Supreme branded cap on the Mona Lisa- just wrong.
The inside is where the EQE stands out the most, though. I absolutely love the interior. I like how they focused on the interior, giving it a lot of cool and interesting details, focusing on the riding and driving experience given the lack of an internal combustion engine. The seats, dashboard panels, and all relevant touch points are swathed in soft leather, there are bright ambient lighting strips that run across the whole front area of the interior. It feels as futuristic as it looks, a very cool place to be in.
Of course, it’s also complete in terms of what any modern Mercedes-Benz owner would want, it has wireless connectivity to the infotainment screen, 8 USB-C charging ports, a wireless charger, heated seats with memory function, and the very fantastic Burmester sound system. I was pleasantly surprised by the sound system and how it allowed the driver to tune it specifically and in detail to how they want it to sound, not just any regular equalizer setting; it was something more in-depth, kudos to Burmester.
Powered by the future
As a forward-thinking model, the EQE is purely an EV; it comes with a 90.56 kwh battery pack that zooms the EQE with 292 HP and 565 Nm of torque, the mindboggling thing is the range, to date this is the longest range EV I’ve ever had at a full 682 km of range if charged up. I was able to drive it from Manila-Clark-Manila without any hint of range anxiety, which is something any EV owner desires, let alone one made by a luxury marque.
Driving the EQE for me is one of the main highlights, it feels solid from the get go, planted and sure footed even under hard acceleration and cornering, the instant torque feels massive but not explosive, and it generates speed at a consistent and steady pace under whisper quiet circumstances given the heavily sound proofed windows.
As a driving experience it really takes it for me how smooth and capable the EQE is, it feels as a modern Mercedes-Benz should, the ability to serenely take me to a destination, or if in the mood I can attempt to break the sound barrier with ease, a tale of two personalities without compromising anything.
‘Chedeng’ and Golf
Not so long ago, the idea of playing golf in your 20s-30s recreationally would be considered “erpatic” (something older people do, particularly men), and generally, these older gentlemen of the green would be driving up to the country clubs in you guessed it… Mercedes-Benz’s. Golf and Mercedes go hand in hand for the older generation, it was a common pairing.
Ever since the pandemic, though, Golf has found a younger audience (including me); my generation gravitated towards the sport simply because we realized the fun of it and the benefits of doing something outdoors where social distancing wouldn’t be hard to achieve especially in my case where my ball would crisscross the fairway rather than go straight.
Anyway, it hit me that the EQE and Golf are similar in the sense that they are now cool; the EQE is something so radically young and hip that I doubt anybody over 40 would even look at it. So, to test my theory, I decided to take the EQE to Clark for a short and sweet golf discovery trip, where Kelvin and I would attempt to (desperately) hit a golf ball straight and far while also seeing if the EQE is something we would buy and something that fits our lifestyle.
I already stated above just how much I like the EQE’s looks and driving capabilities. I also love how comfortable it is because EVs usually come with absolutely stiff rides. This is a Benz, though, and I’m glad it rides like one should. It also feels like a Benz, everything felt solid and a cut above the rest in terms of quality.
My only concern about the EQE is mainly the space in the trunk, as expected it is quite a pinch to get 2 full size golf bags inside, we had to fold the 2nd row seats forward and Kelvin had to remove some longer clubs so his bag could fit in the trunk with mine, I do believe though one golf bag would fit, but it would be a pinch.
After our round at the driving range, I contemplated just how much I like the EQE and what it represents for the brand and for the future generation of owners. Just like Golf, Mercedes-Benz has found a way to be relevant to a whole new generation through the EQE.
For the purpose of this feature, I really had to imbibe the mindset that I am a potential owner of the EQE, and you know what? It works. The EQE is the perfect modern Mercedes-Benz for those conscious about the modern world, I truly felt that the EQE is something I would buy with my own hard earned money because it is a full product with nothing lacking, it has the range, the comfort, the sportiness, the luxury, and the status.
It felt at home on the parking lot of the country clubs, without exuding stuffy old-world luxury; it represents the new world order of the prestige that a Mercedes-Benz vehicle should offer in 2025 and a glimpse into the future. More than anything, the EQE represents the idea that Mercedes-Benz is taking the next generation of owners seriously, catering to our creative, stylish, out-of-this-world, socially and environmentally conscious ideals. Plain and simple, the EQE is one of the coolest cars of our time.
