Idyllic Vancouver Island was the setting for the international media launch of the 2024 Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV. The ultra-luxury model within the Mercedes-Maybach wing of Mercedes-Benz continues the brand’s march towards a full-electric fleet of cars and sport-utes.
According to Mercedes’ current plans, all new-vehicle architectures are to be exclusively electric from 2025. And while the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) will eventually disappear from Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-Maybach offerings, the impressive EQS SUV shines like electrified Diamond “ICE.”
With the introduction of this all-electric series model, the legendary brand is entering a new era. With its consistent interpretation of Sophisticated Luxury, the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV sets the new benchmark in the all-electric top-end luxury SUV segment.
“Mercedes-Maybach customers expect the extraordinary, and we aim to exceed their high expectations. The Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV unites our ambition to lead in digital and electric with our focus on the luxury segment. The very first all-electric vehicle from Mercedes-Maybach complements the best technologies from Mercedes-Benz with the extra comfort and individual details that are only available from Mercedes-Maybach,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
Maybach History
In 1900, Wilhelm Maybach, then technical director of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) and long-time companion of Gottlieb Daimler, developed the first Mercedes, the “Daimler motor carriage”. At that time, the main focus was not yet on perfect luxury cars, but on functionality, reliability and efficiency.
Maybach created what was arguably his most outstanding design after Daimler’s death. The first Mercedes caused a sensation at the Nice racing week in March 1901. The vehicle clearly stands out from all the cars previously designed and built by the DMG and ended the carriage age in automobile construction.
Maybach and his son Karl, who followed in his famous father’s footsteps at an early age as a trainee at the DMG, jointly founded the “Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH” in 1909. When Karl Maybach developed his first automobile in 1919, Mercedes was the inspiration: the “W1” experimental car was based on a chassis with a star. Like his father, the son was a gifted designer. His inventions and his penchant for technical perfection established Maybach as the brand for emperors, kings, business moguls, top athletes and film stars.
Classic Maybach motorcars include the Zepplin (produced 1928-1938), and the SW (1935-1941). Maybach production ended due to WWII.
In 2013, Daimler announced that Maybach would no longer produce cars, and they rolled the brand into the Mercedes-Benz family, appearing as a vehicle designation for top-of-the-line luxury variants, much in the same way AMG applies to performance models.
The unique exterior with an upright Mercedes star on the hood and a striking black panel front, which carries the specific Maybach radiator grille, defines a distinctive appearance. The optional two-tone paintwork is also a hallmark of the brand. Thanks to exquisite materials, perfect craftsmanship and exclusive details, the spacious interior offers a holistic comfort experience with a cocooning effect.
Overview
Based on the technology of the EQS SUV from Mercedes-EQ, the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV combines technical perfection with Maybach exclusivity – in line with Wilhelm Maybach’s principle: “What is good must also be beautiful.”
The five-seater Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV is available in a single trim – the EQS 680.
“The Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV is a milestone in our brand history. For us, it embodies nothing less than the redefinition of automotive excellence in the age of electromobility. Our customers can look forward to an absolutely top-class electric driving experience – with the aura of the extraordinary that is typical of Maybach,” said Daniel Lescow, Head of Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
Exterior
The Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV is equipped with exclusive 21-inch alloy and forged wheels, with 22-inch wheels available soon after the U.S. market introduction as well. Standard running boards, which are illuminated in the dark and feature an integrated Maybach emblem, add to the svelte side profile. Maybach exclusive character is underlined at the rear of the vehicle as well: The rear lights are designed in a continuous light strip with a two-part helix and animated across the entire width. Further enhancements to the rear are the chrome trim elements on the tailgate, on the rear apron and the spoiler lip.
Another exclusive feature are the standard automatic comfort doors, front and rear. The recessed door handles extend if the driver approaches the vehicle from the side from a distance as far as approximately 20 feet. The driver door opens automatically when approaching the vehicle from a distance as far as approximately 5 feet. This feature can be activated and deactivated in the MBUX central display. All other doors can be opened and closed remotely via MBUX – with a simple press of the vehicle key, in the central display or the standard MBUX High-End Rear Seat Entertainment. The driver door also closes automatically as soon as the brake pedal is depressed. In each door there is an electric servomotor on the catch strap.
From stem to stern, the EQS SUV has been produced with myriad aerodynamic features that assist with efficiency and improve overall performance. Combine those advanced aero features with extensive sealing and insulation measures that lessen wind and ambient noise, and the result is a super-quiet EQS SUV passenger cabin.
Interior
Inside, the EQS SUV epitomizes ultimate Maybach luxury. Available only as a two-row model, with available bench or captain’s chair seating. If you want ultimate rear seat luxury, choose the captain’s seats and opt for center console options with a cooler for your finest champagne and a pair of flutes, and a removable tablet to control dual 11.6-inch front headrest screens.
Additional interior highlights include leather, metal, piano black and carbon fiber trim.
The cabin’s space age “Hyperscreen” features a 17.7” OLED central display, 12.3” central display, and 12.3” front passenger display. All three displays offer Mercedes-Maybach-specific start-up animations. Active ambient lighting and illuminated door sills are impressive at night.
Extensive air quality control includes HEPA filtration. If the quality of the outside air is low, the filtration system can make recommendations to close the side windows or sunroof. Active scenting is part of the standard “Air Balance” package. Choose from several different scents or create your own and feed the system through a glove-box mounted scent cartridge system.
A sonically superior Burmester 4D Surround Sound audio system is standard, and features Dolby Atmos processing, and 15 speakers. Wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard.
Battery Capacity
The Maybach EQS SUV lithium Ion battery capacity is 107.8 kWh. The EQS SUV can charge from 10-80 percent in 31 minutes thanks to DC fast-charging architecture supporting up to 200kW speeds. Level 2 charging from 10-100% takes 9.5 hours.
Safety and Technology
Mercedes-Benz has a legendary history of vehicle occupant safety, and the EQS SUV assimilates that safety DNA.
Standard and optional advanced driver assistance safety systems including Active Distance Assist, Active Lane Keeping and Blind Spot Assist, and PRE-SAFE PLUS including PRE-SAFE Impulse Side impact protection.
Active Stop-and-Go Assist, Active Emergency Stop Asist, Active Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function, and Active Speed Limit Assist with Traffic Sign Assist are among myriad additional EQS SUV safety attributes.
Driving Impressions
On roads with breathtaking scenery around Vancouver Island, the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV displayed all aspects of its luxury mettle. The full-luxe cabin is supremely quiet. Power abounds with 649-horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque.
Acceleration is great, with a zero-60 time of just 4.1 seconds.
Handling is impressive. The EQS SUV is outfitted with standard All-Wheel Drive, and Airmatic air suspension with continuously variable damping. The Airmatic system, combined with the EQS SUV’s extensive sound dampening, delivered a superbly serene ride.
Another significant option on our tester was rear-axle steering. In parking or narrow street maneuvers, the steering angle at the rear axle can change up to 10 degrees. At higher speeds, handling benefits from a virtual extension of the wheelbase, and the system integrates steering and brake control making for more precise and stable handling at those higher speeds.
True one-pedal driving comes through adjustable regenerative braking (via steering wheel paddles). The standard Eco Assist system also decelerates automatically to a standstill when it detects vehicles ahead, for example at traffic lights.
A new Disconnect Unit (DCU) contributes to the super-quiet cabin experience. Depending on the driving situation and the power required, DCU can automatically decouple the electric motor on the front axle to increase the range. At low loads, the DCU switches to 4×2 driving mode. Additional insulation materials and laminated glass panes are used in the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV. Various wind deflection measures on the panorama roof, such as wind deflectors, covers and seals with improved geometry, deliver a high level of noise reduction despite the large glass roof opening.
A Clean, Green, and Luxurious Future
In addition to the brand’s aggressive march towards full electrification, Mercedes-Benz is also moving rapidly to becoming a carbon-neutral automaker. For example, Mercedes-Benz has agreed to purchase battery cells manufactured in a CO2-neutral manner. Numerous EQS SUV components are made partly from recycled and renewable raw materials.
“Mercedes-Maybach customers expect the extraordinary, and we aim to exceed their high expectations. The Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV unites our ambition to lead in digital and electric with our focus on the luxury segment. The very first all-electric vehicle from Mercedes-Maybach complements the best technologies from Mercedes-Benz with the extra comfort and individual details that are only available from Mercedes-Maybach,” said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
If the 2024 EQS SUV is an indication of the future for Mercedes-Maybach, then the future is very bright for the luxury brand.
About Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is Canada’s 11th largest island, and second most populous island (about 870,000 residents) after the Island of Montreal, and is just a short seaplane ride from Vancouver City.
Indigenous peoples have inhabited Vancouver Island for thousands of years, long before the arrival of Spanish and British naval expeditions in the late 18th century. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, who between 1791 and 1794 explored the Pacific Northwest.
Vancouver Island is mostly made up of volcanic and sedimentary rock and tall trees, with wild animals galore, including black bears black-tailed deer, the Vancouver Island wolf, harbor seals and river otters. In deep water, Orca whales rule over all ocean species, while Humpback whales and Gray whales are often seen on their migration between Alaskan waters where they feed in the summer and southern waters such as around California and Mexico where they give birth in the winter. The island’s rivers, lakes, and coastal regions are also renowned for their fisheries of trout, salmon, and steelhead.
In recent years the government of British Columbia has engaged in an advertising program to draw more tourists to beach resorts in places such as Tofino and Ucluelet. Sport fishing, whale watching, hiking, scuba diving, surfing, and skiing are just a few things for which tourists visit Vancouver Island. Visitors also come to see Victoria’s 19th-century architecture, and the many villages which line the coast such as Cowichan Bay, Chemainus, and Qualicum Beach.
During our time on Vancouver Island, we enjoyed the stunning natural beauty, and went whale watching on a local vessel. While I wasn’t able to digitally capture our whale sightings, we were entertained by the graceful creatures that must surface from time to time to breathe.
