Ranch & Coast Magazine

muscular gas-fueled rivals. It's almost as if stoplight drag racing was a vehicle's most important attribute. I'll concede that fast is fun, but range really matters when electric chargers are far less abundant and, when found, far slower to refuel your EV. After my 22-mile trip home, with little of the terrain flat, the remaining range estimate had barely moved. And that performance attribute continued with longer trips during my week with the car, giving me the confidence we have come to expect with our fossil-fueled counterparts. With today's sky-high gas prices, you might be among many buyers with a luxury EV on your shopping list. If that's the case, the Mercedes EQS is well worth checking out. However, the rear of the EQS delivered what the front had withheld: a big hatch opening quietly to a yawning cavity that easily accommodated our luggage, and could have taken even more. I've always liked the usefulness of a hatchback and it's especially appreciated when the designer accommodates its function fluidly into a sedan style. Let's Drive After a few minutes of seat and mirror adjustments, along with iPhone pairing, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy this voluptuously equipped sedan was to operate. When seated, the driver faces what Mercedes appropriately calls its Hyperscreen, a gracefully-curving user interface that stretches nearly from A pillar to A pillar. While that confrontation may seem a bit daunting, the displays contain useful information that you don't have to dig through menus to uncover. For whatever you want, from climate to destinations or music choice, just say, "Hey Mercedes," and the very smart voice recognition system delivers. One of the rewards of driving with electric power is that you don't have to wait for an engine to warm up. at was gratifying when we left the parking facility right onto the onramp of a busy highway. No need to give the accelerator a soft touch since the rated 516 HP power can whisk the 5,888-pound EQS to 60 MPH in just 4.1 seconds. And, this performance is accomplished smoothly in eerie silence, a lovely feature for a top-tier luxury sedan. Nearly all contemporary electric vehicles feel powerful, especially from a standing start. In fact, it's common to find published 0-to-60 acceleration times that handily beat Dual motor, all-wheel drive 516 Equivalent 107.8 kWh $119,110 $127,020 340 miles 91 city 98 highway 94 combined TYPE: HORSEPOWER: BATTERY: BASE PRICE: AS TESTED: RANGE: ECONOMY: 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 ranchandcoast.com @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE MAY 2022 83

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