Even Mercedes-Benz’s luxury sub-brand is now going electric. Mercedes-Maybach kicked off the new week by unveiling its first battery-powered vehicle, the 2024 EQS 680 SUV. The ultra-luxe take on the standard EQS SUV features a long list of decadent features that few EVs can match, as well as an upgraded power train.
As is Maybach’s wont, the sub-brand has taken an already elegant vehicle to glamorous new heights. The new EQS 680 SUV may look just like the Mercedes-Benz it’s based on, but it’s the details that separate the two. The new version has a three-pointed star hood ornament that sits just above a solid front fascia adorned with chrome bars meant to mimic the appearance of the sub-brand’s trademark Panamericana grille. The rest of the vehicle, which is available with an optional two-tone paint job, features more chrome details and the requisite Maybach badging. Completing the subtle makeover is a striking set of either 21- or 22-inch monoblock wheels.
Maybach has also spruced up the EV’s interior some. Up front is the dashboard-spanning Hyperscreen, which has a Maybach-specific start screen. The EQS 680 SUV will only be available with two rows of seats as opposed to three. The back row can be equipped with two individual seats, which recline and feature extendable leg rests, or a three-person bench. The centre console features cup holders with spaces for Champagne flutes, and there’s an easily accessible refrigerated compartment in the trunk area to store bubbly. The front seatbacks are also equipped with 11.6-inch touchscreens, and special Maybach lamps provide ambient lighting for the cabin.
Maybach knows that its customers expect more than just outlandish creature comforts, though. That’s why the EV has also been outfitted with a more potent power train than the standard EQS 580 SUV. That EV’s dual-motor setup produces an impressive 536 hp and 633 ft lbs of torque, but Maybach has borrowed the power train from the AMG EQS sedan for its version, bumping output up to 649 hp and 700 ft pounds of twist. If you’re looking for the most powerful EQS SUV, this is it. Thanks to the added oomph, the Maybach EQS 680 SUV can shoot from zero to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds (just like AMG’s sedan), which is 0.4 seconds faster than the standard EQS 580 SUV.
Maybach’s EV, like the regular Mercedes-Benz version, comes with a 108.4 kWh battery pack. The marque says it’s good for 372 miles of range, but that number was reached using Europe’s more forgiving WLTP testing cycle. It sounds like it will get more mileage out of a charge than the EQS 580 SUV, though, which has an EPA-certified range of 285 miles. Charging time wasn’t announced, but the automaker says the battery pack can be refilled at 200 kW. Other mechanical features include a specially tuned air suspension with a dedicated Maybach mode and four-wheel steering.
As of press time, we don’t know how much the model will cost yet—Motor1.com expects the SUV to start at around US$200,000—but Mercedes says the vehicle will go on sale this fall. Expect more information as that date draws nearer.
Previously published on Robb Report.
