Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 2021 first drive

AMG has also altered the cooling system for the motors, specifically the water lance within the shaft of the rotor. Other changes include heat-dissipating ribs on the strator and a ceramic structure on the inverter. Additionally, there's a second oil-cooler for the single-speed transmission.

The result is increases of 133bhp and 69lb ft over the EQS 580, at a nominal 649bhp and 700lb ft. It doesn’t end there, though. As mentioned earlier, AMG offers the EQS 53 with a so-called Dynamic Plus package, which brings the totals up to 751bhp and 752lb ft.

To give this some perspective, the most powerful of the electric competition, the Tesla Model S Plaid, delivers 1006bhp and 1025lb ft, while the Porsche Taycan Turbo S serves up 751bhp and 774lb ft.

Electric energy, meanwhile, is provided by a 107.8kWh battery operating at 400V. It uses unique management system that allows the motors to draw power faster and for longer periods than the system used on other EQS models.

There's prodigious step-off acceleration, even in the more relaxed driving modes, despite a kerb weight that's over 500kg more than that of the GT 4-Door Coupé.

Traction off the line is outstanding and a big part of why the new model is able to challenge AMG’s petrol-powered four-door flagship for outright pace off the line. Keep it nailed and it gathers pace with great determination, tracking with outstanding straight-line stability well into triple-digit speeds.

However, the EQS 53 is equally as impressive on part-throttle loads, where the front motor is engaged from the drive process and at its most efficient.

Steering-wheel-mounted paddles allow you to alter the level of energy regeneration in three steps, the highest of which claimed to harvest up to 300kW, pulling it up very smartly when you lift.

Drivetrain refinement is excellent. There was a high-pitched whistle from the front motor under light load on occasion in the early example car we drove, but as a whole the drivetrain is very smooth and quiet.

Too quiet? Try the AMG Sound Experience system, which adds a range of synthetic sounds to the drive process. They’re linked to throttle pressure, becoming louder as you tickle performance from the motors. Oddly, though, they remain very subdued on a trailing throttle, which is where traditional petrol-powered AMG models are at their snarling best.

As with the driveline, AMG has tweaked the EQS’s air suspension. Changes include a model-specific adaptive dampers similar to those used by the GT 4-Door Coupé as well as a reduction in ride height.

Our first drive of the EQS 53 came in California on a combination of heavily patchworked highways and wonderfully flowing canyon roads. The light steering action is sharper and arguably more communicative than that of the standard EQS, owing to the inclusion of uniquely specified bushes and the larger contact patches of its front tyres.

The EQS 53 turns in with great enthusiasm when running in Sport mode. For such a big car, it's quite easy to place on the road and very obliging when you ask for a quick change of direction. Given the sort of lateral forces that it's capable of generating mid-corner, though, its steering could do with more meaningful weighting off-centre.

Admittedly, the four-wheel steering system takes a lot of credit for the inherent agility. That a car measuring easily more than five metres long offers such fluid properties is credit to AMG’s engineering prowess. The low centre of gravity – a result of housing the battery low down within the floor structure – also plays a crucial role in heightening the handling.

Owing to the weight, there's substantial inertia in corners. However, the variable qualities of the four-wheel drive system, which allow up to 100% of drive to either the front or the rear, ensures grip from the upgraded tyres remains strong on most surfaces.

Overall balance is very impressive and quite rear-biased when you begin to push. There's also great traction when you deploy those generous reserves with an earnest stab of the throttle on the exit to corners.

When you do overstep the limits, the electronic stability program is very quick to react with automatic braking of individual wheels and rapid redeployment of power to trim your line and help to keep you out of trouble.  

With its own unique suspension tuning, the EQS 53 is better tied down than the EQS 580. However, there's quite a bit of body roll at times. At least this movement is clearly communicated and quite progressive in the way it builds, allowing you to anticipate it and take action accordingly.

Less distinguished is the ride quality. The air-sprung underpinnings are quite firm, even in Comfort mode. This leads to a degree of harshness and quite a lot of vertical movement when the road surface is less than smooth, particularly at the front end, which fails to mask high-frequency bumps at speed with great distinction.