2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Release Date, Dimensions, Specs – The S-Class EV is a technological powerhouse and true luxury car. Mercedes-Benz has unveiled several cutting-edge automobiles in recent years, but none are more important to the brand’s standing or prospects than the EQS. This opulent sedan was built from the bottom up and is Mercedes’ first electric vehicle to be offered for sale in the US.
I can confirm that the new flagship vehicle lives up to all expectations after driving a 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Plus. 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Release Date
2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Redesign and Update Plan
Exterior & Interior
Because of its adjustable air suspension and adaptive dampers, each EQS provides an incredibly smooth ride. My test vehicle’s tires had higher sidewalls on its 20-inch wheels. The wheels, incidentally, have hundreds of tiny Mercedes stars and are aero-optimized. They’re amazing.) While the Sport driving option hardly stiffens the suspension, the EQS absorbs a range of road disturbances. A little amount of wind and tire noise can enter the cabin via glass that is shielded from heat, noise, and infrared light. On a long road journey around the California coast, it feels as nice as an S-Class should.
The only issue with the EQS when driving is the brakes. The EQS’s maximum regenerative braking setting can sometimes bring the car to a complete stop when the creep mode is off, but it isn’t a genuine one-pedal mode. When the regen is set too high, controlling the throttle to slow down is easy; the problem is with the brake pedal itself. When I need to use the brakes, the pedal doesn’t always go where I think it should since it moves under regen as if the driver applied pressure with their foot. It’s a little unsettling and challenging to get used to.
One of the main reasons for the EQS’s longer range is its incredibly smooth cab-forward body, which has the lowest drag coefficient of any production vehicle. Its distinctive characteristics, such its star-pattern ‘grille’ and helix-shaped LED taillights, make me one of the few people who truly appreciate the EQS’s look. I like the smooth, blobby design. Even if white isn’t the best color for the EQS and the front-end air intakes give it a fishy mouth if you don’t have the AMG Line appearance package, I still enjoy it overall. In the best way conceivable, the EQS makes me think of concept cars from the 1990s.
Instead of a traditional trunk like the S-Class or competing cars like the Lucid Air and Porsche Taycan, the EQS has a sizable motorized rear door. The back seats fold nearly flat, and the cargo area is huge, despite a little bulge where the seats meet the trunk. The disadvantage of the hatch and the EQS’s standard panoramic sunroof is that they drastically reduce rear headroom. In an S-Class, taller passengers can’t help but bump their heads against the headlining. In contrast, the EQS boasts a flat floor and plenty of rear legroom. If nothing else, back seats with cozy headrests are regulated, vented, and heated.
The 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 shares a number of characteristics with the new S-Class, such as a larger trim panel that opens up the cabin, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 12.8-inch touchscreen. The EQS differs from the S-Class in terms of cabin design thanks to a number of characteristics, including a wing-shaped dashboard surround, amazing turbine-style air vents at the corners, thin vents across the top, plenty of open space beneath the center console, and unique door panel designs. I think the EQS’s cabin looks best in bright hues, even if my test car’s $1,515 “yacht-design” matte wood trim and Sable Brown leather accents provide some flare.
This test car has Mercedes’ well-known Hyperscreen, which is standard on the EQS580 but can be upgraded to the 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 for $7,230. The whole dashboard is replaced with a massive 56-inch Gorilla Glass panel that has three separate displays: a 12.3-inch gauge cluster, a 17.7-inch center OLED touchscreen, and a 12.3-inch OLED touchscreen in front of the passenger. It seems rather smooth, except for some glare and the gaps between the panels that show up when the light hits the glass exactly. The Hyperscreen is one of the most incredible features of the EQS; it’s really incredible.
The MBUX operating system’s zero-layer architecture means that, regardless of the menu, program, or setting you’re using, the primary home screen can always be accessed with a single tap, and the temperature controls are always situated in a bar at the bottom of the screen. Various floating widgets will appear in the corners of the massive navigation map, which functions as the home screen itself, depending on what you are using, such as music or seat massagers.
In addition to the front-camera display, Mercedes’ augmented reality navigation system, which displays a top-down map with directions, works effectively on the Hyperscreen. Another advantage of the center screen is that it has the biggest display I’ve yet seen for both internet-connected Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
I think the Hyperscreen is speedy and easy to use once you get the feel of it, even though it can handle a lot of activities. It also has a customized favorites menu that may be used for a variety of reasons. Lastly, using the “Hey, Mercedes” voice assistant on a daily basis has benefits. Since the car can recognize various voices and knows where you are sat, if the front passenger says, “turn my massage on,” it will just turn it on for that seat.
The passenger screen also has additional features. When it senses your look, it dims the screen and uses eye-tracking cameras to prevent the driver from using it. Passengers may play games like Tetris, adjust the temperature, listen to their own music using headphones, and examine driving data in addition to selecting navigation routes and submitting them to the central screen.
The screen may also be completely turned off or set to one of many screensavers, such as one with an animated star motif and three that emphasize the Vision AVTR concept. Even at night, when the screens are brightest and ambient illumination is at its maximum, I don’t find the EQS displays to be too loud. You may, however, turn everything off or reject the idea of a nightclub in Berlin completely if it disturbs you. 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Release Date
2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Specs
Engine & Performance
The 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Plus has a single electric motor at the rear axle that generates 329 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque, same as previous electric cars. It has a single-speed gearbox as well. The claimed 0-to-60-mph speed of 5.9 seconds is adequate and suitable for a high-end car, even though the 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 lacks the gut-punch acceleration of a Polestar 2 or even a Mercedes-Benz EQS450.
Additionally, two different “soundscapes” that sound more like spaceship noises than Jetson internal combustion engine sounds are sent by the speakers.
If you really need more performance, Mercedes has the dual-motor EQS580 with 516 horsepower or the upcoming 751-hp AMG version, but the EQS isn’t really designed for acceleration. The 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 isn’t a corner car either, but its standard 10-degree rear-wheel steering makes it seem more nimble than its size and mass would suggest. No, the Mercedes-Benz EQS450 of 2026 is a very calm and pleasant car.
2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Fuel Economy
Both EQS models include a 107.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack, despite the 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450’s Plus name implying a possible future lower battery capacity. The expected 350-mile EPA range of the 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 is much less than what Mercedes had planned. In actuality, though, things are different. At 70% charge, the EQS shows an estimated 320 miles of range left, while at 20% charge, it still shows a range of about 100 miles. Going 400 miles on a full battery should be simple, even without hypermiling.
Furthermore, I don’t think the EQS’s range is significant given how well it charges. A 110-kW DC fast charger can charge the 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 from 10% to 80% in 31 minutes, and a 240-volt wall charger can charge it from 10% to full in less than 12 hours, according to Mercedes.
But according to Mercedes, the EQS can reach 200 kW of charging power and an extra 186 miles of range in just 15 minutes. Using a 150-kW fast charger, I was able to extend the EQS’s range by 208 miles, taking 20 minutes to get from 13% to 60%. At that time, who wants to know the entire range estimate? 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Release Date
2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Release Date & Price
The EQS is loaded with luxury equipment, as one might expect from a vehicle like the S-Class. The 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 is $7,490 less expensive than the base S450, despite the fact that the base S500 comes with all-wheel drive and a few additional standard features.
The ‘basic’ Premium trim, which costs $103,360 plus a $1,050 destination fee, is what I’m testing. If you purchase the 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Premium, you will also get a Burmester 3D sound system, 64-color ambient lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, 360-degree camera parking assistance, six USB-C ports, a fingerprint recognition system, and a host of driver-assist features like adaptive cruise control with steering assist and stop and go, automatic lane changes, lane-keeping assist, and much more.
The EQS’s LED headlights illuminate the road at night to indicate the intersection and destination when auto lane changes are turned on. It’s incredible that Mercedes is introducing its insane headlight projection technology to the US market.
Among the new features of my 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 are a $450 HEPA air filter, a $1,100 massaging front seat (part of the midrange Exclusive trim), $450 rapid-heating front seats, a $350 MBUX interior assistant that uses motion sensors to activate lights or suggested screen functions, and an incredible $590 active ambient lights.
Because the S-Class only misses a few features that the EQS possesses, customers have at least some justifications for selecting the traditional flagship choice. The incredible Burmester 4D sound system is incompatible with the EQS, and the S-Class’s incredible 3D gauge cluster is impossible to achieve even without the Hyperscreen.
In 2026, my Mercedes-Benz EQS450 will cost $2,105 less than the S580 and $115,245 less than the standard EQS580. I too think that a 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 with all the options is worth the $130,000 price tag. The 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 is quiet, comfortable, and loaded with technology without being intrusive. It is a great example of Mercedes’ electric aspirations due to its long range and recharging capacity. Most importantly, it evokes a sense of the future. I would always pick the EQS over an S-Class.
Note: The details included in this blog post are derived from pre-release material that was accessible when the article was written. If you want the latest information, you should check official sources or call your nearest dealership.
Read Also:
- 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQC Specs, Fuel Economy, Release Date
- 2026 Mercedes-Benz EQS450 Plus Specs, MSRP, Dimensions
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