Electrical Mercedes AMG EQE53 vs. Tesla Comparability

Over a espresso on the Coochin Creek high-speed chargers, Rick advised me why he purchased an electrical Mercedes AMG EQE53. “We had a Plaid Mannequin X (and a base Mannequin Y) on order when Tesla determined to not make RHD S & X. I used to be within the US on the time and started taking a look at high-end alternate options to buy once we returned to Australia. I drove many of the German choices accessible right here together with Porsche, BMW, Mercedes & Audi. Of them, Mercedes had the most effective attributes for me. I didn’t just like the BMW’s design or person expertise, the Porsche’s two-speed gearbox drove me somewhat nuts with its hesitation, and the Audi was simply bland. All of the US sellers had been truly fairly useful though they couldn’t promote me a automotive.”

Coochin Creek quick chargers with Mt Tibrogargan within the background. Picture courtesy of Majella Waterworth.

Rick and his spouse picked up their new EVs after they returned to stay on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast after a few years in Texas. With a global profession as a administration guide to the power sector (renewable and fossil fuels), Rick can base himself wherever after which journey as wants be. His Australian spouse is completely happy to be dwelling. Rick specialises in conserving corporations alive in adversarial financial circumstances reminiscent of when authorities coverage adjustments. The power business has seen quite a lot of this.

Within the US, Rick was primarily based in Texas and mentioned a lot of his fellow Texans had been shopping for EVs, to not mitigate world local weather change however as a result of the air high quality, notably in Dallas/Fort Value, was poor. EV penetration has doubled in Texas previously 2 years in an effort to scale back the pollution from tailpipe emissions that get trapped by the warmth, humidity, and topography of the world. Respiratory is essential to individuals. (And, additionally, EVs are enjoyable and funky.)

“The electrical Mercedes EQE begins round $140,000 AUD. Pricing is ready by Mercedes-Benz Australia and you should purchase the automotive both on-line or in-store. I purchased on-line and that have is about the identical as Tesla — besides you typically don’t construct the automotive — you decide from the nationwide stock and take supply on the retailer you select. I chosen the Mercedes-AMG EQE53, which is the efficiency mannequin. Its pricing is round $240,000 AUD. The Mannequin X Plaid was going to be $250,000 AUD.”

Rick’s electrical Mercedes and my Tesla Mannequin 3. Picture courtesy of Majella Waterworth.

So, the Tesla Mannequin X Plaid and the Mercedes-Benz EQE53 have comparable pricing. “For the additional $100K value of the EQE53, you get all the choices accessible in Australia, together with the huge side-to-side three-screen Hyperscreen, bigger motors that produce a 0-100 km/h of three.3 seconds and another AMG-exclusive trim & software program.” I have to admit, once I sat within the absolute luxurious of the Mercedes-Benz this morning after which moved to my Tesla Mannequin 3, it seemed poverty suffering from comparability. The sprint made me really feel like I used to be in an iMax theatre. The match and end had been top-shelf Mercedes-Benz.

“The vary on the bottom electrical Mercedes mannequin is claimed at 600+ km. On the all-wheel drive fashions, they declare 500 km on the 90kWh battery. I believe real-world vary is nearer to 430 km. In 2024, the entrance motor design has modified to provide all EQEs the claimed 600+ km mileage.”

Rick prices his Mercedes-Benz EQE53 and Tesla Mannequin Y at dwelling in Australia from a gen-3 Tesla vacation spot charger. He tells me that: “Within the US, Tesla mainly has the one dependable nationwide charging community and now we have accomplished a number of 100,000 km of cross-country driving in our Tesla utilizing Superchargers with occasional use at Electrify America and different DCFC networks. It’s apparent why North America has adopted NACS. In Australia, the story is totally different. The Tesla community is superior, however solely marginally so and we’ve turned to at all times utilizing PlugShare to take a look at different choices once we’re driving the Mannequin Y. Anyway, the Mercedes navigation and charging system is great. It plans for charging on the route and considers all accessible charging choices prioritizing by cost velocity, distance off route and present availability to reduce charging time. The automotive prices at a max velocity of 170 kW and takes half-hour to go from 10–80%.”

Charging the Mercedes and the Y. Picture courtesy of Rick Bollar.

The Mercedes-Benz supply expertise was somewhat totally different to that offered by Tesla: “We selected supply at Mercedes-Benz Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore. We had been assigned Klarah Cassar-Tan to handle the supply. She did an excellent job answering our questions and conserving us up-to-date as we waited for the automotive to clear customs & biosecurity in Sydney. It arrived at Maroochydore, Queensland in late-July and we had what I consider as a typical high-end automotive supply expertise. We had about an hour on the retailer going by the options with Klarah earlier than lastly setting off on our personal. The Mannequin Y was delivered in Brisbane per week later and was a primary expertise — we obtained pleasant assist pairing our telephones to the automotive, obtained a number of questions answered, and we had been on our manner.

“The electrical Mercedes EQE is a heavy automotive (2500 kg) with shocking energy, nice suspension and a really positive really feel in any circumstances. I take pleasure in driving it as a lot as our first Tesla, a 2012 P85 that we purchased utilized in 2014, however to make sure the Mercedes has what I consider as superior construct high quality & supplies. The seat consolation is extra to my liking and it might probably cool the seat, which is superior! It’s quiet, doesn’t have any rattles, and offers a wonderful expertise whether or not driving for enjoyable or commuting. The Mannequin Y has the most effective construct high quality of any Tesla we’ve owned for the reason that authentic P85. It feels strong.

“The Mercedes MBUX (Mercedes Benz Consumer Expertise) is a totally totally different philosophy than Tesla. There are many buttons, all designed to assist the motive force hold palms on wheel and eyes on street. Most options will be carried out both with the buttons and the remaining by the voice assistant. However to make sure, it’s a really totally different expertise than Tesla. After virtually ten years of largely driving Teslas, it took a number of hours sitting with the automotive to seek out all of the settings and get them configured the best way I need. On high of that, the screens in entrance of the motive force in addition to the head-up show will be personalized for the present driving want, whether or not that’s navigation, choosing music or wanting on the automotive’s telemetry. Oh, and there’s CarPlay & Android Auto which can be nicely built-in and primarily keep within the background except you want them. You need to use the Mercedes navigation system or Apple’s (or Waze for that matter) and the automotive shows any of them correctly. I like with the ability to use the Zoom app for my convention calls and to have the ability to management them with out having to the touch my telephone.”

“The Mercedes has a plethora of driver help options, from collision avoidance, to adaptive cruise management that works in stop-and-go visitors, to parking house monitoring & parking help. All of them work nicely & some are superior to Tesla’s system — particularly, there are fewer false alerts in cruise management. It doesn’t have something like FSD. I’ve about 60K km expertise with FSD beta within the US and I miss a few of that performance, particularly on the freeway, the place I discovered the system rock-solid other than the occasional false alerts. Other than demoing the system, I by no means used FSD on metropolis streets, because it was mainly unusable with out fixed intervention.”

Hyperscreen gained’t slot in one photograph! Picture courtesy of Majella Waterworth.

The Mercedes-Benz and Tesla apps supply comparable performance. The electrical Mercedes has a variety map that estimates how far the automotive can journey on its present cost. “The EQE has a five-star Euro NCAP ranking and scores proper behind Tesla Mannequin Y & S amongst EVs within the total rankings. (Fourth place amongst all automobiles. A petroleum-powered Lexus NX snuck into the third spot.)

“I don’t suppose many individuals are shopping for the EQE for its environmental credentials, however the automotive does have some attention-grabbing options, together with being constructed from largely recycled metallic in a carbon-neutral manufacturing unit. It has plenty of leather-based within the larger trim ranges, however cloth is an non-obligatory materials.”

There are some issues in regards to the EQE53 that annoy Rick. He lists the next: “There’s a Begin/Cease button and also you truly must cease the automotive otherwise you get an alert whenever you attempt to get out. Some software program updates are OTA, however the main ones appear to require service and you’ll’t simply request them — it is advisable have a service difficulty that requires the improve. There is no such thing as a frunk (and no HEPA filter, which is ostensibly the explanation for no frunk, but it surely’s solely accessible for LHD automobiles). Necessary service (no concept what can be accomplished then). The dashcam needs to be enabled for every drive. Some options are mysteriously lacking from Australian automobiles (such because the HEPA filter, seat therapeutic massage, a diminished variety of audio system within the sound system, noise discount within the glass together with some on-line companies not provided in Australia). Some components of the UX are designed for LHD automobiles and issues like confirmations and shut containers require an extended attain to the highest left of the display.”

After we had the chance to take a seat within the automotive, Majella observed that the one cameras that recorded had been for the ahead dealing with dashcam.

Rick belongs to each the Mercedes-Benz Membership Australia and Tesla House owners Membership of Australia teams. “We now have been to enjoyable native occasions. We haven’t begun bringing the Tesla to Mercedes occasions (or vice versa) but.” He has promised me that he’ll present suggestions of the automotive house owners’ reactions to the electrical Mercedes — I believe that will make an excellent follow-up article.

Rick and Leesa are very pleased with their EV pair. Picture courtesy of Rick Bollar.

The Sunshine Coast of Queensland with vast open areas and contemporary sea breezes is a far cry from smoggy Dallas–Fort Value. Welcome dwelling, and thanks for lowering your tailpipe emissions!