Compact SUVs With Big Electric Dreams

Set to be built alongside the EQS SUV, the GLS, and GLE at Mercedes-Benz United States International (MBUSI) in Vance, Alabama, the 2023 Mercedes-EQ EQE SUV is the fourth EQ model using the Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA), a dedicated EV platform meant for large sedans and SUVs. By 2025, three new EV platforms will debut: the MB.EA, AMG.EA and VAN.EA. And as the EQS SUV is to the EQS Sedan, so is the EQE SUV to the EQE Sedan. Namely, a more flexible, multi-purpose version of its executive luxury sibling.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the EQE SUV is actually more compact than the EQE Sedan. Compared to the sedan’s wheelbase of 122.8 inches, the SUV’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches shorter at 119.3 inches. Further compactness comes via the front and rear overhangs, as well as the front assembly. Finally, the front and rear wheels are pushed towards the outer edges of the SUV, presenting a machine in a similar design vein as Chrysler’s “cab-forward” LH, JA, JR and PL cars of the 1990s and early 2000s.

And we can’t ignore the overall sportiness of this design, especially as far getting as much range as possible from the battery and electric motors is concerned. With plenty of aero tricks on display — including aero-optimized 19- and 21-inch wheels, continuous seals in the front section, and rear spoiler integration with the taillights — the EQE SUV should have no problems on long drives (U.S. EPA range has yet to be announced as of this writing, but Mercedes says its expecting more than 550 kilometers — 342 miles — on the WLTP test cycle, which tends to be considerably more generous to EVs).