Here you have it, the Mercedes-EQ EQS SUV

Since the announcement of the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV, we’ve had our suspicions that Mercedes would be adding a luxury crossover to their Mercedes-EQ lineup. Idealistically, it makes perfect sense: A quiet, supple and opulent crossover to waft about in comfort. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan of the dwindling ICE era proves that, so does the BMW iX electric SUV.

And here we have Mercedes’s latest entrant, the Mercedes-EQ EQS SUV, seen here in its near-production ready form. Affixed with numerous goodies such as a Burmester sound system with Dolby ATMOS and the jaw-dropping massive hyper screen à la the EQS limo. And a HEPA air filter, because in the endemic global landscape, why the hell not?

Let’s not gloss over the elephant in the room; It is massive. A whopper of an SUV that measures 5125mm long, 1959mm wide and 1718mm high. Dimensions that rival that of the EQS sedan. The EQS SUV’s wheelbase of 3210mm is also identical to the EQS saloon. Though it’s over 30mm wider and over 200mm higher because it's a crossover.

An advantage of that added mass is enhanced interior space, which allows the roomier EQS SUV to adopt a 7-Seater layout. That makes it one of the few fully-electric crossovers that can accommodate six adult passengers. And certainly the only luxury EV 7-Seater in the market as of today.

Alternatively, buyers can still opt for a 5-seat interior configuration that gives them 645 litres of boot space that can be expanded to 2100 litres with the rear seats folded (the 7-seater gets 565 to 2020 litres with the seats stowed).

As standard, the EQS SUV will come with rear-axle steering that can skew the rear wheels up to 4.5 degrees, or optionally, up to 10 degrees which further reduces the already impressive 11.9-meter turning radius to 11.0m. Mercedes says that the car will feature over-the-air (OTA) updates that enhance the functionality of the vehicle. We've had no confirmation if these OTA updates will be a cost option on the EQS SUV or not. But we know for a fact that in some markets, the increased rear-axle steering angle for the EQS saloon is indeed a subscription-based OTA update.

Air suspension comes as standard too, as is befitting of a luxurious Merc, and the car will also come with what Mercedes is calling an exclusive off-road mode that displays slope angles and inclination on the multitude of display screens in the cabin.

According to Mercedes, the EQS SUV is slated to go on sale in the second half of 2022. At launch, there will be 3 variants of the EQS SUV with varying levels of power and range.

The top trim all-wheel-drive EQS 580 4MATIC produces 544 horsepower and generates 858Nm of torque. The EQS 450 4MATIC (also AWD) produces 360 horsepower and 800Nm of torque. But the rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+, which produces the same amount of horsepower but less torque than its 450 4MATIC sibling, has a quoted range of up to 660km on a single charge. The 4MATIC cars make do with 613km.

The big question is, would you opt for the EQS SUV or the EQS limo? Alternatively, if you absolutely need a 7-seater crossover that doesn't have an internal combustion engine, Mercedes-EQ EQB SUV may be up your alley too.

PHOTOS Mercedes-Benz