Over a espresso on the Coochin Creek high-speed chargers, Rick instructed 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 high-end alternate options to buy once we returned to Australia. I drove a lot of the German choices out there right here together with Porsche, BMW, Mercedes & Audi. Of them, Mercedes had one of the best attributes for me. I didn’t just like the BMW’s design or person expertise, the Porsche’s two-speed gearbox drove me just a little nuts with its hesitation, and the Audi was simply bland. All of the US sellers have been really fairly useful although they couldn’t promote me a automobile.”
Rick and his spouse picked up their new EVs once they returned to reside on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast after a few years in Texas. With a global profession as a administration advisor to the power sector (renewable and fossil fuels), Rick can base himself wherever after which journey as wants be. His Australian spouse is joyful to be dwelling. Rick specialises in retaining corporations alive in adversarial financial situations similar to when authorities coverage adjustments. The power trade has seen an excessive amount of this.
Within the US, Rick was based mostly in Texas and mentioned a lot of his fellow Texans have 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. Respiration is essential to folks. (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 automobile 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 automobile — you choose 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.”
So, the Tesla Mannequin X Plaid and the Mercedes-Benz EQE53 have comparable pricing. “For the additional $100K value of the EQE53, you get the entire choices out there in Australia, together with the large 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 need to admit, once I sat within the absolute luxurious of the Mercedes-Benz this morning after which moved to my Tesla Mannequin 3, it regarded poverty tormented by comparability. The sprint made me really feel like I used to be in an iMax theatre. The match and end have 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 offer all EQEs the claimed 600+ km mileage.”
Rick fees 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 we’ve got carried out 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 completely 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 out there charging choices prioritizing by cost velocity, distance off route and present availability to reduce charging time. The automobile fees at a max velocity of 170 kW and takes half-hour to go from 10–80%.”
The Mercedes-Benz supply expertise was just a little completely different to that offered by Tesla: “We selected supply at Mercedes-Benz Sunshine Coast in Maroochydore. We have been assigned Klarah Cassar-Tan to handle the supply. She did an important job answering our questions and retaining us up-to-date as we waited for the automobile 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 automobile supply expertise. We had about an hour on the retailer going by means of 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 fundamental expertise — we received pleasant assist pairing our telephones to the automobile, received a number of questions answered, and we have been on our manner.
“The electrical Mercedes EQE is a heavy automobile (2500 kg) with shocking energy, nice suspension and a really certain really feel in any situations. I get pleasure from driving it as a lot as our first Tesla, a 2012 P85 that we purchased utilized in 2014, however to make certain 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 provides a superb expertise whether or not driving for enjoyable or commuting. The Mannequin Y has one of the best construct high quality of any Tesla we’ve owned because the unique P85. It feels strong.
“The Mercedes MBUX (Mercedes Benz Person Expertise) is a totally completely different philosophy than Tesla. There are many buttons, all designed to assist the motive force maintain arms on wheel and eyes on highway. Most options may be carried out both with the buttons and the remaining by means of the voice assistant. However to make certain, it’s a really completely different expertise than Tesla. After nearly ten years of largely driving Teslas, it took a number of hours sitting with the automobile to search out all of the settings and get them configured the way in which I need. On prime of that, the screens in entrance of the motive force in addition to the head-up show may be personalized for the present driving want, whether or not that’s navigation, choosing music or wanting on the automobile’s telemetry. Oh, and there’s CarPlay & Android Auto which can be effectively built-in and primarily keep within the background until you want them. You should utilize the Mercedes navigation system or Apple’s (or Waze for that matter) and the automobile shows any of them correctly. I like having 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 cellphone.”
“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 area monitoring & parking help. All of them work effectively & 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. Apart from demoing the system, I by no means used FSD on metropolis streets, because it was mainly unusable with out fixed intervention.”
The Mercedes-Benz and Tesla apps supply comparable performance. The electrical Mercedes has a spread map that estimates how far the automobile can journey on its present cost. “The EQE has a five-star Euro NCAP score and scores proper behind Tesla Mannequin Y & S amongst EVs within the general scores. (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 automobile does have some attention-grabbing options, together with being constructed from largely recycled steel in a carbon-neutral manufacturing unit. It has a variety of leather-based within the greater trim ranges, however material is an non-obligatory materials.”
There are some issues concerning the EQE53 that annoy Rick. He lists the next: “There’s a Begin/Cease button and also you really must cease the automobile otherwise you get an alert once you attempt to get out. Some software program updates are OTA, however the main ones appear to require service and you may’t simply request them — that you must have a service situation that requires the improve. There is no such thing as a frunk (and no HEPA filter, which is ostensibly the rationale for no frunk, however it’s solely out there for LHD automobiles). Necessary service (no concept what will likely be carried out 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 supplied in Australia). Some elements of the UX are designed for LHD automobiles and issues like confirmations and shut packing containers require a protracted attain to the highest left of the display screen.”
After we had the chance to sit down within the automobile, Majella observed that the one cameras that recorded have been for the ahead going through dashcam.
Rick belongs to each the Mercedes-Benz Membership Australia and Tesla House owners Membership of Australia teams. “We’ve 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 automobile house owners’ reactions to the electrical Mercedes — I believe that may make an important follow-up article.
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!
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