2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS vs. Tesla Model S: EV Spec Check

The Tesla Model S has yet to face a real challenge from another automaker … until now. Contenders such as the Lucid Air, and Mercedes EQS are due to hit customers’ driveways in the coming months, and both of these EVs are looking to steal a piece from the flagship electric sedan pie the Tesla Model S has practically had all to itself. And how could we not mention the Porsche Taycan 4S in the EV showdown? Arguably, it’s the Mercedes that interests us just a wee bit more. That’s no knock on the Lucid sedan, which looks great and promises to pack a real punch. Nevertheless, we’ve yet to see Lucid produce a truly saleable car. Mercedes, on the other hand, has been doing so for more than a century. Read on to see how the 2022 Mercedes EQS stacks up against the Tesla Model S.

The EQS uses Mercedes’ new EVA2 architecture. Available in rear-drive EQS450+ and all-wheel-drive EQS580 4Matic guises, all EQS models will initially rely on a 108-kWh battery pack, with a smaller 90-kWh unit possibly coming along at a later date.

The EQS450+ packs 329 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, whereas the 580+ generates a combined 516 hp and 611 lb-ft of torque from its two electric motors (one at each axle). Mercedes says the 580+ can go from 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds. According to the WLTP test cycle, the Mercedes-Benz EQS offers up to 478 miles of range, which may be adjusted to under 400 miles by America’s EPA cycle.

By comparison, the entry-level Model S is only available with all-wheel drive (courtesy of an electric motor at each axle) and a 100-kWh battery. The Long Range variant makes 670 hp and has an estimated 412-mile driving range on a single charge. Tesla claims it can reach 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. More recently, Tesla introduced the Model S Plaid and Plaid+. These tri-motor Model S variants feature an eye-watering 1,100 hp and have a top speed of 200 mph. Both are said to make the run to 60 mph in just under 2.0 seconds. The Plaid offers 390 miles of range while the Plaid+ delivers 520 miles, according to estimates from Tesla.

The EQS can accept a 200-kW charge via a DC fast charger, which can add approximately 186 miles of range in only 15 minutes. In the case of the Model S, it can add up to 200 miles of range in around 15 minutes when plugged into one of Tesla’s Superchargers.

The insides of the Mercedes EQS and Tesla Model S are worlds apart. You can think of the EQS’s interior as the quiet student who knows more than the professor and the Model S’s as the extrovert that always wants attention.

Mercedes offers the EQS with its massive Hyperscreen (actually three screens with one big 17.7-inch unit in the middle and a pair of 12.3-inch screens on the left and right sides of the dashboard). A tablet-style 12.8-inch console display comes standard on the EQS450+. The Hyperscreen is standard on the EQS580 and optionally available on the EQS450+. Tesla, meanwhile, upgraded the Model S’s insides for 2021.5. Changes include an available aircraft-style yoke steering wheel and a new 17.0-inch center screen with a horizontal orientation.

As far as pricing goes, the Tesla Model S Long Range starts at $81,190. Step up to the Model S Plaid and that figure goes up to $121,190. If you want to go all out, then the Plaid+ will cost you $151,190. The 2022 Mercedes EQS arrives in the U.S. this fall, likely wearing a price tag close to, if not north of, $100,000.