UK: Mercedes EQS meets S-Class in electric versus petrol drag race

The new, and actually first-ever, Mercedes-Benz EQS is a real stunner. Not so much because of the way it looks, but mostly because of the technology it hides under the skin. It has the largest battery pack of any production electric vehicle on the market today and, depending on the configuration, it could be quite powerful. But is that enough to beat the brand’s luxury king? Let’s find out.

Carwow has a new video on YouTube and it finally shows a drag race between the EQS and the S-Class. Our British colleagues didn’t pick the most powerful versions, that’s surely not an easy task, but that gives us a chance to see how the relatively more affordable versions compare.

More on the EQS:

⠀ UK: Mercedes EQS 450+ beats S500 on track, loses in drag race

New Mercedes-Benz EQS electric saloon costs just under £100,000

The EQS in this video has a single electric motor powering the rear wheels and providing an output of 330 bhp (243 kilowatts) and 420 pound-feet (570 Newton-metres) of torque. This is a decent power even for a large and luxurious saloon, though it’s also important to mention it’s quite heavy at nearly 2.5 tonnes. 

Against it, the S-Class in this case puts to use a 3.0-litre turbocharged gasoline engine supplemented by a 48-volt hybrid system for a combined power of 435 bhp (320 kW) & 383 lb-ft (520 Nm) of twist. The powertrain is mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox and the car weighs 2,065 kilograms (4,552 pounds). Interestingly, between these two particular vehicles, the EQS is actually the cheaper model.

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Now you know the numbers - which car do you think is quicker off the line? Well, we think you might know the answer just by looking at the figures, but the results are different when the cars are in motion. And the brake test is also epic.