Even though the SUV version of the Mercedes-Benz EQE will be heavier, slower and have lower range than the comparable saloon, it has a good chance out outperforming it for popularity once both become available. Buyers nowadays want the feeling of safety provided by sitting a bit higher, and they will certainly sit higher in style in the new EQE SUV, which was just photographed by our spies with no camouflage and it looks quite good.

Unlike the usual spy photos that we publish, this one doesn’t portray a moving prototype used for public road testing. If anything, this orange-painted prototype may be destined for crash testing. In fact, the bonnet already appears to have some dents and ripples in it, and the bumper is a different colour, suggesting that Mercedes has already used this prototype for something.

Mercedes has not won too much praise for the design of its new EQE and EQS saloons, both of which are seen as having strange proportions; we’ve not really heard owners or journalists exclaiming how pretty either of them is. However, there’s a strong chance that the SUV versions of both will be more visually appealing, and more traditional looking too.

Gallery: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV

What we can see in these spy photos is a front fascia that looks similar to the EQE saloon’s, but it is not identical and we say better looking, although we can’t quite put our finger on why it seems to look better. It may just be an illusion stemming from the fact that none of the photos actually show the entire vehicle, so we can’t see its proportions properly.

The rear end appears to have a full-width light bar design, similar to all other EQ-badged models. There will also be a larger version, the EQS SUV, and also a smaller EQC SUV, and if the current EQE and EQS are anything to go by, they will most likely look extremely similar, with size being the biggest differentiating factor

The Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is expected to debut by the end of 2022, and it will either go on sale this year or early in 2023.