Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 is the automaker's vision of EV luxury and technology

Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian test drives the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4Matic sedan.

Video transcript

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: Hey, guys. Pras here at Yahoo Finance. I'm in the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. This is the first Mercedes electric vehicle on the platform, the EQ platform. And this is in top-level EQS trim, which is basically kind of like the S-Class I would say. And there's a lot going on with this car.

So let's start with sort of the platform. Like I said, it's a new all-electric platform that they're going to start using for a lot of their other cars, including the EQE and EQB and things like that. This car in particular comes in a single motor setup or in the 580 trim, a double motor all-wheel-drive setup that is the EQS 580, and that has around 516 horsepower. And in various trims it starts at around $120,000, it can go up from there.

Now, inside is where I think this car really, really shines. It's sort of stepping into the future in a profound way in my opinion. We have the Hyperscreen that Mercedes is calling it in this test model, and it basically spans the entire dash, it's probably around 50 inches. There's a-- there's the instrument panel under the hood, there's a huge widescreen monitor here in the center.

And then there's also one for the passenger. And this allows the passenger to do things like enter in navigation destinations, change the audio, turn on the massaging seats which this car has. Any number of things the passenger can do while the driver is driving. So that's all pretty cool.

And it just has-- like the way this thing is laid out is just clearly thought out. Mercedes thought about what are cars going to be like down the line and what do people want and where do we want to be? We're talking about cars like this that are future-forward, future-looking. And with that said, you have a very cabin forward design, a huge windshield, pretty spacious you know, like an S-Class. And then, of course, Mercedes materials, fit, and finish are excellent, above-- really a top-notch if not some of the best, if not the best in the industry. So you knew what to expect from that regard.

Outside you know, exterior-wise, it's hit and miss. You know, I think it looks better in person but I'm not a fan of the way this cabin forward design looks in the front. It kind of has a very-- I don't want to say what I want to say but basically, it just seems-- I'm not a fan of the kind of sloping exterior with the windshield down below the belt-line if you know what I mean. There's sort of the A-pillar kind of sinks below the belt-line not really a big fan of that but some people like it. And just kind of gives you a little bit of a Prius vibe but in a much better way. The back looks much better too. I think it's the best part of the car is the rear and the rear 3/4.

In addition, this car most importantly, has about 110-kilowatt hour battery getting this car-- and also it's the single motor equivalent, around 350 miles of range or so. I was getting around 390 just based on the way I was driving. And when I received the car with a full tank or full tank of charge. So that's pretty great.

Driving around town I think this is where the car really shines. It's super solid and quiet, whisper-quiet. It has the air suspension, which I believe is standard across all the EQS models and that just absorbs everything, anything that comes its way, potholes, crevasses in New York City, whatever you want to call it, it soaks it up. Really does a great job of that. It's-- you get a very S-Class vibe.

And I think just going back to the exterior, I sort of wish this car had the new S-Class body because I think that car looks great, very handsome, looks nice. Not super conservative. I think it looks aggressive in a good way for an S-Class. I kind of wish this car had that.

But back to the actual driving of this car, yeah, it's great around town. It's super composed. Steering is very accurate. And also this car benefits from a rear-wheel-drive system that makes this car, which is pretty long, feel very nimble, turning, making u-turns, making tight turns, super easy. It's something that you kind of want to see on a lot more cars down the line, particularly big cars.

I'm driving around here right now in a suburban-type setting and it's fine. Going to try to get out on the highway here real quick but open roads, this car is pretty quick with the dual-motor setup. We're talking about over 500 horsepower, that's a lot of power this car can put down. And with a low center of gravity and it's a slippery body, this car can get up pretty fast.

Now, is it a Porsche Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo? No. It's not like that. It's tuned to be a much more compliant, you know, professional, a young professional, older professional type of vibe. Going to work, commuting, in a very, very cocoon-like futuristic way. And I think that's where this car shines, is the fact that it's kind of giving us a peek into that future where we want to be with driving electric cars.

A few knocks in the car, it seems a little bit-- with stuff like this, when you're super cocooned you are kind of taking away from the driving experience. It sort of feels like you're you know, in an alternate reality. Really you don't really kind of have any true engagement with the road, and the sound, and just the feeling with the road. But that's sort of the deal with an EQS or an S-Class type of car is that's what you're trying to do is you're trying to take people away from the harshness of the road. And that's what this car does a great job of.

You know, the suspension can be a little bit wallowy, I'm doing a little quick little turn here, the example of how nice that rear-wheel-drive steering is, that's great. But yeah, it's a little bit floaty, that's how Mercedes wanted it to be so I'm not surprised. But I could use a little bit more feedback, a bit stiffer ride. And you can dial that in with the Sport setting but it's still on the softer side.

So this car, we're talking about the prices involved, we're talking about competition like I said, the Taycan, Taycan base rear-wheel drive, maybe the 4S if you can get a cheaper spec model. We're talking about Tesla Model S, of course, and you know, the Audi RS e-tron, those cars, the GT e-tron. And I think if you're looking for something a bit more staid, a bit more comfortable, a bit more future-forward, I think you can't go wrong with the EQS.

I think it's a great first electric car on top-- that top-level for Mercedes. I would love to drive a sportier Mercedes electric car, see what they could do with that, see what they could do with this platform, and actually make it a bit more hopped up. I think that would be the true test, but this car is a winner.

Yes, it's going to cost you over $120 grand, $130, maybe $140 grand, but that's kind of the going rate for a car, a luxury car this level. So I'm a fan of the EQS, I think it's just when you step into it that's when you feel like you've really entered what Mercedes is, their thoughtful way of communicating and creating what they think an electric future is and this is it. It's the EQS. I'm Pras, thanks so much, guys. I'll see you next time.