Mercedes has released a series of new images revealing the interior details of its upcoming EQS SUV, the company's high-riding equivalent of its EQS electric saloon.
In addition to sharing its name, platform and powertrains with the EQS saloon, the SUV also features a very similar interior, replete with all the saloon's headline-grabbing tech features.
Most obvious is the huge (optional) 56-inch Hyperscreen spanning the full width of the dashboard and incorporating the driver's 12.3-inch instrument panel, a central 17.7-inch multimedia touchscreen and an additional 12.3-inch screen for the passenger. If the possibility of the driver's eyes wandering over to the passenger screen seems like too much of a distraction, an onboard camera can detect where the driver is looking and dim the content accordingly.
Flanking the Hyperscreen are two distinctive air vent eyeballs with a seemingly free-floating split-opening centre console that runs all the way to the rear seats. The infotainment isn't solely confined to the front either - if buyers choose the optional "MBUX High-End Rear Seat Entertainment Plus" package, they receive a pair of 11.6-inch displays mounted on the back of the front seats.
The overall finish, too, is similar to that of the EQS saloon with the use of high-quality leather, wood and polished stainless steel throughout.
What hasn't been revealed, however, is the arrangement of the third row of seats, so their folding arrangement and its consequent impact on boot space remain to be seen.
What do we know about the EQS SUV so far?
The reveal of the EQS SUV's interior coincided with the opening of Mercedes's new battery production plant in Alabama in the United States, not far from where the EQS and its smaller sibling the EQE will be built. The information comes on top of what we know about the EQS which is already quite a lot.
Its styling, for instance, isn't dissimilar to that of the saloon, with the same blanked-off grille and cab-forward design for improved efficiency. While it won't be as aerodynamic as the lower, sleeker model, given that it's based on the same EVA2 platform, expect 90kWh and 107.8kWh battery packs and a maximum range of perhaps a little over 700km.
From launch at least, there'll be two models, the 450+ and the 580 4MATIC; the former will feature a single 334hp motor driving the rear wheels; the latter will be an all-wheel drive model developing 523hp.
Mercedes has also said that it is currently working on an AMG-badged version of the EQS which should develop around 761hp. So too will there be an ultra-luxury Mercedes-Maybach model as seen at the Munich motor show last August.
The EQS SUV will also likely feature Level 3 autonomy meaning that in certain situations, the driver can remove their hands and eyes from the wheel at speeds of up to 60km/h, for example in stop-start motorway traffic. While there's no legislation yet in Ireland allowing for this, the UK has recently legalised such systems, so changes to the law could be on the distant horizon. The upcoming BMW 7 Series and i7 are also Level 3-compatible.
When is the Mercedes EQS SUV being revealed?
The EQS SUV will be revealed in full on April 19, so expect a lot more in the way of detail then. An announcement on pricing is still a long way off, but with the €119,350 starting price of the EQS saloon, the SUV should start from north of that.