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The Mercedes EQE 500 isn’t just another electric vehicle—it’s a statement. With a price tag exceeding $106,000, this midsize luxury sedan is engineered to impress from every angle. The team at Munro recently took the EQE 500 out for a spin on one of Michigan’s last warm, sunny days, offering an expert review focused on design, technology, and driving performance.
Exterior Design: Aerodynamics Meets Style
Mercedes continues to push for aerodynamic efficiency, and the EQE 500 doesn’t disappoint. Its flush grille, dual-shot clear coat, and lit logo up front enhance visual appeal while minimizing drag. Forward sensors are cleverly tucked into black trim elements—except for one awkwardly placed in a painted panel, likely a compromise made for styling.
Flat wheel covers aid airflow, though they feel disappointingly cheap up close. Lit running boards, puddle lamps with the iconic Mercedes logo, and a simple yet effective charge port round out a clean, understated exterior.
Key Insight: Mercedes balances aesthetic choices with aerodynamic engineering—though not without a few cost-cutting quirks.
Interior Comfort: Minimalist Yet High-Tech
Once inside, the EQE 500 immediately communicates serenity. The ride is plush but not overly soft, with aircraft-inspired buzzers and a layout that leans heavily into modern luxury. Unlike many competitors, Mercedes keeps its infotainment and driver display separate rather than combining them into a single screen. While some may prefer the connected look, this choice maintains a traditional Mercedes feel.
Vegan leather upholstery, soft-touch materials, and elegant rose gold accents provide a high-end feel without being ostentatious. Ambient lighting options include dual-tone color sweeps and even customizable seat edge lighting—a first in this reviewer’s experience.
Notable Feature: The lighting setup transforms the EQE 500 into a mood-lit lounge on wheels.
Seating & Ergonomics: Designed for Long-Haul Comfort
The EQE 500’s seats are both heated and ventilated, with uniform air distribution. More impressively, massage functions and “Energizing Comfort” tech subtly reposition the seats on long drives to reduce fatigue. While all major adjustments are powered, the headrest’s fore-aft movement remains manual—an odd omission in an otherwise tech-laden cabin.
Seat controls are door-mounted and intuitive, mirroring the seat shape for ease of use. The rear cargo area is spacious and thoughtfully arranged, with a configurable liftgate that helps prevent damage in garages.
Air Quality & Climate: High-End Wellness Features
Mercedes goes beyond basic climate control with an advanced air purification system. The EQE 500 offers:
- Four-zone climate control
- Exterior/interior air quality sensors
- Ionization to capture particulates
- Built-in fragrance dispensers
Forget pine-scented rearview hangers—Mercedes offers subtle luxury with a clean-air focus.
Engineering Detail: Ionization causes dirt to clump and drop into the filter tray, actively purifying cabin air during use.
Infotainment & Controls: Polished, But with Quirks
The center console, labeled as “floating,” offers some open space but remains connected to the dash. Ambient lighting continues here with elegant sweeps, but the piano black trim collects fingerprints and feels less premium.
The wireless phone charger is awkwardly placed beneath the cupholders—removable, but impractical. Gesture-based open/close functions for storage add a modern touch, even if the execution isn’t perfect.
The head-up display is vivid and in color but lacks intuitive adjustment options, unlike competitors like the Genesis GV60.
Infotainment Experience: MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) remains one of the best systems in the market. Its natural voice commands, responsive touchscreen, and customizable display make navigating menus intuitive. Even deep system settings—like adjusting pre-entry climate or driver profiles—are accessible with minimal learning curve. Drivers can link profiles to their Mercedes Me app, enabling remote configuration of seat positions, lighting scenes, and more.
Driving Modes & Handling: Versatility Across Conditions
The EQE 500 offers multiple driving modes—Comfort, Sport, Eco, and Individual—each fine-tuned to provide distinct feedback and power distribution. In Sport mode, throttle response sharpens and suspension stiffens slightly, delivering a more connected experience, though it never veers into aggressive performance territory. Eco mode maximizes range, adjusting regenerative braking and climate settings automatically.
The rear-wheel steering adds a surprising sense of agility for such a large vehicle, especially useful in urban environments and tight parking scenarios. Regenerative braking settings can also be manually controlled, enabling one-pedal driving for city traffic or relaxed cruising.
Sustainable Materials & Design Ethics
While Mercedes has yet to fully eliminate leather across all trims, this model likely features high-grade vegan leather substitutes and recycled materials in key touchpoints. The brand has publicly committed to more sustainable interiors, and the EQE 500 reflects that direction. The soft-touch surfaces and matte finishes feel premium while reducing environmental impact—a small but meaningful shift in luxury EV design.
Drive Performance: Smooth, Quiet, and Agile
Where the EQE 500 truly excels is in its driving experience. Thanks to Mercedes’ meticulous sound isolation, the ride feels as quiet as a recording studio. Road and wind noise are virtually absent.
- Horsepower: Over 400 hp from dual permanent magnet motors
- 0–60 MPH: 5.6 seconds
- Drive System: AWD with same motors front and rear
- Steering: Rear-wheel steer (up to 10°) for tighter turns and lane changes
Though not a sports car, the EQE 500 is agile and peppy, delivering satisfying acceleration and cornering support. The ride quality is refined, and steering response is sharp, if a bit numb.
Advanced Safety & Driver Assist Features
Mercedes brings a full suite of driver assistance tech to the EQE 500, including a standout innovation called PRE-SAFE®:
- Seat repositioning: Detects rear impact risk and adjusts reclined seats to upright
- Seatbelt pre-tensioning: Active, not pyrotechnic—can re-tension repeatedly
- Window closure: Pre-emptively shuts windows in a crash scenario
- Pink noise emission: Triggers the body’s acoustic reflex to protect hearing by tightening the eardrum prior to a loud crash impact
Engineering Innovation: The use of pink noise as a pre-collision safety feature is a pioneering example of human-centered design thinking in automotive safety.
The Verdict: Quiet Excellence, With a Few Compromises
The Mercedes EQE 500 is a beautifully executed electric luxury sedan that emphasizes comfort, serenity, and innovation. While not without a few missteps—like cheap-feeling wheel trim, awkward phone charger placement, and some display quirks—it more than makes up for them with quiet operation, strong safety tech, and an effortlessly elegant interior.
Final Takeaway: For buyers seeking a smooth, whisper-quiet EV experience with understated luxury, the EQE 500 delivers. But at $106,000, you’ll want to love the drive as much as the badge.
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