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The first all-electric performance sedan from Mercedes-AMG is due in Australian showrooms in the coming months, with blistering performance and an eye-watering price.
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The 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 electric sedan is due in Australia from July, pending any delays.
Price is yet to be confirmed but Drive understands it could cost between $350,000 and $400,000.
Mercedes-Benz Australia says it is yet to accept any deposits for the 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 because price is yet to be announced – and it is unclear how many examples will arrive this year, though it is expected to be in limited numbers.
A display car was air-freighted to Australia for last weekend’s Bathurst 12-Hour endurance race.
The 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 is the first electric performance sedan from tuning division AMG.
Equipped with optional peak performance mode, the 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 can complete the 0 to 100km/h sprint in a claimed 3.4 seconds (compared to the standard version’s performance time of 3.8 seconds).
The all-wheel-drive Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 has two high output electric motors (one on the front axle, another on the rear axle) with a combined output of 484kW/950Nm in standard guise, and 560kW/1020Nm when equipped with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package – which also bumps top speed from 220km/h to 250km/h.
Mercedes says the electric motors used in AMG vehicles are unique to the performance brand, and use “new windings, stronger currents and new actuation via inverters with specially developed software.”
“This allows higher rotational speeds and thus more power, setting standards especially in acceleration and top speed” says a technical bulletin by Mercedes-AMG.
“The electric motor at the rear axle of the EQS 53 4MATIC+ is particularly powerful. A major reason for this is the six-phase design based on two windings with three phases each,” the technical information continues.
“The stators with move-in winding ensure a particularly powerful magnetic field. Added to this is the highly resilient thermal concept, which allows repeated acceleration manoeuvres with consistently high performance.
“The centrepiece of the sophisticated design is the so-called water lance in the shaft of the rotor, which cools it.
“Other AMG-specific cooling elements in the cooling circuit are special ribs on the stator and the needle-shaped pin-fin structure on the inverter, which is made of high-performance ceramics.
“In addition, there is the additional transmission oil cooler which also increases efficiency during cold driving, as it warms the transmission oil as needed.”
Translation: it’s fast.
Driving range estimates for Australia are yet to be publihed, however the 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 is equipped with a 400 volt lithium-ion battery with a usable energy content of 107.8 kWh.
The official energy consumption rating based on European testing protocols is 21.5kWh/100km to 23.9kWh/100km.
In its technical description, Mercedes-AMG says the battery pack has advanced cell chemistry.
“The cobalt content is reduced to 10 percent, the optimised active material consists of nickel, cobalt and manganese in a ratio of 8:1:1,” says the Mercedes-AMG technical bulletin.
“The battery management system is also configured specifically for AMG. The new generation of batteries is characterised by a significantly higher energy density compared to previous developments. It also has a higher charging capacity. Another new feature is the possibility to install updates for the battery management system over the air.”
Mercedes-AMG says the EQS 53 also has faster charging times than standard battery packs “with up to 200kW at fast-charging stations with direct current.”
On such a fast-charger, this is enough to deliver a battery “top up” of 300km driving range in 19 minutes.
In some countries, 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 can also be used to charge or power external devices – or homes. It is unclear if bi-directional power will apply to examples sold in Australia.
Rear-wheel steering is standard on the 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53. At speeds below 60km/h, the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels. Above 60km/h, the rear wheels steer in the same direction as the front wheels.
In addition to regenerative braking via the electric motors, Mercedes-AMG has equipped with the EQS 53 with massive brakes to manage rapid braking in such a heavy car.
At 2655kg, the 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 is as heavy as a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series four-wheel-drive.
The front brakes are massive 415mm x 33mm discs clamped by six-piston brake callipers, while the rear brakes are also huge: 378mm x 22mm discs clamped by single-piston calipers.
An optional AMG ceramic high-performance brake system uses even larger brake discs measuring (440mm x 40mm) on the front.
The sleek design not only delivers a futuristic appearance, it gives the 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 a slippery aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.23.
Customers have the option of 21- or 22-inch alloy wheels in ‘Aero’ or ‘Heritage’ designs, which have also been “aerodynamically optimised”.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS range will launch with the EQS 53 AMG variant; other models in the range such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 are due in Australia by the end of 2022.
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