First static comparison: Mercedes EQS SUV vs BMW iX

Mercedes unveiled the Mercedes EQS luxury electric SUV on 19 April. We present the first static comparison with the BMW iX rival.

Theoretically, the correct comparison would be between the BMW iX and the upcoming Mercedes EQE SUV, as the Mercedes EQS SUV is one class above, being in fact the electric equivalent of the Mercedes GLS which has the BMW X7 as its rival and not the BMW X5, the electric equivalent of BMW iX.

Until the EQE SUV comes out let’s evaluate however at this stage Mercedes EQS SUV vs BMW iX.

Mercedes EQS SUV is bigger in all directions and has a larger boot

First of all, the Mercedes EQS SUV is 172 mm longer, has a 210 mm longer wheelbase and can accomodate up to seven people, an option not available in the iX. In addition, the Mercedes EQS SUV has a sliding rear bench, an option that also does not exist on the BMW iX.

At 1718 mm, the Mercedes EQS SUV is 22 mm taller than the BMW iX and therefore the interior height is slightly higher in the front and second row: 1035 mm and 1030 mm respectively compared to 1030 and 990 mm in the BMW iX.

With 172 mm longer, the Mercedes EQS SUV also has a larger boot, with a capacity between 645 and 880 litres in the five-seater version compared to 500-1750 litres in the BMW iX.

Impressive technical package

Both the Mercedes EQS and BMW iX come standard with adaptive air suspension with ground clearance adjustment and integral steering. BMW doesn’t communicate the steering angle of the integral steering but the 12.4 metre  turning circle is larger than the EQS SUV’s only 11 metres when equipped with the 10 degree steering angle of the integral steering (standard 4.5 degrees).

In BMW, the suspension drops 10 mm in Sport mode at any speed and the same happens in the other modes at speeds above 140 km/h.

Mercedes offers several suspension options. In Off-road mode, the suspension rises by 25 mm at speeds up to 80 km/h. Above this speed, the suspension returns to normal.

The suspension can also be raised manually by 25 mm below 60 km/h and returns to normal at over 70 km/h. At speeds above 100 km/h, the suspension is lowered by 10 mm and 15 mm respectively in Comfort and Sport modes and returns to normal if the speed drops below 80 km/h.

Comparable power but different torque

The two models offer comparable power but different torque. The Mercedes EQS SUV also offers a pure rear-wheel drive version, an option not available on the BMW.

The Bavarians offer three versions of the iX, all with two engines and all-wheel drive:
– iX xDrive40i with 326 HP/630 Nm
– iX xDrive50i with 523 HP/765 Nm
– iX M60 with 619 HP/1,015 Nm.

In addition to the EQS 450+ single rear engine version with 360 HP/568 Nm, Mercedes offers two all-wheel drive versions
– EQS 450 4Matic with 360 HP/800 Nm
– EQS 580 4Matic with 544 HP/858 Nm

It can be seen that the power outputs are comparable, but for both versions Mercedes has an important advantage in terms of torque.

Since Mercedes has not yet made public the acceleration figures nor the masses of the EQS SUV, we can’t assess at this time which model is faster, but both certainly offer lightning-fast acceleration. For example, the BMW iX xDrive50 we tested accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds.

Comparable ranges

In the case of the Mercedes EQS, Mercedes boasts an impressive Cx of just 0.20 but for the Mercedes EQS SUV no official Cx value has been announced. By comparison, the BMW iX has a Cx of only 0.25, a very good value for an SUV.

Mercedes has not yet announced the kerbweight of the EQS SUV but we expect it to be heavier than the BMW iX because the EQS 580 4Matic sedan weighs already 2585 kg.

By comparison, the BMW iX xDrive50i weighs only 2561 kg, being even lighter than the EQS 580 4Matic sedan. BMW benefits from the advantage of a very light construction with carbon fiber and a lot of aluminum.

Both models have batteries over 100 kW: 105.2 kWh net in the BMW iX xDrive50i and 107.8 kWh net in the Mercedes. BMW also has a smaller 71 kWh battery in the iX xDrive40i.

If we consider only the all-wheel drive versions, consumption is comparable: 20 kWh/100 km for both 4Matic versions of the EQS SUV and 19.4 respectively 19.9 kWh/100 km for the iX xDrive40i and iX xDrive50i.

Thus, the ranges of the top versions EQS 580 4Matic and iX xDrive50i are comparable: 613 km for Mercedes and 629 km for BMW.

Because of the smaller battery, the iX xDrive40i has a much shorter range than the EQS 450 4Matic: 424 km compared to 613 km for the Mercedes.

And the battery charging performance is similar: the Mercedes is up to 200 kW DC and the BMW up to 195 kW.
However, the Mercedes can optionally charge up to 22 kW at AC stations while the BMW can draw a maximum of 11 kW from the socket (standard on Mercedes).

The Mercedes EQS SUV has a practical way of using the degrees of energy recuperation that can be accessed from the paddles behind the wheel: D Auto, D, D- and D – -.

BMW also offers four degrees of recuperation, but they can only be accessed from the multimedia system menu. Adaptive mode is similar to Mercedes’ D Auto, and if a navigation destination is programmed, the car reacts as smartly as Mercedes: cars brake if a traffic light or intersection approaches. Then at BMW there are High, Moderate and Low modes.
In addition, BMW also has a B mode which is equivalent to the Low mode.