We haven’t counted them, but since the summer of 2020 when the new Mercedes EQS SUV was first seen, hundreds of spy photos have taken place in different regions. Now, with an official date for its world presentation, the firm has unveiled part of a demanding and tough testing program that we have not seen before.
The off-road brands announce their new models, demonstrating the dynamic capabilities off the asphalt and the harsh tests to which their prototypes have undergone in inhospitable places and prepared for tougher tests, far from the dreaded spy photosfor example wade through creeks and small streams or wade into more swampy terrain. The typical of an SUV but not so much of an SUV and less electric. But the star brand does not understand it that way.
The German firm, which has already set a date for the world presentation of the new Mercedes EQS SUV, has shown part of the tests to which the flagship of the electric models has been subjected. While it is true that we have seen a long succession of spy photos, they have mainly been on the usual tours, in Germany near of the central facilities in Sindelfingen or in the winter tests in the north of SwedenThese are common to adjust the dynamic configuration on ice and snow, like any other model, regardless of the type of propulsion.
The new Mercedes EQS SUV has undergone its own off-road tests
But never before has the torment some of the units have endured been seen, crossing rivers and plunging headlong into in wading with a relevant depth As you can see in the gallery of photos that Mercedes has provided, reaching the water half of the front and even with mud, an element capable of damaging some of the components of the propulsion system. The objective of these tests is to demonstrate the quality of the battery sealing.
But not only that, the EQS has proven to be able to ascend and descend steep terrain, with a more than important degree of slope. Prototypes of the new “X296”, as the EQS SUV is known, have faced the same tests as a GLE or GLSin addition to those specific to the battery charging system under extreme cold temperatures, studying the behavior of the battery, autonomy and the on-board heat pump that, in this model, may have a radiant floor system instead of conventional heating.
They have moved to the Arizona desert, rolling through the dunes and observing the operation of all chassis control systems. And it is that one of the great secrets is that its range of versions will not have any rear-wheel drive, but will be all 4MATIC all-wheel drive, with two very powerful electric motors. A system that has been adjusted so that it intervenes strictly when the grip conditions require it, and thus prioritizing the saving of the energy stored in the battery that will reach 600 kilometers.