Refreshed Mercedes-Benz EQS gets a big battery and a spaceship steering wheel - will it save its future?

A major update for the Mercedes-Benz EQS was unveiled today, bringing more power, a much bigger battery, and a very strange steering wheel. This is the final big change for the model before it eventually stops being a separate line and joins the S-Class family.

One of the wildest changes involves how you control the car. You can now choose a "yoke" instead of a standard round wheel. It looks like the steering controls in a jet or a spaceship. This system uses steer-by-wire technology - there is no metal rod connecting the yoke to the front wheels. Instead, computers send signals to electric motors, which then turn the wheels. At low speeds, the steering ratio is 4:1. This means you only have to turn the yoke a little bit to make a sharp corner. If you think a yoke is too weird, Mercedes still offers a normal old-fashioned steering.

Mercedes put a huge 122 kWh battery pack in most versions of the new EQS. The EQS 450+ is the star of the show. It can travel up to 575 miles on a full battery. That is a massive distance for any electric car on the road today. The base model, known as the EQS 400, gets a slightly smaller 112 kWh battery, but Mercedes expects that most buyers will likely want the bigger pack to help them travel between cities without any stress.

Since the new EQS uses an 800V system, if you find a powerful enough charger, the car can take in 350 kW of energy. This allows the battery to add 199 miles of driving range in just 10 minutes. To do this, the car's software tricks the battery. It acts like two smaller batteries charging at the same time. This keeps the battery cool and helps it fill up quickly.

Mercedes-Benz offers four different versions of this car. The EQS 400 starts the lineup with 270 kW of power - about 362 horsepower. The next up is the 450+ with 300 kW and 372 lb-ft of torque. If you want more speed, the EQS 500 4Matic gives you 350 kW. The fastest version is the EQS 580 4Matic. It delivers 430 kW and 590 lb-ft of torque. All these models use a two-speed transmission. The first gear helps the car launch quickly, and the second gear keeps the motors efficient when you are driving at high speeds on the highway.

The outside of the car looks a tiny bit different than before. Mercedes added a new black grille that features dozens of tiny three-pointed stars. Even the daytime running lights now have a star shape inside them. This makes the "blob" look like a little more expensive "blob." Inside, the cabin remains very high-tech. The giant Hyperscreen still covers the entire dashboard. People sitting in the back seat now get their own screens to watch videos or check the map.

Driving the new EQS should feel very smooth. Mercedes updated the air suspension system to make the ride even more comfortable. The car uses airbags instead of metal springs to soak up bumps in the road. It also features the new Mercedes-Benz Operating System, or MB.OS. This includes a virtual assistant that talks to you. It can help you find a charger or change the temperature. According to Mercedes, the goal is to make the driver feel like they are being pampered by a robot butler.

This will likely be the last version of the EQS as a standalone car. In a few years, the electric version will just be called the S-Class. For now, it keeps the status of a very expensive toy. The EQS 400 starts at $110,593, the EQS 450+ costs $127,266. If you want the EQS 500 4Matic, you will pay $144,428, with the top EQS 580 4Matic coming in at $157,839. It is a high price, but Mercedes hopes the extra range and new tech will finally win people over.

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