The 2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS Now Looks 17.3 Percent Less Like A Dodge Intrepid

If you’ve felt like the Mercedes-Benz EQS looked familiar and yet not quite like what you’d expect for an electric S-Class, you aren’t the only one. Its polarizing jellybean shape looks unlike the bulk of flagship luxury sedans out there and is enough to remind North Americans of a very different sort of sedan. The Chrysler cab-forward cars were so influential that just about any true jellybean cab-forward design can’t help but call to mind traveling sales reps deploying in fresh Dodge Intrepids circa 1995. The outgoing Mercedes-Benz EQS may have offered incredible range, but it was also a stylistic reminder of DaimlerChrysler. Oh dear.

In an attempt to fix this, Mercedes-Benz has given the EQS a facsimile of an S-Class grille, presumably to make the third letter of its model name feel less silent. Sure, the horizontal strakes are entirely for decoration, but we’re still in the early days of adapting styling language to EVs and many manufacturers are still figuring it out. Add in a hood ornament, and presto! This thing looks a little bit less like a Napster-era rental car.

Mercedes-Benz isn’t even shy about it, noting in the press release that the facelifted EQS is “Even more status-conscience,” which is something I’ve never seen a luxury car manufacturer put in print. Does it sound a little like compensation? Sure, but one could argue it’s necessary.

Another common knock against the old Mercedes-Benz EQS was that it just didn’t offer the rear seat amenities of a gasoline-powered S-Class, so Mercedes-Benz has given the facelifted model a plusher Executive Rear Seat Plus option. With chauffeuring being a dying art, will many people be driven in their EQS sedans? Probably not, but a new rear seat with 38 degrees of backrest recline ought to remedy some complaints about rear headroom. Add in neck and shoulder heating, and this seems like a worthwhile option. Oh, and the massive Hyperscreen infotainment and cluster setup is now standard up front, throwing a bit more technology in your face.

However, a facelift and a better rear seat seem more like damage control than thorough improvement. See, Mercedes-Benz zagged when BMW zigged. The BMW i7 is just an electric 7 Series, and although it sacrifices absolute range, it has all the presence and luxury of a gasoline-powered 7 Series. The Mercedes-Benz EQS, on the other hand, went full space bean, not looking like a gasoline-powered S-Class in the slightest. While this shape offers incredibly low drag, flagship luxury sedan buyers are some of the most conservative in the industry, which just makes you wonder — does this demographic of people want to drive a space bean?

More than likely, they’ll be willing to trade off some ultimate range for extra presence and space, because we’re talking about a set of people to whom it might make more sense to fly than drive long distances. While the updated Mercedes-Benz EQS will go on sale this year, don’t be surprised if the next-generation EQS ends up looking dramatically different from the current car.

(Photo credits: Mercedes-Benz)

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