A comedian once described the US as the land of excess, a sentiment I found myself agreeing with during my own visit. From oversized parking lots for the massive cars to milk sold in gallon (3.8 litres) bottles and eateries handing out a dozen tissue papers (or, as they call it, napkins) for a single meal – the exaggeration is unmistakable.

If there’s a car, available in Malaysia, that embodies the spirit of America’s penchant for excess, it’s the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4Matic SUV. For one, it’s made in Alabama, USA. It measures 5,125 mm in length, 1,959 mm in width, and 1,718 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,210 mm. That’s Kia Carnival territory.

It also weighs as much as a planet at 2.8 tonnes, yet it’s able to out accelerate plenty of sports cars and hot hatches to the century sprint. And yes, it’s as frightening as it sounds, more on that shortly.

Also read: From RM 699k, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV launched in Malaysia, 544 PS/858 Nm, 7 seats

Exterior – Not as “eggy” as the sedan

First, the design. While the EQS SUV draws inspiration from the EQS sedan in terms of styling, its two-box design offers increased versatility and leads to a more universally appealing aesthetic. However, without the distinctive egg shape, the EQS SUV appears a little more generic, less intriguing.

There are no distinctive design elements on the exterior, causing the SUV to somewhat fade into the background. To an extent, it looks like an EQA scaled up by 150 percent. This is a complete opposite of what BMW is currently doing, controversial or not.

Those who prefer a more discreet outlook might appreciate the EQS SUV. But given its sheer size, it’s hard to be discreet in it. Unlike in the US, it's always jutting out of our standard-sized parking lots.

Interior – Like the EQS sedan, but better

The interior design pretty much mirrors the EQS sedan, and if you've perused my review of it, you’ll know that it’s very much a positive as I’m a fan of the interior. In the EQS SUV, it’s even better when it comes to space.

There’s more than enough leg and headroom, coupled with generous elbow space for comfortable environment for both the driver and passengers.

Admittedly, the third-row seats are better suited to children as headroom is compromised, while kneeroom depends on the kindness of the second-row passengers. Though short trips for adults are fine.

The advantage of sitting on an EV-dedicated platform means there's more space around the feet, a flat floor in the second row making it more comfortable and practical for the middle passenger, while there's additional floor-level stowage between the front seats too, ideal for a handbag.

Another aspect that’s better than the EQS sedan is visibility. Looking through the rear-view mirror no longer feels like looking through a letter box, and there’s a generally increased glass area for better sightlines.

Like in the EQS sedan, the party piece is the Hyperscreen display, stretching from A-pillar to A-pillar. The system is intuitive, responsive to touch, and has rich graphics with crisp displays, as we’ve come to expect from Mercedes’ in-car systems.

Here comes the but – similar to the EQS sedan, many of the criticisms apply to the SUV as well. The 3-screen setup appears lacklustre in daylight, and the passenger screen is often underutilised.

And due to the instrument cluster sharing the same panel, it is angled upwards, which is less than optimal for the driver. Fortunately, this is less of an issue in the EQS SUV as the seating position is higher.

Similar to current Mercedes-Benz models, the capacitive buttons can be frustrating, with directional swipes occasionally registering inaccurately. The true tactility is absent, replaced by haptic feedback. A few extra luxury features like soft-closing door and rear sun blinds wouldn’t go amiss as well.

Driving Experience – Uncanny manoeuvrability, but can’t hide its mass

Continuing the similarities with the EQS sedan, the SUV is just as refined on the move. It simply isolates you from the outside world like very few can even at its price range. It gives that sense of levitation when you’re just pootling about at parking lot speeds.

But once you’re out of the parking lot and you give it some beans, the 544 PS/858 Nm dual-motor setup will slingshot this behemoth at physics defying pace. It does the 0-100 km/h sprint, as tested, at 4.72 seconds.

The accelerator is well-calibrated, responding smoothly and promptly to your right foot's commands. Despite the all-wheel-drive setup, the car still has a rear-biased feel that gives a sense of being pushed out of corners.

However, cornering is not a strength of this vehicle, unsurprisingly; its substantial mass becomes apparent, and the soft suspension setup allows for noticeable body movements.

Perhaps the most significant drawback in the driving experience comes down to the brakes. Particularly under hard presses, they feel somewhat weak. Even under normal braking, the brake pedal lacks consistency, even in the context of other Mercedes EQ models. For a car this heavy and quick to accelerate, it can be quite frightening.

In normal driving, you have the option to bypass the brake pedal entirely by deactivating the "creep" function, effectively enabling one-pedal driving. Following this, you can choose from four levels of regenerative braking – strong, normal, none, or automatic.

For a consistent and predictable experience, opting for the strong regenerative braking makes logical sense for one-pedal driving. However, even with the strong regen braking, it doesn't impart the same sense of strength when tasked with slowing down a car weighing 2.8 tonnes.

Though one feature that really helps with manoeuvring this 5.1-metre 2.8-tonne goliath is rear-axle steering. The turning radius of the EQS SUV is amazing for its size; the car pivots around tight corners in a manner that almost seems unnatural.

Ride comfort – Even air suspension can’t defeat physics

This is one area where the distinction between an SUV and sedan becomes apparent – in terms of ride comfort. As a taller vehicle, the EQS SUV contends with increased lateral motions, leading to a phenomenon known as head toss, where the driver and/or passengers sway in the cabin when traversing uneven roads.

It’s one of the primary causes for motion sickness. The air suspension does its best efforts to mitigate this effect, but it can’t beat physics.

Primary ride over larger undulations is also impacted, exhibiting a momentary oscillation before settling. This gives it a wafting sensation, but also induces more body movements. Opting for the sport mode does contribute to containing body movements.

Interestingly, I find it more comfortable in sport mode due to the reduction in pitch and wallow. However, the trade-off is an increased sensitivity to sharper elements on the road.

In terms of seating comfort, the front seats feel similar to the EQS sedan, with plenty of adjustments in lumbar, side bolters, and thigh support, accommodating bodies of various shapes and sizes for optimal comfort.

The rear seats is where the difference is felt compared to the sedan. The seat base is extended, and given the SUV design, it can be elevated for enhanced thigh support, despite the elevated floor necessitated by the battery placement.

This ensures passengers are not seated uncomfortably in a crouched position like in many EVs. That being said, it’s still not S-Class level of sumptuousness.

In terms of cabin noise, the decibel meter showed similar sound levels to the exceptionally quiet EQS sedan. Though wind noise is more apparent in the EQS SUV at triple-digit speeds, which is to be expected.

Energy Consumption

Over a 100.6 km trip with an average speed of 28 km/h, the trip computer indicated an average energy consumption of 23.7 kWh/100 km. Regenerative braking was left in normal for majority of the journey, with the occasional switch to strong in stop-and-go traffic.

Based on calculations, the actual efficiency is revealed to be at 25.5 kWh/100 km based on energy delivered after two consecutive charges to 80 percent.

Conclusion

The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is currently in a class of one with no direct rivals. If you’re looking for a full-size 7-seater luxury EV SUV, this is it. And it’s a substantial package, from its sheer size to power and number screens in the cabin. Some would argue that’s what luxury is about – having excess.

But this is supposed to be Mercedes’ flagship EV, yet it doesn’t feel like the S-Class of electric SUVs. It doesn't deliver a first-class experience for rear passengers, and it's a car one would still drive rather than hiring a chauffeur.

It’s a lot of car, yet somehow, not enough. Perhaps that’s where the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV comes in. Considering that registration of interest (ROI) is open, it might be here sooner than later.

Also read: To keep noise out, this USA-made Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV has a sedan's sealed boot