End of year and walking around MB dealerships I'm seeing plenty of EQE 350, EQE 350 4 matic SUV inventory. Timing might be right for favorable lease terms. Looking to lease an EQE 350/350+ SUV. Has anyone recently signed a lease for EQE SUV or know of dealers anxious to move inventory? I live in FL during the northern US winter months.

 

Looking at the "special offers" page on the Mercedes Benz USA site, it looks like lease rates are down from where they were a few months ago (as low as $749 a month). As you mentioned, the dealers seem to have a lot of vehicles on the lot, so this is likely a contributing factor. I ordered a vehicle in June of this year and it is in transit and estimated to arrive between December 1st and 4th. This may work in my favor as I am hoping Mercedes will further improve the incentives in December since it is the end of the year.

Please post what you find as you talk to the dealers near you. I am curious to find out how motivated they are.

 

I'll keep you posted. Submitted a lease proposal for an EQE 350 + this AM but have heard nothing so far. Lease proposal was 3yr, 7500 mi/yr and $0 down with 30% in discounts/incentives off MSRP and consideration of credit score in determination of money factor. EQE had a MSRP of about $86K.

 

I was able to get 23% off total, incentives + discounts. Dealer inventory, build date was October 2023, and took delivery first week of November 2023. dealer is NYC.

 

@manjurino1 was that for a lease or for a purchase? Either way, that sounds like a good deal. You were fortunate enough to find a recent build and still get a good price.

 

Congratulatiions! That's a good deal. I'm thinking negotiating a deal in the northern parts of the US might be the way to go. Colder weather would seem to have an adverse impact on EV sales. I'm currently in FL and even end of mth doesn't seem to soften pricesss--but stil trying. Can you add some detail on your lease, like money factor, length of lease, miles/yr, residual, and were all costs capitalized (fees, taxes, etc)?

 

83K, MSRP, 64K+3K negative equity + tax = out the door purchase price.
I found dealers in NJ were less aggressive.

The base discounts you should be looking at
$7,500 federal tax discount,
$2,500 Amex Discount (if you are a Amex card holder. Dealer asks you to log into you Amex account for a discount code that is then offered to you)
$1,000 Mercedes Incentive
$500 NYS Discount (obviously varies by state)

I would assume the target discount price would be minimum 7% on top of the allowable incentives, anything above 10% would be a score.
Go to Edmunds and get the current MF and residuals and do the calc on lease haker to make sure they are not pumping the numbers up.
it did take some work, primarily due to my negative equity, but it is possible.

 

Some dealers locally still have an Out of State Adjustment to the upside. so going to the Northeast may not help.
I was watching dealer inventory and monitoring the increase or decrease in EQE's online.
Once I saw the inventory numbers decreasing, i pulled the trigger as i was happy with the deal.

Get the latest lease rates/incentives from edmunds.

 

I'm curious about the $1,000 Mercedes incentive. I didn't see anything listed on the Mercedes special offers page. Is that a rebate, or is that from the dealer?

EDIT: It looks like the $1,000 is for a buyer with an expiring Mercedes lease.

 

it’s dealer cash that should be passed along

 

Did you have an existing Mercedes lease? I see where they are supposed to give you $1,000 if you have already had a lease. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to me.

 

Yes I was in a MB lease .
good luck!

 

Have received proposals from MB dealers to lease EQE. All within the state of FL. Some included the 1000 cash incentive and some did not. Leasing contracts have many moving parts and unscrupulous dealers will try to benefit.

 

Doesn’t shock me. My understanding was MB dealer cash, so it should be an automatic pass through. Nothing related to existing customers

 

What is cost of your turn in lease?

 

The best lease I've been able to obtain:
MSRP $84550
Discount $15220
Rebate $8500
Balance after taxes and fees $62733
36 mth lease, 7500 mi/yr, $5K down
Mtly payment of $609
However, recent news on CarBuz indicates, 2024 EQE scheduled for new battery chemistry, bigger battery, more regenerative capabity and software to turn off one of the electric motors. All of this change should increase range for an already industry leading vehicle. I think I'll wait 'till the 2024s hit the showrooms.

 

That looks like a great deal. I don't have as much leverage because I special ordered my vehicle in early June and there weren't as many discounts then, but they are still offering me some discounts and I have the AmEx discount as well.

The new battery capacity is listed in the 2024 order guide. It applies to all of the SUV models except the 350 4Matic. I am not sure why that vehicle didn't get the new battery and better range. The SUV already has the disconnect between the front and rear motors, but it is being added to the 2024 sedan (along with the heat pump that the SUV already has). For the regen, I had read that they are fixing the brake pedal issues (how it feels) based on customer feedback. One other item I didn't see listed in any of the order guides is that the telematics/modem unit is now 5G. Almost all 2023 models I looked at showed the 4G module, but my SUV that was built in November shows a different part number and says 5G which should help future-proof the module. My vehicle was estimated to arrive December 1st-4th, but wasn't here yet as of yesterday. The dealer told me that it made it to the local train depot, but no word from the trucking company when they will pick it up (it is only about 30 miles away). He said they often don't let them know and just show up.

 

EQE350V4 SUV battery will stay unchanged. Front-axle disconnect is already present in the 2023s. There also won't be any chemistry changes yet. Those are reserved from 2025 onwards with silicon anode. Should be relatively little different otherwise. The 500s in SUV will get the bigger battery.

 

@ngiovas , sorry, looks like we both responded with the same thing, lol! I think the updated pedal feel is already on the SUVs for 2023. They are changing it on the sedan and EQS series now. So, whatever is in the 2023s for brake pedal should also be on the 2024. My dad has the SUV, I have the sedan. The brake pedal feel isn't all that different, to be honest. I totally get the complaints, but I'm so used to it, it doesn't bother me one bit. I always drive in "no recuperation" mode anyway to maximize range, and like how the pedal feels there.

 

@bytemaster0 Do you have the 350 or the 500? I thought about jumping up to the 500, but my wife will be the primary driver and she really liked the 350. Hopefully, she isn't overwhelmed by all of the tech.

 

I have the 350 sedan, my dad has the 350 SUV. I do have the acceleration unlock boost, it was worth it in my opinion, though the car is fast without it of course.

 

Thanks, you already answered my next question about the boost upgrade. Did they give you a free trial before you purchased it? I have heard some people say they were able to try it for 30 days before paying.

 

Interesting, no, I didn't do that. I purchased the car in May, so it may not have had a trial option then. I just went for it, glad I did.

 

Do you know if the acceleration boost is "permanent" (assuming you went for the lifetime option) - i.e. when you sell the car or return the car after a lease, would the boost be still there for the new owner?

 

As far as I know, it's permanent and tied to the vehicle. I purchased, so I know it'll stick with the car for sure.