I've only had a couple of days in Raleigh this year where the ambient daytime temperature was below 35 degrees when I wanted to use the car. As long as you are driving from a heated garage and back with only a couple of hours parked outside, you should be fine. Of course, snow is a total non-starter. I'm certain that Michelin will be marketing a new EV AS tire soon if only to be competitive with Pirelli and Goodyear.

 

did the battery thing this weekend of bringing it below 20% and letting it sit overnight. Then charged it to 80%, range is still showing 375-400 miles

 

2023 EQE 350+ SUV 9,000 kilometers or 5,600 miles: Real range, estimated range and experience.

I've had my EQE350+ SUV since June 2024. I purchased this 2023 model at a fantastic discount. It was a year old and had only 2,500 km (1,550 miles) on the clock. Living in Madrid, Spain, I recently completed a 3,000 km (1,864 miles) road trip through France, and I have to say, the charging experience was excellent. There were plenty of chargers, especially in France, and most were fast and located in clean areas with restaurants and coffee shops. I also found charging options at some hotels and B&Bs along the way. The car performed as it should throughout the trip.

Now, with a total of 9,050 km (5,623 miles) on the odometer, here are some of my key observations:

Driving Experience and Comfort

The driving experience has been impressive! It’s incredibly quiet, comfortable, and offers fantastic driving assistance. I felt confident enough to take my hands off the steering wheel as much as the car allowed it. The screens and technology are excellent, and I have to highlight the digital lights—they are truly superb!

“Real” Range

While the range could be better given the battery size, my measurements in different scenarios provided some insights. The longest highway range I achieved at 120 km/h (75 mph) was 480 km (298 miles) on my way to the coast, which means descending 600 meters (2,000 feet). Coming back, I obtained my lowest real range up to now: 412 km (256 miles). On secondary roads, driving at 60 to 80 km/h (37 to 50 mph), I hit a remarkable range of 537 km (334 miles).

Estimated Range

Before my long trip, the car estimated a range of 712 km (442 miles) without knowing my destination. Once I entered it into the Mercedes navigator, the system calculated the necessary charging stops, the expected charge percentage when I reached each charger, and my arrival percentage at the destination. Impressively, these estimates were spot on, often only off by about 1%. The general range estimate isn't very useful, but the route-based calculations are amazing. As the navigator estimated, the real range turned out to be 440 km (273 miles) not 712 km!

Issues Encountered

While I’m thrilled with the car, it’s not without its quirks. I’ve experienced a few glitches with the MBUX system. For instance,

1. One month into owning the car it displayed a low refrigerant warning. It had to be tolled by the dealer and refiled.
2. About a month after that I couldn't start the car, and the screen displayed a series of warning signs in succession. Fortunately, the car started eventually, and after a software update at the workshop, everything has been fine since. Another time, my front view camera displayed everything upside down! A simple restart fixed that—just like rebooting a computer. After all, the car is in part a computer on wheels. I suppose these tech issues can happen with any modern car, even if it is not an EV.
3. I’ve encountered an issue with water accumulation in my garage. After driving in heavy rain, I noticed a pool of water under the back of my car—larger on the right side—when I checked in the afternoon. I didn't think to look inside the trunk. I called the Mercedes dealer, and they informed me that there were no fluids, like oil or refrigerants, that could leak from the rear of the car, so it must be rainwater. They also told me that the car itself would alert me of any problem -this has not happened. This has happened twice now after driving in the rain, which is unusual for me. My previous cars, including a Mercedes GLK, never had this problem. Has anyone else experienced this?
4. As for other concerns that some have mentioned, I either haven't faced them or have adapted (like with the brakes). The charging speed of 170 kW has been adequate, allowing me to charge without feeling like I’m losing time compared to an internal combustion vehicle.
5. I was surprised to learn that charging speed depends on the battery’s current charge level, and that preconditioning the battery for charging ties me to the Mercedes GPS instead of using Google Maps or other apps.

I hope you find this information helpful! Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 

Sharing this, FervargasB, in case you haven't seen yet:
https://evkx.net/models/mercedes/eqe...chargingcurve/

 

Thank you Scott for sharing this. It seems more or less accurate for my vehicle. The fasted charging speed I have achieved with a 30% charge has been 171 for a while. All in all, fast enough.