Hi all,

Did any of you cross-shop the EQS and iX? I had a great test drive of the iX M60. I love the performance, comfort and technology, but I'm pretty meh about the exterior styling.

If you've driven both, how does the EQS compare in terms of ride, handling, power and luxury?

Thanks!
Mike

PS: I wrote up my full thoughts on the IX here, but here are my takeaways of you're curious:
* Its air suspension delivers a blissfully smooth ride.
* The dual-motor M60 packs tremendous torque and simply catapults away from stop lights.
* Given the soft ride, I thought the iX would be a sloshing mess in the corners, but the opposite was true. The suspension hunkers down and keeps the body tidy.
* The cabin has great forward and side visibility, very generous seating front and rear, and the Hans Zimmer sounds are an inspired touch. If you're faking engine sounds, make it fun and musical!

 

I won't consider any BMW until they get rid of that ugly, no worse than ugly - grotesque grill.

 

yeah same here. The interior looks nice but the grille is a deal breaker and we didn’t even look into the specs and details of the car.

 

my friend has one ix50 and range is about 330 miles, interior is a smaller than EQS SUV. well the price of ix50 is only 95k so....
ix50 does handle better tho

I owned 8 BMW cars for passed 18 years. From E46 M3 to F80 M3CS. the latest design just way off I just can't take it.
ix interior I just dont understand their design even the seats are like........ why!!!!!
performance ix is good but both exterior and interior design just not my cup of tea.

 

I had an order for in iX 50 for a year and finally gave up on it. I did test drive the dealers demo and I was underwhelmed by the interior but the drive was solid. The EQS SUV drives great, lots of power and has a far more luxurious interior. In the back of my mind I wanted an EQS SUV when it came to market but would have bought the iX if had came in by Spring. There has been a number of major battery recalls for the iX and a replacement battery can take several months to be installed. Of course that can happen to any EV but in comparison, the EQS SUV has been solid for most buyers with the exception of several on this forum who have been sorting out battery failure messages. As for the appearance of the iX, I wasn't a fan but was willing to live with it to own an EV SUV. Thank goodness MB came to market soon enough to save us the bother of buying the iX and then taking a bath to get into our EQS 580 SUV. We feel it is the best car we've ever owned and we've owned a lot a fine cars over the years (several Lexus RX and a LS460, several MB GLS's, and a BMW X7 50i to name a few).

 

Thank you for the informative comparison!

 

On the M3 and M4, the aftermarket was not able to improve the grill because the engine needed the airflow cooling. But on the iX the "grill" is air sealed. I wonder if the aftermarket will fix the iX's face in the future.

(Not that BMW shouldn't have gotten it right in the first place!)

 

Agree. The car is awesome but that grill is so ugly I just could not own one. What was BMW thinking...

 

I had an IX on order but there was no hope of getting it before the tax rebate changes kicked in. IX interior was super weird but I could tolerate the exterior styling that everyone dislikes. BMW reliability is traditionally not great - the auto fog moon roof has issues in addition to several battery recalls. IX is built entirely in Germany and has to be shipped and there is no local supply chain for parts. However IX costs significantly less that the EQS and has better range and handling. We decided to go with the EQS since it qualified for the tax rebate till end of year and was a better overall fit in terms of styling, ultra luxury and comfort. I predict the IX will eventually flop and be discontinued like the i3 in a couple of years.

 

I briefly considered an ix50 as an alternative to the EQE SUV. I couldn't get past the ugly grill and overall "tank-like" appearance of the vehicle.
I know the EQE and EQS SUV's get a lot of complaints for the "blob" nature of the exterior design, but I can accept that for aerodynamic reasons.
It's difficult to believe the iX50 tank has good aerodynamics...

 

The rate at which the ix is selling, I doubt that it will flop. Rarely have I seen a car that is so loved by owners and reviewers. Most reviewers hate the grill, and some don’t like idrive 8, but they all give the ix a high rating. I think EQE will be the only real competitor to the ix.

 

As others have said, it came down to being able to receive delivery by year end. Had an IX on order since March and never made it to production. Would have waited if not for the IRS rule changes on the credits.

Started looking at other options and found the EQS.

While the iX is cheaper there are a few things I like much better on the EQS (These are all opinion!):

1. Build quality seems more luxurious. Leather and suppleness throughout where the Ix seems more focused on the eco green aspects

2. Ride comfort and quietness a step up from the Ix (IMHO).

3. Very comfortable seats. Much More so than what was on the dealer IX demo. I ordered the upgraded multi contour massage seats, but never sat in them. So not a good comparison to make a real judgement.

4. IX drove more like a sport utility (sporty drive factor) vs the S class luxury feel of the EQS. Personal choice, but I have come to like the luxury comfort over the sportiness.

5. I’ve already mentioned luxury a few times.

6. I do like the sound effects of the Ix over the EQS. I prefer the futuristic wooshing over the fake motor sounds. And some sounds on the EQS are just bizarre. Like the metal on metal grinding sound when you are idling or taking off. It goes away at 30 mph, but just a strange sound. I thought something was wrong at first
Update edit - after further reading this seems to be the sound generator for pedestrians. Just a weird slightly irritating sound I wish could be turned off on the inside.

7. The EQS seems bigger. Not sure of the specs but the EQS feels bigger. It will take a third row of seats which is not an option on BMW.

8. Doors. I have never been a big fan of the glass directly against the body panel doors. Feels flimsy and cheap. I like the heavy framed doors of the EQS.

9. Controls are more intuitive in the IX and (I think) it has real buttons for common features where it makes sense. (Like certain seat controls, steering wheel heater, ac controls, etc….EQS is mostly all touch screens and sliders.
Update - after seeing the "Multi Function" seats - the physical seat controls are pretty much the same. See below for addition details.

10. Wheel options are better on the EQS.

11. You can actually buy an EQS.

After a couple of weeks of diving here are a few updates:

1. I really like the rear wheel steering of the EQS (10 degrees). Amazing turn radius.

2. I am getting much better range than published (At least math wise). I have left it unplugged for a week now and still plenty of battery. Based on the consumption and remaining battery indicator, the math works out to 350+ miles on a charge. (Rated at 285 - EQS 450 4matic). I'll let you know if this holds true.
UPDATE - After leaving it unplugged for 2 weeks, I charged when it reached 40%. The car came up with the same math I did. It is showing 355 miles at 100% charge. Not bad.

3. Seat comfort in the EQS is winning hands down. BMW dealer finally got a loaded M60. (After I have been waiting 9 months and purchased the EQS. Come to find out that "Multi Function" seats are NOT the same as "Multi Contour" (Chip shortage??). Only additional functions besides up/down/forward/backward are the lumbar and wing bolsters. No thigh adjustment, no upper seat tilt adjustment, and didn't really look at headrest adjustments. AND massage is only lumbar massage and ONLY on the driver side. No lumber or massage for passenger. I assume they will become available later when chips are back in supply. EQS has full body massage AND seat kinetics for both Driver and Passenger.

4. EQS Light shows (interior and exterior are amazing)

5. Haven't decided if I am a fan of the electric shading on the sunroof of the IX. I like the old school retractable shade on the EQS. The IX "shading" seems dark enough, but I can still see the sun peeping down on me from above. Not sure how that will fair when the temps get back to 110 degrees this summer - No it's not Global warming. Its always that hot around here. :-0

6. Have come to like the "Metal" switches and controls (Window and seat controls) in the EQS over the Crystal controls in the IX (Seat and center control knob). While BMW did a really nice job on the crystal in my X5, its comes across as a little "over the top" in the IX.

7. One thing I find amusing is the back up up Beeping. I forget and keep thinking there is a delivery truck around me somewhere.....

8. EQS was not warning me of cross traffic when backing up. Found the setting to turn that on and works now, Just weird its a separate setting you have to activate separate from the other safety and parking aides.

9. Another quirk that I cant seem to adjust is the collision warning that beeps when I am standing still waiting to pull out and another vehicle makes the right hand turn into the street/lot I am sitting on.

10. Now there are a couple of things that have happened that are a little concerning: Have only happened once so far.
A. Late afternoon the car suddenly slammed on its brakes in the middle of the road to keep me from "crashing into" a shadow that was crossing the road.
B. Pushed the start button and the only thing on the dashboard was a message "Critical Malfunction". Had to turn off the car and open/close the door to get it to reset and start.

Biggest complaint? - No cornering lights (That I can figure out anyway). Certainly not worth a "STRIKE" against the vehicle.

 

“6. I do like the sound effects of the Ix over the eqs. I prefer the futuristic wooshing over the fake motor sounds. And some sounds on the eqs are just bizarre. Like the metal on metal grinding sound when you are idling or taking off. It goes away at 30 mph, but just a strange sound. I thought something was wrong at first.”

Thanks for mentioning this. I also think the metal grinding noise is strange. I also thought something was wrong , like my rotors were scraping all the time. I’ll have to pay more attention to see if it’s 30 mph where I don’t hear it as well.

 

Me too on NO.6. I was able to open another thread to ask that 19-25 mph weird scraping sound from front motor.....

 

My EQS SUV is on order. Can I assume that "Sound Effects" can be completely disabled?

 

yes, it is disabled on default

 

I get it, I don't care for any them and MB was wise to disable them by default. Always allow the customer to decide what to use by way of tech.

 

A little confused here. The iX does have a few shortcut buttons on the center console but as for most seat controls and massage, steering wheel heating, seat heater/ventilation, etc, they’re all in the touch screen climate/seats menu. The iX really only has a physical defroster buttons. The climate menu also is not fixed on the screen like the EQS, just the temp controls.

 

I tried the message function in the IX and could barely feel anything useful. Not that EQS delivers deep tissue levels but definitely way better.

For those not liking the EQS sounds .. recommend trying the roaring pulse if you are lucky to have it.

 

Main one that comes to mind is a steering wheel heater button (I thought I remember one on the steering wheel - I know my x5 and 745 have one), Can’t even find one on the eqs. Only way I can activate I the steering wheel without the seats is via “hey Mercedes.”

of course I’ve only had the eqs 3 days and driven bmws for many years. More acquainted to the I drive interfaces.

 

except for the pedestrian external sound generator (scraping sound). Can be heard on the inside and cannot disable.

 

If you enable your heated seat (levels 1-3), the heated steering wheel will also be enabled. Or you can say 'Hey Mercedes - turn on the heated steering wheel'.

 

If you disabled all artificial sounds, I think you may be hearing the electric motors when they become alternators to recuperate energy. EV's make this sound during recuperation.

 

The pedestrian sound is required by law and cannot be turned off.

 

You are correct. This is from page 190 of the Owners Manual:


Observe the following notes on vehicle noise emissions and the acoustic vehicle alerting system:

The vehicle is equipped with an all-electric drive system and produces considerably lower stationary and vehicle noise emissions than a vehicle with a combustion engine.
For this reason the vehicle is equipped with a sound generator, which serves as an acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS). This safety device is prescribed by law.
The external noise of the sound generator is perceptible in the vehicle interior when the vehicle is stationary and at low speeds and does not represent a malfunction.

The sound generator generates stationary noise and speed-dependent vehicle noise emissions up to a speed of around 25 mph (30 km/h).

This helps other road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, to hear your vehicle better.
When you drive at speeds above 20 mph (20 km/h) the acoustic vehicle alerting system will gradually switch off.
Despite the sound generator, the vehicle still may not be heard by other road users. Adapt your driving style accordingly.