Utopia Texas

Unlike ICE cars where air drag is not as critical EV’s are designed to slide through the air with the least possible drag so design is hampered more. Folks have complained that the Tesla Model S needs a external face lift but how is this possible. Until stronger yet lighter batteries are developed can EV exterior design change very much from how it is today and still be practical?

Crito

"Porous" designs like the Lotus Eletre uses perhaps. I really don't know if it's aerodynamically more efficient than the "egg" shape but it certainly is more attractive.

SOURCE: https://media.lotuscars.com/en/news-...hyper-suv.html

ILoveNY

do people like the EQS SUV styling?

or the EQS styling?

Crito

Mork certainly liked the EQS' style.

sarhoshamiral

I actually love the eqs styling. It is simple and a classic design. It comes down to personal preference. I was looking Polestar 3 before and didn't really like the sharper edges. Volvo Ex90 was better. Tesla styling is also OK imo, the interior is the part I see more where Tesla fails for me.

And then there is BMW I couldn't even get myself to test drive BMW iX with those hamster teeth at the front. That's what I call an ugly design.

W205C43PFL

It depends on personal preference like mentioned but also depends on the market, do people prefer ICE vehicle looking EVs or something from a sci-fi movie? Make your selection

nosnoop

Actually, you don't need an egg shape to get good aerodynamic.

Just from the look, you would have thought EQE having a better drag coefficient than BMW i5.
But in reality, surprisingly the reverse is true. i5's Cd 0.23 is better than EQE's 0.243

So I don't have any concern about exterior styling restrictions.

W205C43PFL

Well I guess MB just want to give the public an idea of the EQE being the shrunken down EQS so they didn't change the design, the design was meant to be for the EQS as you know they just copy and pasted on the EQE. Which the EQS had the drag coefficient of 0.20 but you already know that I am pretty sure. They didn't even bother making the EQE as aerodynamic as the EQS for that reason.

nosnoop

It is much harder to make EQE as aerodynamic as EQS because it is a much shorter car. I am sure they have tried their best.

Crito

Personally I think retro designs are coming back. I might even buy the 2025 Westfalia Buzz when it comes out. The 1978 Wesfalia bus was one of the coolest vehicles ever made. Hopefully VW fixes their horrible infotainment software before then.

W205C43PFL

True. Although I still believe most likely MB just want to make the EQE look like the little brother plus it does save them on R&D cost.

W205C43PFL

The new I.D Buzz do look good ngl.

Crito

Maybe as battery tech gets better people will care less about aerodynamics. Heck, the way I drive it really doesn't matter much. Think I got .5 mi/kWh on this morning's McDonald's run.

@W205C43PFL My 1978 Westfalia (bought used in 1985) had the tent popup top, refrigerator, water tank for sink, propane gas tank for stove, a closet you could hang stuff up in, 120V outlets, electrical connector on outside for RV campgrounds and you could daily drive it too unlike an RV... was just way too cool, man.

W205C43PFL

True, I did read reports of Toyota coming with lighter more efficient batteries I just don't know if that is really what will be the breakthrough. https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...vis-2026o.html

Sounds like an experience! Wish we still have those nowadays.

ILoveNY

it's on my list as well, together with the 2024 CLE and 2026 MB van.ea

W205C43PFL

Most likely this will sell like hot cakes, it is a such a good modern refresh of the old bus.

W205C43PFL

Really hope that isn't a reason for ADMs though : ( or low allocations.

ILoveNY

ID BUZZ may get huge mark-ups and EQS' aren't selling and thus offering huge discounts ... let's see what will become my first EV

Utopia Texas

The financial reality is that the average American wage earner cannot afford a 60k-150k EV. Until the industry convinces city dwellers that they only need a EV that gets 150 miles per charge to go to work, grocery store etc. EV’s are not going to sell like ICE. They also have to be in the 30k price range to be affordable to most families as a second car. Unlike members here on the MB forum not everyone makes a million dollars per year….😊

W205C43PFL

I guess I wouldn't be surprised.

nosnoop

Not likely with the expected pricing.

Crito

Model 3 and Y are getting facelifts so guess there's still some room left for design tweaking, New head/tail lights look neat anyways. Someone said new front bumper area kinda looks like a Lucid. So nothing radical though, that's for sure.

Crito

I hope the EQV comes with a camping package and that's not just for the gas powered van. Westfalia had a closet you could hang a suit up in and the bench seat pulls out into a bed tho. And that compartment with the actual Westfalia sticker on it contained a full size spare tire as I recall. Anywho, I might end up owning two Mercedes electric vehicles in a few years.

W205C43PFL

That is a barrier then

LAZARU5

With ICE cars the underlying engine and chassis usually remain pretty much unchanged for the market life of a particular generation of a vehicle. Manufacturers rely on the facelift to extend the life of that model. Drivers who trade-in their cars or renew leases every three years are probably more likely to order the same car if it does not look exactly like the one they are retiring.

On the other hand, EVs may be able to get by without a mid-life body makeover if they offer noticeable enhancements to the underlying components that make the car stop and go. Or for that matter, a glitch free user interface may be enough to get owners to upgrade to a newer model year of the same chassis. I could imagine myself back in a Taycan CT, with the same exact body as the one I traded, if 1) the range were bumped up from 215 miles to 350 miles, 2) Plug and Charge worked, and 3) the screen displays could be trusted to remain operational for an entire trip. No facelift would be required.