Tour the luxurious interior of Mercedes-Benz's $141,000 Tesla rival, which has 4 screens, massaging seats, and a fingerprint scanner

Tim LevinNov 1, 2022, 01:19 IST

The Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

I drove the EQS, Mercedes-Benz's first electric car for the US set to take on the Tesla Model S.
It stuns with a screen-filled and immensely comfortable interior.

Some electric cars are all about affordability, quickness, or range.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

But in Mercedes-Benz's new EQS, a mind-blowing interior full of luxurious touches and tech features steals the show.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The company recently lent me a $141,000 EQS 580 to get a closer look at the new rival to Tesla's Model S.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Here's a full tour of what you get inside the battery-powered version of Mercedes-Benz's famed S-Class sedan.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Slip inside and you're cradled by comfy leather seats that have massaging, cooling, and heating functions.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The seat controls are on the door and feel super sturdy.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

It doesn't take long to notice that everything inside the EQS feels supremely high-end and well-built.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The turbine-style air vents swivel smoothly and the knurled-metal dial that controls the windshield wipers turns with a satisfying click.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The flat-bottomed steering wheel is thick and substantial.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

There's an elegant wood panel that slides away to reveal cupholders and a smartphone-charging center.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Nearby you'll find the car's start button, a button for selecting drive modes, and some extra controls for the media player.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Mercedes also included a fingerprint scanner. It allows different drivers to hop in, scan their fingerprint, and have all the car's settings exactly how they like them.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The central storage cubby in my test car was covered in suede.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Ambient lighting strips are scattered throughout the interior. Passengers can choose from 64 colors or multicolor options.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

One nice touch: A slim piece of trim weaves its way, almost unbroken, around the entire cockpit.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The star of the show is the 56-inch "Hyperscreen." It brings the wow factor with three distinct displays housed under a single sheet of glass.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The driver gets a digital instrument cluster that can be configured in a bunch of different ways.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The center screen lets you navigate to a destination, find charging stations, and play around with tons of vehicle settings. It's remarkably intuitive and responsive to taps.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The center screen lets you navigate to a destination, find charging stations, and play around with tons of vehicle settings. It's remarkably intuitive and responsive to taps.

It also houses the climate controls, which permanently live in a panel toward the bottom of the screen.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

When the car senses a passenger in the front seat, it switches on the third screen.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

It lets passengers plot a route or change the music without having to mess around with the main touchscreen.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

There's also a head-up display that projects speed, cruise-control settings, and turn-by-turn directions onto the windshield. So you don't have to pay attention to the screens all the time if you don't want to.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

There's also a head-up display that projects speed, cruise-control settings, and turn-by-turn directions onto the windshield. So you don't have to pay attention to the screens all the time if you don't want to.

If this all feels like information overload, don't fret. The Hyperscreen is optional and the EQS comes standard with a more modest display.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

The back seats have plenty of legroom and headroom. Plus the "Executive Rear Seating Package" on my test car added a ton of extra goodies.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Back-seat passengers get their own climate controls and air vents.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

That's no surprise in a car of this caliber.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Fold down the center armrest, and things start to get a bit more exciting.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

There you'll find a touchscreen that adjusts things like the massaging seats, media player, and ambient lighting.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

It's removable.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Inside the armrest, there's a wireless phone charger.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Back-seat passengers also get squishy little pillows for napping.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Dual sunroofs add to a sense of openness in the cabin.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

Overall, the EQS 580 is a quiet, comfortable, and exceedingly pleasant place to be — if you can afford it.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580.Tim Levin/Insider

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Tour the luxurious interior of Mercedes-Benz's $141,000 Tesla rival, which has 4 screens, massaging seats, and a fingerprint scanner

Some electric cars are all about affordability, quickness, or range.

But in Mercedes-Benz's new EQS, a mind-blowing interior full of luxurious touches and tech features steals the show.

The company recently lent me a $141,000 EQS 580 to get a closer look at the new rival to Tesla's Model S.

Here's a full tour of what you get inside the battery-powered version of Mercedes-Benz's famed S-Class sedan.

Slip inside and you're cradled by comfy leather seats that have massaging, cooling, and heating functions.

The seat controls are on the door and feel super sturdy.

It doesn't take long to notice that everything inside the EQS feels supremely high-end and well-built.

The turbine-style air vents swivel smoothly and the knurled-metal dial that controls the windshield wipers turns with a satisfying click.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel is thick and substantial.

There's an elegant wood panel that slides away to reveal cupholders and a smartphone-charging center.

Nearby you'll find the car's start button, a button for selecting drive modes, and some extra controls for the media player.

Mercedes also included a fingerprint scanner. It allows different drivers to hop in, scan their fingerprint, and have all the car's settings exactly how they like them.

The central storage cubby in my test car was covered in suede.

Ambient lighting strips are scattered throughout the interior. Passengers can choose from 64 colors or multicolor options.

One nice touch: A slim piece of trim weaves its way, almost unbroken, around the entire cockpit.

The star of the show is the 56-inch "Hyperscreen." It brings the wow factor with three distinct displays housed under a single sheet of glass.

The driver gets a digital instrument cluster that can be configured in a bunch of different ways.

The center screen lets you navigate to a destination, find charging stations, and play around with tons of vehicle settings. It's remarkably intuitive and responsive to taps.

It also houses the climate controls, which permanently live in a panel toward the bottom of the screen.

When the car senses a passenger in the front seat, it switches on the third screen.

It lets passengers plot a route or change the music without having to mess around with the main touchscreen.

There's also a head-up display that projects speed, cruise-control settings, and turn-by-turn directions onto the windshield. So you don't have to pay attention to the screens all the time if you don't want to.

If this all feels like information overload, don't fret. The Hyperscreen is optional and the EQS comes standard with a more modest display.

The back seats have plenty of legroom and headroom. Plus the "Executive Rear Seating Package" on my test car added a ton of extra goodies.

Back-seat passengers get their own climate controls and air vents.

That's no surprise in a car of this caliber.

Fold down the center armrest, and things start to get a bit more exciting.

There you'll find a touchscreen that adjusts things like the massaging seats, media player, and ambient lighting.

It's removable.

Inside the armrest, there's a wireless phone charger.

Back-seat passengers also get squishy little pillows for napping.

Dual sunroofs add to a sense of openness in the cabin.

Overall, the EQS 580 is a quiet, comfortable, and exceedingly pleasant place to be — if you can afford it.