Mercedes EQE SUV Alabama-Built Starts At $79,050

Mercedes today announced that the all-electric EQE SUV built at its Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant will arrive in American dealerships in the spring of 2023. Prices for the brand-new model will start at $79,050 ($77,900 + $1,150 destination charge), which is around $20,000 more than Mercedes’ equivalent internal combustion vehicle, the GLE.
 

For that, customers will be offered the EQE 350+ or the EQE 350 4MATIC SUV, which both offer 288 hp (215 kW/292 PS), but the former is rear-wheel drive and gets 300–369 miles (480-590 km) of range while the latter is all-wheel drive and can only go 287–349 miles (459-558 km) per charge, according to Europe’s generally more optimistic WLTP standard.
 
Mercedes says it priced both models at the same amount to enhance value for customers “for the highest volume model.” That price, though, allows the SUV to sneak in just under the price limit for $7,500 federal EV incentives.
 
That means that the lowest, Premium trim, is quite generous, offering MBUX EQ Navigation services, the big 12.8-inch OLED infotainment screen and the 12.3-inch driver display, a surround view monitor, heated front seats, MB-Tex upholstery, a Burmester sound system, lane keeping assistance, and more.
 
For $80,000 exactly ($81,150 after delivery fees), meanwhile, buyers can step up to the Exclusive trim, which adds MBUX augmented reality for the navigation system, active ambient lighting, and the driver assistance package, which comes with an automatic lane change function.
 
Finally, the EQE 350+ SUV and EQE 350 4MATIC SUV can be had in the Pinnacle trim, which adds four-zone climate control, an air balance package, a heads-up display, 100W USB-C package, the digital lighting package, and the Mercedes star pattern logo projectors. This trim is offered starting at $84,750.
 
For those customers interested in a little more power, there will also be the EQE 500 4MATIC SUV. This model has 396 hp (300 kW/402 PS) and can go 288–342 miles (460-547 km) on the WLTP standard.
 
It comes with the same trim level packages as the 350 models, with prices starting at $90,650 for the Premium trim, which comes with AMG line exterior design cues, 20-inch wheels, leather upholstery, and 10-degree rear-axle steering. The higher trims add the same features on the 500 as they do on the less powerful models, but prices for the Exclusive trim start at $92,750, while the Pinnacle trim starts at $96,350.
 

All buyers will benefit from unlimited free 30-minute DC fast-charging sessions at Electrify America charging stations for the first two years of ownership.