World renowned supercar designer, Frank Stephenson, gives his opinion of the new Mercedes EQXX and it’s incredible aerodynamic design. This week I’m looking at Mercedes new design, the EQXX, to analyse the design and better understand what makes this marvellous mechanism such an enemy of the wind!
The Mercedes VISION EQXX That CHEATS The Wind!
Mercedes Vision EQXX is a fantastic concept vehicle. It’s a perfect exhibition of what the German automaker can do in terms of aerodynamic efficiency, which plays a huge role in the EV era. In fact, the Vision EQXX concept car is designed to slice through the air with a drag coefficient of just 0.17, allowing it to cover over 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) on a single charge.
With design heavily involved in this impressive aero feat, famed designer Frank Stephenson steps in and gives his take on the Vision EQXX’s styling on his latest YouTube upload. Let’s just say that he’s generally impressed with the car, but he had a few improvements in mind.
The former McLaren designer – responsible for the numbered models such as the P1, P4-12C, and 720S – thought that the Vision EQXX was exciting to look at, especially considering the amount of simplicity that’s required from a car that’s aerodynamic.
However, Stephenson pointed out that there are other things that can be improved on the Vision EQXX. The side mirrors can be smaller for better drag coefficient, as well as the presence of door handles. He also thought that the front door shut line is a little too straight – a stark contrast with the car’s multitude of curves. And while he adores the rear end of the concept, he thought that the panel in between the taillights and the bumper was a bit lifeless.
Stephenson also noticed that the Vision EQXX’s wheel lip still has a hard feature line, which antiquated the design. With Ferrari, Maserati, BMW, and Mini on his portfolio, he sure knows a thing or two about automotive design. In the end, Stephenson gave the Vision EQXX a score of 9.3, which puts it at the sixth spot of his top 10, just under the Ferrari Roma.
