News

The 2024 Cadillac Celestiq debuts as the most extravagant and expensive model the brand has ever built.The electric Celestiq is an avant-garde, four-seater hatchback that’s made by hand and built to order. Cadillac fits every model with an expected 600 horsepower, an estimated 300 miles of range, and a base price of more than $300,000.When was the last time Cadillac was truly considered the Standard of the World? If you’re like us and have to phone a friend to answer that question, then you might need to have your grandparents’ landline on speed dial. The point is it’s been a long time, but the brand looks to return to those former glory days as a legit luxury coachbuilder with the 2024 Celestiq, a moonshot model the company claims is one of the most important in its 120-year history.Celestiq Selected ReadingFor those already familiar with the Celestiq concept that Cadillac revealed back in July, the production car’s specialness won’t be a surprise, especially since it’s nearly identical to the preceding show car. Cadillac basically just replaced the concept’s camera-fed exterior mirrors with traditional ones and called it good. Still, here’s a quick recap or primer: The Celestiq is a battery-electric avant-garde four-passenger hatchback that’s built by hand and tailor-made for individual customers. It also features a bespoke platform based on General Motors’s Ultimum battery technology A Caddy for Kings and QueensIf you haven’t already connected the dots, this Caddy isn’t attainable for blue-collar folks, no matter how fat their yearly bonus check is. And that’s the point. Cadillac commissioned this ambitious car to reconnect with its heritage, reboot its image, and be the flagship of the brand’s plans to go entirely electric by 2030. Needless to say, the Celestiq is extremely expensive, with a $300,000-plus base price that’ll rise based on customers’ individual customizations. Cadillac also says it will only build a limited number every year at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Those allocations will only be available to those on a waitlist. So, what does Celestiq mean and where did the name come from? That’s not important. What’s important is that it doesn’t have a generic alphanumeric moniker like some other models Cadillac sells. It also maintains Cadillac’s plan to use the suffix “iq” at the end of its electric vehicles’ model names, a trend that began with the recently introduced Lyriq electric SUV. That’s better than the Celestiq being called the CT7 or something similarly uninspiring.Dramatiq CelestiqWhat’s not uninspiring is the Celestiq’s dramatiq (see what we did there?) proportions. We were lucky enough to see it in person, and to call it stunning is an understatement. Shining in hand-painted Santorini Blue (just one of 200 available exterior colors Cadillac mastered for the Celestiq, not counting the infinite color-match options), the big EV looks incredibly long and low-slung. We’re told its windshield is angled steeper than that of the latest Corvette. Unlike the mid-engined Chevy sports car, the electric Celestiq’s bodywork is tastefully sculpted. Its slippery surface hides extensive carbon-fiber body panels that are virtually void of defined lines. There’s no belt molding or door handles, either. The large power-operated front and rear doors open at the touch of discreet buttons on the B-pillar, but not before the Celestiq welcomes the driver with a light show when it detects the key fob is within 15 feet. We’re told the sequence takes advantage of Cadillac’s first-ever “digital micromirror” headlights that feature 1.3 million pixels each. CadillacWhile the Celestiq’s grille design and hockey-stick-like taillights look similar to those of the Lyriq, its remaining details offer a unique showcase of the particular manufacturing processes Cadillac employs to build this machine. The Celestiq’s underbody consists of six mega-sized aluminum castings that are said to reduce normally necessary components by 30–40 parts apiece. Every model also features 300-plus fabricated bits that are made through a process that can bend and fold metal like origami (as opposed to traditional stamping techniques). Cadillac also went crazy with 3-D printing on the Celestiq, and the EV boasts 115 such parts on the likes of its steering wheel and interior trim.Let the Cabin Be Your CanvasCadillac’s elegant approach to design is reflected inside the Celestiq, which features a refreshingly simple layout that’s intended to serve as a canvas for customers. The company wanted the interior materials front and center, and the individualization offered is virtually endless. It’s all about how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, as one Cadillac spokesperson told Car and Driver. There’s even an option for leather-wrapped flooring because of course there is. The cast-aluminum piece on the dash allows for custom engraving; the same goes for the metal elements on the door sill, edges of the floor mats, etc. If you think the 38 inches of curved OLED screens in the Cadillac Escalade are impressive, prepare to pick your jaw up off the floor. The Celestiq features 55 inches of glass that spans from the left front pillar to the right front pillar. The single piece of glass hides two separate screens, with the driver facing one and the front passenger facing the other. For safety reasons, the passenger’s side has a privacy feature that shields it from the driver’s view so they can’t side-eye a movie while driving.The Celestiq’s interior technology also consists of an 11.0-inch touchscreen that sprouts up from the front center console. While there’s an ominous lack of physical buttons, there’s a rotary controller and a volume knob on the center console. Phew. Those in the Celestiq’s two individual and highly adjustable rear seats even have their own digital command center by way of an 8.0-inch touchscreen display. The setup includes settings for the Gentherm four-zone climate system that’s said to allow intimate tailoring of temps, including those for the heated and cooled cushions.While some of the Celestiq’s features wouldn’t be out of place on a Mercedes-Benz S-class, others are more in line with the Caddy’s hefty price tag. Take the Celestiq’s smart glass roof that uses allows people to control the amount of light that comes through in four separate sections. Every Celestiq is also equipped with GM’s Ultra Cruise hands-free driving-assist technology that uses a combination of cameras, radars, and lidar in order to work on more than two million miles of various roadways (including but not limited to highways) in the United States and Canada. The Flagship of Electric CadillacsCadillac didn’t just build the Celestiq to be a big comfy cruiser that looks like more than a quarter of a million bucks, and every one of these big EVs comes equipped with an air suspension system and the fourth generation of GM’s magnetorheological shocks. Additionally, the Celestiq also has rear-wheel steering and a variable-ratio electric steering system. It also marks the debut of Cadillac’s active anti-roll bars. The front and rear suspension both feature independent five-link configurations. Large 23-inch wheels, which are wrapped with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport EV summer tires that were specially developed for the Celestiq (they even have a unique sidewall graphic), serve as the mediators between the Caddy’s chassis and the road below.The Celestiq is motivated by a pair of electric motors (one at each axle) that work together to generate an estimated 600 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac claims this allows the all-wheel-drive Celestiq to race to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. Maintain a light enough right foot, though, and Cadillac estimates the Celestiq will go 300 miles on a full charge of its 111-kWh battery pack. (That’s gross capacity, as Cadillac’s currently mum on the pack’s useable capacity.) To maximize interior space, Cadillac positions the Celestiq’s battery cells horizontally.As with most ultra-luxury cars, the 2024 Cadillac Celestiq, which enters production in December 2023, really has to be seen in person to be appreciated. Unfortunately, its exclusive nature will likely make it a rare sight. Of course, that’s what Cadillac wanted when it set out to design the Celestiq.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

The 2023 Jeep Avenger is the brand’s first fully electric model, and today it debuted at the Paris auto show.Unfortunately for fans of the adorably rugged little EV SUV, Jeep will not be offering the subcompact Avenger in America.Jeep also revealed the Avenger 4×4 concept that features blue front tow hooks, wider fenders, and chunkier tires.Don’t worry, all you EV-loving Jeep fans who live in America. The company won’t sell the 2023 Jeep Avenger—its first fully electric model—in the U.S., but the electron-fueled Recon and tentatively titled Wagoneer S will fill that void when they both eventually arrive on our shores in 2024. While we wait, let’s take a closer look at the Avenger, which today made its debut at the Paris auto show.Jeep EVs: Read All About ‘Em!The Jeep Avenger has been on our radar for a while now. We caught our first glimpse of it back in March when Jeep’s parent company, Stellantis, announced its future EV plans. A lot was said, but what really caught our attention was the image of the chunky, yellow model that accurately previewed the Avenger’s appearance. Then, early last month, Jeep revealed details about the upcoming Recon and Wagoneer S as well as the Avenger’s official name, its production design, and that it wouldn’t be sold in America. Womp.Jeep Avenger, Assemble!The Avenger’s small dimensions are well-suited for Europe. It’s considerably smaller than the already stubby Jeep Renegade—about a half-foot shorter, actually. Jeep says the Avenger is about 4.1 meters long, which equals about 161 inches, and it rides on 18-inch wheels. Thanks to short overhangs, the tiny ute has a 20-degree approach angle and a 32-degree departure angle. It also has about 7.9 inches of ground clearance. Jeep says it even has hill-descent control and skid plates. Of course, we doubt many Avenger drivers will try to tackle truly treacherous terrain. At the Avenger’s core is a 400-volt electrical system that pairs with a single electric motor powering the front wheels; a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive 4xe model is reportedly coming, too. Oddly enough, there will also be a gas engine option available at launch, but it’ll only be offered in Italy and Spain. Regardless, the front-drive Avenger EV has 154 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. Its electric motor draws power from a lithium-ion battery pack with a gross capacity of 54.0 kWh. The Jeep’s DC fast-charging speed tops out at 100 kW, and that’s said to take the battery from 20 to 80 percent in approximately 24 minutes.Cockpit and Really Cool 4×4 ConceptInside, the Avenger’s cabin features a clean dashboard design that’s highlighted by a body-color panel that connects the front pillars and includes integrated air vents. Along with a 10.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, the driver faces either a 7.0- or 10.3-inch digital gauge cluster. There’s also a parcel shelf bisecting the dash that provides a perfect place to store small items. The front of the center console has a unique foldable magnetic cover, and the space it protects has a wireless charging pad and can hold a 1.5-liter bottle. Need to store bigger stuff? The rear cargo area will swallow 13 cubic feet of junk.While a tiny electric Jeep is cool, especially one that looks like the Avenger, we weren’t too bent out of shape about its forbidden-fruit status—at least not until we saw the rad Avenger 4×4 concept that Jeep also revealed at the Paris auto show. It features wider fenders and a wider track as well as chunkier tires. There’s also additional front lighting and a unique hood with a black decal and a blue-trimmed vent that ties in with the other blue accents on the front tow hooks. We’re told the 4×4 concept improves on the regular Avenger’s off-road attributes with more ground clearance and slightly steeper approach and departure angles. Needless to say, now we are a little bummed it’s not coming to our shores.The 2023 Jeep Avenger will be built at Stellantis’s factory in Tychy, Poland, and it’s slated to arrive in European showrooms early next year.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

HBOMax will release a full-length documentary on land speed racer Jessi Combs on October 20.Combs died in August 2019 in Oregon while trying to break a 512-mph record as a driver with the North American Eagle team. The movie, titled The Fastest Woman on Earth, is the result of a seven-year filmmaking project. HBOMaxIt should surprise no one that drivers striving to set land speed records aren’t ordinary people. Nor are they necessarily successful and accomplished racing drivers, which is why names like Andretti, Earnhardt, and Schumacher aren’t in the speed record books. Instead, they tend to be thrill-seeking daredevils who enjoy the limelight and eschew conventional life. This new HBOmax documentary, The Fastest Woman on Earth, clearly illustrates that such people come in all genders.This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.The Fastest Woman On Earth | Official Trailer | HBO MaxWatch onJessi Combs was a gifted car fabricator with a powerful affinity for both cars and motorcycles. She parlayed these talents and passions into a number of successful off-road race drives and a career as TV personality with a long list of shows to her credit—Overhaulin’, Mythbusters, The List: 1001 Car Things to Do before You Die, All Girls Garage, Full Throttle TV, Xtreme 4×4. More about Jessi CombsIn the process she connected with Ed Shadle and his San Diego-based team that had created the North American Eagle—essentially a 60-year-old Lockheed F-104 jet fighter shorn of its wings and fitted with wheels—to try to take the 763-mph land speed record from the British Thrust SSC team. Created in 1998, the team made slow but steady progress and set its intermediate goal as taking the unofficial 512-mph women’s land speed record set in 1976 (the women’s record is unofficial because the FIA, which tabulates speed records, understands that a car’s performance is unrelated to the sex of its driver). With her automotive background, on-camera skills, strong following, and daredevil nature, Combs had found her next quest.Land speed record cars are two to four times as fast as Indy, NASCAR, or Formula 1 cars. And the rules are wide open. So long as the car rolls on wheels, pretty much anything goes. Yet despite the fact that the cars are so much faster and their designs so much more original, the budgets of the teams fielding these earth-bound rockets are a small fraction of what is spent by a professional racing team in a major series. Speed-record teams are often barely more than amateur organizations—almost LeMons racers (as in the very amateur racing series) to the 10th power.For Combs, being involved in such an effort, as well as maintaining her TV appearances and high social media profile, clearly required an extreme commitment. Combs acknowledges as much, concluding that having a more normal life and a family seem unlikely for someone with her ambitions, especially as a woman in what is largely a man’s world.In one of the movie’s most interesting sections, Combs seeks out the existing women’s speed record holder, Kitty O’Neil, who was a former stuntwoman in Hollywood and had her record ambitions cut short for various unfair reasons. The connection between the two women, who are clearly cut from similar cloth, is fascinating and touching.I would have liked more technical explanation about the North American Eagle and the details of the various runs, but then I’m an engineering nerd. But watching the speeds increase during the years spent running at the Alvord Desert in southeastern Oregon gives you an idea of what a long and painstaking process it is to achieve a record. Especially when your ambitions are delayed when weather conditions render the desert surface unsuitable in some years. Combs eventually does achieve her goal—and pays the ultimate price.The movie goes live on HBOmax on October 20 and is well worth watching for anyone interested in land speed record racing, breaking gender stereotypes, or unconventional life choices. Most of us will marvel at all that Combs accomplished, while also being grateful for our more sedate lives.Csaba Csere survived a 200-plus-mph flip at Bonneville in 1995 while pursuing a much more modest production car speed record.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

After Mini’s American arm removed the manual transmission from the brand’s lineup in May as a result of supply chain constraints, the automaker announced it’s bringing the stick back for 2023. Starting with vehicles produced in November, the manual transmission option for two-door Hardtop Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works variants will once again be available. Mini is simplifying its trim levels by dropping the base version of the Hardtop Cooper, in turn, driving the entry price from $24,250 to a much higher $28,600.We’ve been talking about saving the manuals for years around the Car and Driver office, and yet they continue to disappear. Mini’s American arm removed the manual transmission option from the brand’s vehicles in May, as a result of constrained supplies affected by COVID and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Now, Mini is bringing the option back for U.S.-bound two-door Hardtops in Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works guises, with production of these stick-shift 2023 model-year vehicles due to kick off next month.More from MiniOn the flip side, Mini is dropping the $24,250 Cooper Classic trim from the Hardtop for 2023, making the $28,600 Signature 2.0 the model’s new entry-level trim. Mini cited global supply chain constraints as its reason for abandoning the more affordable Classic trim. Newly standard power folding mirrors and auto-dimming rearview mirror ought to make the 2023 Mini Hardtop’s higher starting sum a bit easier to swallow. MiniOther changes for the 2023 model year include the addition of two new exterior colors: Melting Silver III and Nanuq White. Alas, Pepper White, White Silver, and Moonwalk Grey are taken off the little hatchback’s color palette.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

For 2023, the Honda Civic’s LX base model is no more, meaning the Sport is now the least expensive trim.The better-equipped Sport starts at $25,745, which is $2100 more than last year’s LX trim.Other trim levels are up by between $500–$700 compared with last year for both the sedan and hatchback bodystyles.The elimination of the base model is becoming a common refrain at Honda—and many other automakers. The new 2023 CR-V dropped the lowest LX trim level for its redesign, resulting in a significant rise in its starting price, and now the 2023 Civic sedan and hatchback are following the same lead. There will be no Civic LX for 2023, meaning the lineup now starts with the Civic Sport, which costs $25,745, or $2100 more than the 2022 Civic LX.Fortunately, you do get more for your money, as the Sport comes with extra equipment including 18-inch wheels, proximity-key entry, and paddle shifters for the continuously variable automatic transmission. The Civic Sport is now the only version of the Civic with the naturally aspirated 158-hp 2.0-liter inline-four engine; the higher EX and Touring trims come with a more powerful 1.5-liter turbo-four. The Civic Sport hatchback, which starts $100 higher than the sedan, still offers a six-speed manual transmission as a no-cost option.More on HondaHonda says that these pricing and packaging changes are meant to “better align availability with demand.” Honda, and the Civic in particular, has faced significant supply-chain issues this year, and Civic sales are down by more than 50 percent through the first three quarters of this year. Automotive News data shows a 20-day supply for the Civic as of October 1. Skewing the mix towards the more expensive trims also surely helps Honda’s bottom line, as those models are likely more profitable for the company.Budget-minded compact-sedan shoppers may do better to look elsewhere in the meantime, as models including the Hyundai Elantra ($21,595), Kia Forte ($20,585), and VW Jetta ($21,510) now undercut the Civic by thousands of dollars in terms of base price.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

The first non-Apple products that will be able to play Apple Music with Spatial Audio will be select Mercedes-Benz models with the brand’s MBUX infotainment system.Spatial Audio offers the illusion that a sound is coming from a particular space, and it requires songs from Apple Music that have been remixed in this fashion to function.Sennheiser and Bang & Olufsen have introduced their versions of 3D audio systems for vehicles, opening a new front in the ongoing sound wars.Apple is diving another level deeper when it comes to vehicle infotainment integration. Mercedes-Benz announced today that Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos is available in some of its vehicles for the first time. Until now, Apple’s version of spatial audio required Apple hardware, but the automaker’s vehicles have become the first ever non-Apple devices to natively feature Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos through the MBUX infotainment system.The first Mercedes vehicles to be able to play Apple Spatial Audio are the EQS, EQS SUV, EQE, EQE SUV, the S-class, and the Mercedes-Maybach S-class. Board member Markus Schäfer said the audio system now “perfectly [integrates] hardware and software.” Apple ReadyApple offers Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for its AirPod and Beats headphone lines, which makes the music it plays sound like it’s coming from specific areas around the listener. Mercedes claims that Apple Spatial Audio provides “studio-quality sound better than in any concert hall” when listened to in a car. Listening to Apple Music with Spatial Audio in a compatible vehicle will require not just a subscription to that service, but also a personal Mercedes Me ID. Apple Music offers curated playlists that highlight songs from many genres that take advantage of the 3D listening experience, including one called Driving in Spatial Audio.Mercedes-Maybach designed by Virgil AblohMercedes has offered multidimensional sound systems in its vehicles before. The most extreme one in recent memory is the high-end, 1750-watt Burmester sound system in the limited-edition . That vehicle came with 31 speakers, including six 3D speakers in the ceiling and four speakers in each of the front seats. Mercedes said this advanced sound technology will come to other models soon.Sennheiser introduced a 3D automotive audio system in 2019 as a partnership with Karma Automotive. The AMBEO immersive audio solution also uses the vehicle headrests as speakers and can direct audio anywhere in the cabin using a specially designed multi-channel loudspeaker and a subwoofer. The system was first installed in a 2020 Karma Revero GT. Audi partnered with Bang & Olufsen on a 3D advanced sound system that used up to 23 speakers and offers up to 1920 Watts of power.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its answer to the Audi e-tron and BMW iX.The EQE SUV range will initially include three models, and an AMG model will launch in 2024.Built in Alabama, the EQE SUV will arrive in showrooms in 2023.Unveiled ahead of the 2022 Paris auto show, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV expands the German company’s presence in the fast-growing luxury EV segment. It’s characterized by a futuristic-looking exterior design and an interior brimming with tech features, and it will launch with three powertrains. Looking ahead, the EQE SUV will also spawn Mercedes-AMG’s first high-riding electric model.Much as the EQE is an electric alternative to the E-class, the EQE SUV lands as the GLE’s battery-powered counterpart. It measures 191.5 inches long, 76.4 inches wide, and 66.4 inches tall, slightly shorter and lower than its gasoline-burning sibling. Its weight hasn’t been published yet.Visually, the EQE SUV shares key styling cues including short overhangs, a long wheelbase, and a fluid overall design with the EQS SUV, from which it borrows its platform. It’s instantly recognizable as one of Mercedes-Benz’s electric cars. Many of the finer design details are EQS-like as well, including a black panel where you’d find a grille on a gasoline-powered SUV and an LED light bar that stretches across the rear end.While buyers can configure the GLE with seven seats, the EQE SUV is only available as a five-seater. It offers 18.4 cubic feet of trunk space with both rows of seats left up and 59.2 cubic feet with the rear bench folded flat. Mercedes-Benz claims it focused primarily on comfort when designing the seats.The dashboard mirrors the EQE sedan’s with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen for the familiar MBUX infotainment system, which includes a navigation software that takes charging stops and the driving style into account when calculating the fastest way to a given destination.Over-the-air technology promises to let owners configure an à la carte EQE SUV while allowing Mercedes-Benz to earn additional revenue. Motorists will have the option of paying to activate various features after taking delivery via the Mercedes Me store. For example, the Individualization Package that Mercedes-Benz can beam to the infotainment system adds a soundscape named Roaring Pulse, a selection of mini-games, additional coming-home and leaving-home animations, and an intriguing Romance Mode. The company will expand its digital aisle of post-delivery options in the coming years.EQs in DetailAt launch, buyers will have three EQE SUV flavors to choose from: 350+, 350 4Matic, and 500 4Matic. The base 350+ has a single electric motor that zaps the rear wheels with 288 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque. Selecting the 350 4Matic adds a motor to the front axle and increases torque to 564 pound-feet, though horsepower stays flat, while the range-topping 500 4Matic offers a dual-motor system rated at 536 horsepower and 633 pound-feet of torque. Hitting 60 mph from a stop takes 6.3, 6.2, and 4.6 seconds, respectively, according to Mercedes, while top speed is pegged at 130 mph regardless of the variant.Every EQE SUV is built on a 90.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Mercedes-Benz expects the SUV will earn a driving range rating of about 342 miles when tested using the WLTP cycle used in Europe, which tends to lean towards the optimistic side of the scale, and the EPA hasn’t put the model through its paces yet. Charging from 10 to 80 percent takes approximately 32 minutes when using a 170-kW quick charger, and the drivetrain can charge itself to an extent thanks to three levels of brake energy recuperation.View PhotosInterior of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz designed the EQE SUV as more of a soft-roader than a Moab-conquering off-roader, but all-wheel-drive models offer a driving profile labeled “Off-Road,” and the optional air suspension system lets the driver add about an inch of ground clearance at the push of a button. The list of options also includes a rear-axle steering system that turns the wheels up to 10 degrees for better maneuverability.Built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV will reach dealers nationwide in 2023. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but the model will have the BMW iX, the Audi e-tron, and the Polestar 3 in its crosshairs, so it’s not unreasonable to assume its base price will lie in the vicinity of $80,000.The CompetitionAMG’s First Electric SUVMercedes-Benz has already announced plans to expand the EQE SUV range. The model will morph into Mercedes-AMG’s first electric SUV for the 2024 model year by adopting a sportier exterior design, a number of interior changes, and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain available in two states of tune.The familiar Panamericana grille ensures you don’t need to be a seasoned car spotter to tell the AMG model apart from the Mercedes-Benz-branded version. Designers also added body-colored trim on the wheel arches and created specific 21- and 22-inch wheel designs, but there is a much smaller degree of differentiation between the two EQE SUVs than between the regular GLE and its AMG counterpart.Upholstered in MB-Tex or leather, the interior has a markedly sportier flavor characterized by an AMG Performance steering wheel with paddles used to select one of three brake energy recuperation levels, bright pedals, plus AMG-specific graphics in the digital instrument cluster and the touchscreen-based infotainment system. The AMG EQE SUV receives the same basic MBUX software as the standard EQE, but it’s optionally offered with the giant Hyperscreen setup that stretches across the entire dashboard.While AMG’s variant of the EQE SUV uses the same 90.6-kWh battery as the standard models, it posts a sub-four-second sprint from zero to 60 mph thanks to a pair of motors rated at 617 horsepower and 701 pound-feet of torque. If that’s not enough, buyers can order an optional AMG Dynamic Plus Package that increases those figures to 677 and 738, respectively. The powertrain remains compatible with 170-kW fast-charging, though Mercedes-AMG hasn’t released a range estimate for the American market. AMG also argues going electric doesn’t mean the end of triple-digit autobahn runs: the EQE SUV maxes out at 137 mph in its standard configuration and reaches 149 mph with the AMG Dynamic Plus Package.The through-the-road all-wheel-drive system’s torque split varies depending on the driving style, road conditions, and the driving mode selected. AMG notes the drivetrain becomes rear-biased in “Sport” and “Sport+” and configures itself for maximum efficiency when the driver selects the “Comfort” mode.Beyond the drivetrain, AMG ensured the EQE SUV is worthy of its logo by adding a firmer suspension system, active roll stabilization technology instead of anti-roll bars, and six-piston front brake calipers. It also made a rear-wheel-steering system that turns the back wheels by up to nine degrees standard. Pricing information will be released closer to the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV’s on-sale date.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More