This is the new seven-seat Mercedes EQS SUV

As night follows day, so a big electric SUV follows a big electric saloon. This is the Mercedes EQS SUV, the third EQ-car to use the company’s new fully electric EVA2 architecture, and one fit for up to seven people.

It’s got the same wheelbase as the EQS saloon – itself roughly the same as the combustion-engined (and peerless) S-Class – but sits over 20cm higher. There’s a 107.8kWh battery housed in the underbody, powering either the rear wheels alone in the EQS 450, or both axles in the 4WD 450 and 580 ‘4Matic’ versions. Rapid charging capability means 10-80 per cent in 31 minutes.

Those first two versions get 355bhp (265kW) outputs, while the 580 comes in swinging with 536bhp (400kW). Plenty of torque on offer too, while Merc quotes between 333-410 miles of range for the RWD 450, and between 315-380 miles for the 450/580 4WD cars

It runs on standard-fit air suspension, and as any self-respecting Big Merc, offers some Modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual, with those middle two modes lowering the suspension at over 62mph to reduce drag. A further Offroad mode exists, and the EQS SUV gets rear-axle steering that, says Merc, allows a turning circle of 11 metres.

You can spec the EQS SUV as either a five-seat car – which allows up to 880 litres of rear boot space – or as a seven-seater, featuring two individual chairs in the back. And should you select the optional Hyperscreen, it’ll be that ginormous display that dominates the interior rather than the humans sitting inside it. Stretching from pillar-to-pillar, the three screens sit under a shared glass panel for a full panorama.

The requirements of rear room have naturally affected the transition from saloon to SUV. So while the siblings share the same EQ face, the SUV gets a raised roofline and slightly more squared-off appearance. Still a clean silhouette, mind. “The futuristic design consists of an emotionally appealing integration of surfaces and shapes,” is how Merc design boss Gorden Wagener describes it.

Merc boss Ola Kallenius said: “With the EQS SUV, we are continuing to consistently implement the strategy of making our vehicles more sustainable and digital, with the goal of building the most desirable electric cars in the world.”