Stressed About Driving? Check Out the Tech in Mercedes-EQ Cars

The estimated reading time for this post is 8 minutes

One of the best uses of tech is to eliminate the stresses of daily life. Yes, tech can add stress, but it can also make life much more enjoyable.

Driving stresses can be so intense they’ve cultivated a condition called “road rage.” Sitting behind the wheel can multiply stresses, so tech that relieves a driver’s stress can make a big difference in your quality of life, especially if you’re on the road a lot.

Last week I was invited to test drive the Mercedes-EQ series, the first line of all-electric vehicles from Mercedes. Being a car and tech enthusiast, I eagerly accepted the invitation and headed out to find out more about the tech in these cars.

Mercedes is hosting an EQ test-drive tour around the U.S. to give drivers an opportunity to take these cars out for a spin. Demand has exceeded supply so having this tour is Mercedes’ answer to the scarcity of availability for these vehicles.

While you may never actually buy this car (or you may), learning about it may give a glimpse of how tech can diminish driving anxiety.

How the Mercedes-EQ Class Reduces Driving Stress

My guess is that the design team at Mercedes paid close attention to the various stresses of driving and used tech to reduce those stresses. Yes, the car drives beautifully, has a peppy engine with 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) acceleration in 4.1 seconds (for the EQS 580 4MATIC, 5.4 seconds for the EQS 480+), and is fitted with a luxurious interior. But I do think the stress-reducing tech is the killer feature.

Feel free to prove me wrong…

Screen Time

The dashboard of the EQ Class is filled with a 56 inch (142 cm) curved MBUX Hyperscreen divided into three sections.

The driver’s section has an instrument panel, which you can adjust to your preference. You can view speed, range, a map for navigation, G-Force, and much more information.

Drivers who like a lot of data can choose the panel with the most information. Those who want to minimize distractions can choose a panel with only the basic gauges.

The center section of the Hyperscreen has a 17.7” OLED Touchscreen Display that can display large maps for navigation, information about nearby charging stations, driver settings, radio controls, and more.

The Third Screen

The third screen section may be the most brilliant feature of the car. Seriously, this screen may save marriages and promote family harmony.

If you’ve ever been on a road trip with an unhappy passenger, well, you know that can cause all kinds of stress. The Mercedes-EQ can make passengers much more content.

The third screen is a 12.3 inch (31 cm) OLED display, dedicated to and controlled by the front seat passenger. This screen operates independently from the other two screens and has plenty to keep that passenger engaged.

The screen has games such as Tetris and Sudoku (with more game apps on the way), FM and SiriusXM radio controls, and even a separate navigation system. The passenger can explore nearby areas, search for restaurants, get directions, and see traffic conditions without pestering the driver or interrupting the driver’s navigation screen.

Passengers can even watch movies on this screen, though this feature is only enabled by Mercedes in areas where permitted by law.

And in a clever way to end common road-trip arguments, the EQ allows a front-seat passenger to have a separate Bluetooth connection to this third screen. Passengers can listen to their own radio stations, navigation prompts, audiobooks, podcasts, music, and phone calls through their separate Bluetooth connection.

When no one is sitting in the front passenger seat, the screen is dark, with the ability to add your own photos coming soon.

Profiles

The Mercedes-EQ Series lets you save up to seven different user profiles so you don’t have to re-adjust your settings preferences every time you get in the car. Your identity is verified by either touching a button on the console (similar to TouchID on an iPhone or iPad or fingerprint identification on some Android phones) or by using voice. identification.

Charge Anxiety

One of the potential stresses of owning an all-electric vehicle is charging it. In many areas, charging stations aren’t as common as gas stations, so locating a place to charge can be daunting.

The EQ navigation system is a helpful source of information, showing you not only local charging stations on a map but also the speed of charging available. These cars come with two years of free charging at ElectrifyAmerica charging stations.

Mercedes-EQ vehicles can use fast-charging stations and go from 0-80% charge in 31 minutes. Charging the additional 20% will take another 30 minutes with fast charging.

=> To see where charging stations are near you or along a route when you’re not in an EQ car, go to maps.google.com and search for “ev charging stations.”

Most of your charging will probably be done at home and Mercedes-EQ tech can reduce the stress of charging overnight. You can program the car to charge during the hours when electricity is cheaper (if your energy provider offers discounts for off-hours charging). Or you can set the time when you want to leave the house and the amount of charge you want in your car when you leave home. The car will then calculate when to begin charging the car.

More on Charging

Speaking of charging (as we just were), the EQ Series also helps you keep your phone charged with a wireless charging panel in the front console.

Passengers will be able to keep their devices charged with the six USB ports in the car.

Maxing and Relaxing

EQ cars can help both the driver and passenger relax. Whether your muscles are tense from that jerk who just swerved into the lane in front of you or from that kettlebell class that pushed you beyond your limit, Mercedes-EQ cars can loosen you up.

Heated massage seats are available for the driver and the front passenger. The Multicontour front seats with massage offer 10 different massage programs with a variety of intensity and heat. You can even choose a hot stone massage program for a spa-like experience.

I believe it’s quite challenging to be tense while you’re getting a heated massage.

Surround View Cameras with Geo-Location

Another stress of driving is solved with the EQ Surround View cameras that give you a panoramic view of the area around the car. If you have difficulty fitting your car into a tight parking spot in your garage or are worried about the presence of pets, toys, or other obstacles as you pull out of your driveway, this safety feature can help.

What’s especially useful is that you can enter a geo-location setting to have the Surround View cameras automatically turn on. So when you’re pulling into or out of your garage, the center screen can automatically show the panoramic view, helping you avoid hazards in your path.

Get Smart at Traffic Lights

The wait for traffic lights to turn green may seem endless. If only there were a way to know how long you’ll wait until the light turns green…

EQ cars can connect to Smart traffic lights to learn how long until the light turns green. While you’re waiting at a Smart traffic light, a countdown will appear on the center screen showing how long until the light turns green. The countdown disappears at five seconds so you can turn your eyes to the road and away from the screen.

Other Tech to Make Your Life Easier

The interior cabin is illuminated with ambient light with 64 color combination choices. But the lights aren’t only to set the mood of the passenger compartment. The light above the dashboard can change color to alert you to situations. For example, that light turns red if you’re accelerating quickly and draining the battery faster than normal.

No need to worry about the learning curve of operating this vehicle. The owner’s manual is available on the screen. You can use the touch screen or voice control to search the manual for information.

If turning into tight spots is a concern, you’ll be pleased to learn that the back wheels of the vehicle steer up to 10° to help you maneuver. The rear axle steering feature gives these cars as tight a turning radius as smaller C-Class Mercedes vehicles.

Do you like the sporty feel of your suspension but the comfort setting of your steering? The EQ Class lets you customize your preference for driving styles individually so you can have separate Comfort, Sport, and Eco settings for acceleration, steering, and suspension. You can save these settings to your profile so you don’t have to adjust them when you start driving.

The car also lets you set your braking preferences. You can use paddles behind the steering wheel to activate regenerative braking, which slows the car more quickly when you lift your foot off of the acceleration pedal. Or you can use the paddles to set the car to glide so the car stops more gradually. Similarly, you can adjust whether the car creeps forward when you lift your foot off of the brake with the Creep Setting.

Availability

If you’re in the U.S., you can check out this new tech (and the cars) as the Mercedes-EQ test-drive tour continues into 2022:

• Sacramento, CA (January 13-16)
• Dallas, TX (January 13-16)
• Phoenix, AZ (January 20-23)
• San Diego, CA (January 20-23)
• Los Angeles, CA (January 26-29)
• Houston, TX (February 24-27)
• Miami, FL (February 24-27)
• Tampa, FL (March 3-6)
• Orlando, FL (March 3-6)

Mercedes-EQ vehicles are available for ordering now, but due to the worldwide chip shortage, delivery may be delayed. The following advisory appears on the Mercedes-EQ website:

Due to a worldwide shortage, semiconductor chips that are typically present in our vehicles are limited in supply. This has changed the availability of certain features. Vehicle pricing will vary and depends on the availability of certain features. Please verify with your dealer whether any feature is available in a particular vehicle. To learn more, please see your dealer.“

The base price of the 2022 EQS 580 4MATIC Sedan is $119,110 and the 2022 EQS 450+ Sedan starts at $102,310. The car I took for a test drive was priced at $125,040.

More information about these vehicles is available on the Mercedes-EQ website.

Your Thoughts

Do you like the idea of tech to help reduce the stress of driving? Would you like a heated massage seat in your car? Do you think entertaining passengers can promote family harmony?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!