Mercedes-Benz has two flagship sedans these days.

The venerable S-Class is the gas-powered standard-bearer – the impossible car with limousine space, sports car acceleration, and a price tag that means only the CEO drives one.

The EQS is its electric counterpart – an impossible car with limousine space, sports car acceleration, and a price tag that means only the CEO aiming to be more environmentally responsible drives one.

The greener model is getting an update for 2025. It’s early for such a substantial refresh – the company introduced the car in 2022, and Mercedes doesn’t update its top-of-the-line vehicles often (after all, they sell in low volumes, befitting their prices).

However, automakers are quickly learning how to make better electric vehicles (EVs), so Mercedes already has an update of the EQS ready for the next model year.

Mercedes hasn’t revealed pricing. The 2024 model ranges from $105,550 (including the mandatory $1,150 delivery fee) into the low-$150,000 range fully equipped.

Bigger Battery, Range Unknown

The 2025 EQS will carry a 118 kWh battery – ten more than the model in showrooms this year. Mercedes hasn’t said what that will do to the range beyond calling it “improved.”

Drivers will also gain more range on the way down from their mountaintop lair. “New regenerative braking software enables greater energy recuperation,” the company explains.

Mercedes says the regenerative brakes are nearly too efficient. “Due to the high proportion of recuperation with regenerative braking, the brake discs in the EQS Sedan are used less often during regular driving compared to models with combustion engines. A special function helps maintain the brake system by automatically applying the pads to the discs from time to time.”

That Grille Is… Something

Electric cars lack open grilles because they don’t need the airflow for cooling (they don’t have engines). But drivers are used to seeing grilles as the faces of cars, so many electric vehicle designers build in a visual reminder of a grille for our comfort.

They may be even more important on pricey big cars. On 6-figure super sedans like this one, a big grille adds a hint of intimidation.

I try to keep too much of my personal opinion out of news stories, but permit me a moment to say that…designers made a choice here.

The EQS has always featured a shiny black false grille. In earlier iterations, it wore a pattern of hundreds of tiny three-pointed stars. On this one, it wears a grid mimicking the grille of the S-Class. I think it looks like an S-Class the same way a kindergartner in an Incredible Hulk Halloween costume looks muscular. I liked the old look.

But Mercedes thinks the chrome slats give an “elegant contrast to the deep black surroundings.” Perhaps the CEO agrees.

The false grille also allowed them to bring back an old-fashioned hood ornament above.

Rear Seat Tech Upgrades

Other changes for 2025 focus on rear-seat comfort. “Models equipped with the optional Pinnacle Trim with Executive Interior Package feature a front passenger seat that can also fold forward to provide additional space for second-row occupants, along with a backrest for the rear seat that can be adjusted up to 38 degrees,” Mercedes says.

The rear seats now heat up faster, according to Mercedes. “The angle of the backrest for the rear seats can be adjusted from 27 to 36 degrees at the touch of a button, and an additional 0.2 inches of foam has been added to the rear seat backrest.”