Mercedes-Benz Malaysia now offers the E 350e PHEV and the all-electric EQE, which should you pick?
Over the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to test drive two executive sedans from Mercedes-Benz. The first was the recently-updated-for-2024 EQE 350+ AMG Line. This is very similar to the 2022 model which won a VOTY award in 2023, but with a couple of additional equipment upgrades thrown in without a price hike. The second car I drove was the E 350e, currently the best version of the new 6th generation E-Class that you can buy in Malaysia. This car was only launched a couple of months ago here and it’s a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. At launch, both cars were priced within 2.6% of each other, so let’s see which one makes more sense to the modern executive car buyer.
note: wherever two images appear side by side, the one on the top/left will be of the EQE.
EQE vs E-Class: Similarities and Differences
Before we get into the strengths and weaknesses of both cars, let’s talk about the Mercedes-Benz philosophy behind electrification as it contrasts to its primary rival BMW. On the BMW side of things, the current generation 5 Series was engineered from the ground up to be configured either as a mild hybrid, a plug-in hybrid or a fully-electric vehicle.
With Mercedes-Benz, the line was split up. The E-Class was built on the MRA2 platform to be a mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle while the EQE sits on the EVA platform and is the pure electric model. There’s no right or wrong answer to which is the better strategy, both have their strengths and weaknesses.
For Mercedes-Benz, the E-Class remains a little truer to its roots and can be designed to appeal to both conservative and progressive buyers while the EQE had a clean slate to define the premium electric experience for the company that started practically invented the car.
Long story short, the EQE and the E-Class are COMPLETELY different cars, but are there similarities? Yes. Both are rear-wheel driven and are both badged as ‘350’ cars, which means they’re just about one rung below AMG performance territory. These cars are fast, but they’re not ‘out and out’ sports car, both completing the century sprint in 6.4 seconds.
Speaking of AMG, these are both equipped with AMG Line bodykits, so you get some sporting character to look and feel of the cars, wheels and steering wheels in particular.
They’ve also got parts of the company’s latest design philosophy baked in – Black Panel front grilles, electronically retractable door handles, ambient LED strips in the cabin and more.
Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ vs Mercedes-Benz E350 e: Strengths & Weaknesses
Let’s start with the electric EQE. In my testing, the biggest strength of this vehicle was its NVH characteristics. One of the most important reasons why people buy luxury cars is to isolate themselves from the noise and harshness of the engine and other vehicles. Simply put, electric cars simply cannot be matched and I would go a step further and say that Mercedes-Benz has done an exceptional job in keeping the cabin of the EQE quiet despite the frameless window design.
The E 350e in contrast can deliver equally great cabin noise isolation while there’s enough charge in the battery. Once the engine kicks in, you WILL hear and feel it. On the plus side, you never have to worry about charging the E-Class up. If you can do it at home once a day, you should have more than enough range for the daily commute. Over the weekend I managed about 80 kilometers of pure electric driving. For a plug-in hybrid that’s pretty good.
On the flip side, the EQE 350+ is actually really impressive with regards to range. In our comparison of EVs on sale in Malaysia today, the EQE sedan models still are top-tier in terms of kilometers of range per Ringgit spent, more so now with the stripped down Electric Art variant. 669km of range is what’s advertised, but realistically we’d say about 550km is achievable. It’s really quite incredible – when we returned our EQE test car, the range readout was around 350km, which is higher than what many mass-market EVs offer on DAY 1 of the test drive.
In terms of charging, you have top-of-the-line 22kW AC charging and 170kW DC fast charging, which isn’t quite top-of-the-line, but is as good as the local charging network can deliver anyway. These are also aspects that set the premium EVs apart from the mass market models.
The E 350e’s plug-in hybrid charging system is also quite a step up from the previous generation cars. AC charging a PHEV seems hardly worth the time unless you can do it at home. However, with this new E-Class, DC fast charging up to 55kW is possible, and this should give you 100% in 30 minutes even if you’re completely at 0% at the start of charging. It’s very conceivable to treat the E 350e as an electric vehicle with a ‘back-up’ petrol engine for long distance travel. In fact, if you set the Dynamic mode to Electric, the car is at its best. It delivers quiet, instant output, very usable acceleration and up to 140km/h of speed. I found myself driving it in this mode for the majority of the weekend, switching only to petrol on 3 occasions – twice when time was of the essence (an airport run and I was late to an event in the city) and once when the battery was depleted.
Back to the electric car – one area where the EQE shines was the car’s dynamics and its secondary ride characteristics. In a pinch, the EQE 350+ can deliver quick bursts of spirited driving without missing a beat, and when road surfaces get rough, you’re well isolated from it. It’s very much on brand for Mercedes-Benz in that regard. For 2024, the EQE 350+ AMG Line gets Airmatic suspension and this helps to deliver an ethereally feel over KL’s extremely rough road surfaces. However there are SEVERE weaknesses to the EQE’s suspension set up when it comes to speed bumps and ramps. On multiple occasions during my test drive, the bottom of the EQE 350+ AMG Line scraped over speed bumps even when brought to 5km/h.
To counter this, the suspension has to be raised. You can geo-lock these suspension raises for known areas but if a wild speed bump appears, you will feel that painful ‘scrape’ over the very previous battery pack. When shooting on the rooftop of the Petaling Jaya Old Town Market Car Park, I raised the suspension to get to top floor and drove as slowly as possible and STILL the battery pack scraped the floor.
I don’t remember encountering this issue on the last EQE 350+ model without AIRMATIC, but it was an issue on the EQS Sedan with AIRMATIC, so perhaps something needs to be done about the default ride height with air suspension on. This is a non-issue on EQ SUV models.
Ultimately, I think I preferred the suspension and chassis set-up of the W214 E-Class even though it’s on steel springs with no air suspension element. It really shows no mistakes whatsoever, handles the weight of the car respectably, isolates the occupants from harshness while retaining great dynamics.
Overall, it shows the engineering prowess of Mercedes-Benz better. It’s very impressive in so many situations and allows the E 350e to show off both luxobarge and sport sedan characteristics.
In terms of looks there’s no getting around the fact that both vehicles are a break from traditional Mercedes-Benz designs. Whether you love it or hate it, these is the new direction for the brand’s sedans. What I can comment on is the objective strengths and weaknesses of the cars and what I personally preferred or thought worked better.
The EQE really embraces avantgarde luxury design cues such as using the three-pointed star motif across the dashboard.
You also get a really nice head-up display to complete the futuristic feel of the EQE’s cabin, plus extensive use of Alcantara and red stitching in places that are normally left uncovered. The biggest positive here is that glossy black dust-magnet plastics aren’t really found at eye level.
It’s clear to see they’re trying some new things with the design, such as facing tweeters outward, allowing passers-by to also admire your Burmester sound system. The air vents in the EQE also carry forward the circular design from the outgoing generation. I personally like this design as it’s both intuitive to use and looks both sport and luxurious at the same time.
There are fully-fleshed out climate controls (dust and fingerprint magnets) for the rear passengers in the rear of the EQE where the E-Class just has vents and a cubby hole.
Objectively speaking, the wheelbase is nearly 16cm longer on the EQE plus the boot space is 60L larger but the E-Class seems to have a lower lip for easier loading.
The seat folding mechanisms are different on both of these vehicles. The EQE has them on the boot lid while the E-Class has them in the boot on either side.
On a subjective note, the E-Class was harder to get in and out of for me while photographing the rear seats. I did not have the chance to be driven around in either of these cars.
Compared to the slightly older EQE, the new E-Class feels more ‘current’ and luxurious on first impression thanks to the new triple-display Superscreen, integrated selfie camera and some wood veneer on the centre console.
The new air vent design results in a cleaner look to the cabin overall, but I found the vent controls to be a step down in terms of ease of use and in terms of looks as well I find the separation of the vent closure dial to be a step backward where the EQE and previous designs neatly integrate this control into the centre twist dial of the air vent.
The latest MBUX version integrates zero layer user interface on both vehicles, but I personally preferred the landscape-orientation of the E-Class’ main infotainment display, which is also larger at 14.4″ versus 12.8″ on the EQE. Plus, the passenger has a touchscreen too.
That being said, the electric car’s main display uses OLED technology which results in much richer contrasts.
I’d say it’s a toss-up between the two cars in terms of which had the more high-tech interior beyond first impressions.
The way they’re specified, there is no clear winner. It’s definitely worth noting that the E-Class had a lot of glossy black plastics at eye level and the dashboard was covered in dust by day 3 of my test drive.
I’m not a fan of either car’s insistence on capacitive physical buttons or purely digital controls for climate control, but this is just the way the industry is moving forward.
The seats of the E-Class were slightly better for my larger build and offerred really great support, but the EQE’s massage function was sorely missed.
I think the biggest strength of the E-Class over the EQE was the 21-speaker Burmester 4D Sound System. I didn’t think the 15-speaker Burmester 3D Surround System on the EQE was bad, but there is a difference in detail and clarity that can be perceived.
I think I also preferred the exterior design of the E-Class versus the EQE. The PHEV retains classic Mercedes-Benz proportions and added some character to the taillight design and daytime running lights. I did not like the look of the W214 when it first was revealed but it has grown on me since seeing it in the metal.
The EQE does not have the classic proportions of a luxury sedan and feels a little closer to an early hybrid in its silhouette. Yes, it’s a slippery look but it’s not one that comes across as menacing but it does look slightly more futuristic.
In contrast, the E-Class looks imposing in black just like any large Mercedes-Benz sedan should. The black paint also helps to mask the Black Panel grille, which some may not like too much.
It’s also worth noting that the E-Class continues to commit the sin of fake exhaust tips while the EQE just has some diffuser elements around back.
I think the rim choice for both vehicles is spot on. The 19″ AMG 5-twin-spoke wheels suite the aerodynamic and convention-breaking shape of the EQE while the 20″ AMG Multi-spoke alloys look timeless and classy on the E 350e.
The final thing to think about is the value proposition. This is a complicated one, made EVEN MORE complicated by year end discounts particularly on the EQE. Let’s break it down layer by layer.
- The EQE starts off about 2.6% more expensive than the E-Class.
- The EQE benefits from 100% import tax and excuse duty exemption despite being fully imported from Germany, while the price of the E-Class is inflated by taxes and duties despite being locally-assembled.
- The EQE offers pure electric driving with minimal maintenance and services required. This makes running the car MUCH cheaper. The E 350e offers enough range for daily electric commuting, PLUS the ability to use petrol in a pinch for long distance travel, which has NO TIME AND ANXIETY COST versus public EV charging.
- The EQE, like all EVs, shows the risk of higher depreciation versus petrol counterparts. That being said, plug-in hybrids have also shown to depreciate pretty hard over time. Ultimately, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has financial services that help mitigate these worries, so depreciation may not be as big of a worry as you might think.
- The EQE 350+ as of writing this review comes with an INSTANT RM50,000 rebate plus there’s another RM50,000 worth of MyMercedesRewards, including a 10-Year / 250,000 km battery warranty, complimentary RM6,500 Gentari charging privileges or wallbox with installation
I think that’s about all the major factors that muddle the waters of value for money. Ultimately, the RM100,000 worth of rebates and rewards makes the EQE 350+ AMG Line feel like a bargain in comparison.
The fact that the government doesn’t get much of a cut from the sale of this vehicle is already a win in my books. If not for the soap bar looks and strange suspension behaviour, it would be an INSTANT hit and get a solid recommendation.
Ultimately though, I walked away from the E350 e with a more positive impression of the car. It felt more like a Mercedes-Benz, and felt like one of the best Mercedes-Benz vehicles I had driven in a while.
2024 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line Specifications
Motor: Single Permanent Magnet Synchronous Electric Motor, RWD
Battery Capacity: 90.6kWh
Range: 669km
Max power: 292hp
Max torque: 565Nm
Top Speed: 210 km/h
0-100 km/h: 6.4 seconds
Price: RM429,888
2024 Mercedes-Benz E 350e AMG Line Specifications
Petrol Motor: Inline 4, 16-Valve, Turbocharged Petrol
Capacity: 1999cc
Max Power: 201hp @ 5800rpm
Max Torque: 320Nm @ 2000rpm
Battery Capacity: 25.4kWh
E-Motor Max power: 127hp
E-Motor Max torque: 440Nm
Top Speed: 236 km/h
0-100 km/h: 6.4 seconds
Price: RM418,888
