BHPian raviemailid recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Odo – 7837km Avg consumption – 4.4km/kWhMercedes-Benz EQS 580 OwnershipGot the dashcam installed. Also, the centre console spring lock wasn’t holding up well – it was replaced under warranty. Glad to see that a memory card came free with the dashcam. After the gigantic money Merc charges for these dashcams, it had better provide a memory card. It has three cameras in total: a front camera, a back camera, and a 360-degree camera for interior coverage. Here is how it looks. Camera quality is bad! Absolutely terrible! It appears to be a 720p or 480p feed. Hasn’t anyone in Mercedes quality tested it? Currently, a 4K dashcam from the market will put it to shame. The configuration menu or overall settings options are poorly laid out as well. It’s not worth spending 65K at all. Wish there were aftermarket solutions available. Having this doesn’t give me enough confidence to provide any useful footage when needed. Example screenshots from the dashcam below: They kept the car for 3 days to do all that work, mainly due to the centre console coming from another state. All the software updates were done. The AC noise does seem to be better, though I have not yet fully tested it. Sundaram Motors, Yelahanka: I find it very convenient-great location for North Bangaloreans with ample parking and a good test drive circuit on the airport road. Manoj, my SA, was excellent, keeping me updated regularly. However, the new car collection is limited; you need to call ahead so they can arrange test-drive cars from other Sundaram showrooms. On the flip side, my service experience had some gaps. I had requested a loaner car but was initially told none were available, and the team promised same-day delivery. That didn’t happen until I insisted on the last day, as I was heading out of town. Eventually, the car was handed back at 5 pm. Another miss was my request for a full charge. Despite the car being with them for 3 days, it wasn’t done. I had to leave the next morning, and since my home charger wasn’t working, this put me in a difficult spot. The on-site Fich charger (60kW) is probably the most expensive I’ve seen(used for 17 mins), and I didn’t have the time to wait an hour to top up. Travelling With The Mercedes-Benz EQS 580Drive to Mudigere & Udupi: This was an epic drive ! I took advantage of the school holidays for a quick getaway-2 days at Udayagiri Estate, followed by 2 days in Udupi. Honestly, I was skeptical at first. The EQS isn’t exactly built for mountain roads, and this felt like risky territory. But I was pleasantly surprised. The charge held up well, the mountain roads were manageable, the on-and-off rain didn’t create any trouble, and the road conditions weren’t bad enough to cause issues. Here’s how it went: Day 1 – 28 Sep, Sunday SoC – 60%: Started from Hebbal at 6:20 am, taking the Mekri Circle-Yeshwantpur route to avoid truck traffic on ORR. First stop was Mayura Hotel near Bellur Cross (106 km). Reached with 42% charge and plugged in for a full top-up while we had breakfast. Started again with 90% and drove to Udayagiri Estate (164 km). Had to make an unexpected 30 km detour because my daughter left her jacket at Nissi Caf, where we’d stopped for tea. That made it a ~190 km run, where I lost around 40% SoC (inefficient stretch overall). Roads were generally good, except the notorious speed breakers around Hassan-I scraped 2 times there, but nowhere in the hills. Day 2 – 29 Sep, Monday Drove the car up to Devaramane Hilltop! Yes, the EQS made it to the top without scraping! I still have to pinch myself to believe it. If you’ve driven there, you know how challenging it can be. From there, we headed to Kodige Waterfall. Sadly, the roads here were really bad and the car couldn’t go further beyond Sultanpete. I parked it near a tea shop and hopped into an open-top jeep to reach the falls. The drive in that weather was fantastic. Covered about 72 km, used just 16% charge, and no underbody touches at all. Day 3 – 30 Sep, Tuesday The plan was to leave Udayagiri, visit Attur Church at Karkala, and then check into Sai Radha Hotel. Started with 34% SoC and actually gained 2% on the downhill drive. While the ghats were fine, the roads immediately after were terrible for 30-40 km-pothole-ridden and bumpy. Luckily, they improved closer to Karkala, and the visit to Attur Church was totally worth it. From the church to Sai Radha (38 km), the roads were smooth. Overall, I covered 138 km using 18% SoC and reached the hotel with 16% remaining-the downhill definitely helped. There was a charger just 3 km from the hotel, but I decided to wait and charge in Udupi the next day. Day 4 – 1 Oct, Wednesday We left Sai Radha by 11:30 am and drove 22 km to Malpe Food Street, plugging in the car at 12% SoC on a Renoch charger while we had lunch. Unfortunately, this charger was awful-massive energy leakage. I paid 2,035 for 75 kWh, but by the end, I had only added about 67 kWh (78% SoC), meaning a good chunk was wasted. After lunch and charging, we headed to St. Mary’s Island-a beautiful spot! Later, checked into Country Inn near Manipal with 74% charge still left. Honestly, I should’ve picked a better hotel. The traffic to reach it was a nightmare-it took 45 minutes to cover just 13 km. Day 5 – 2nd October, Thursday Left the hotel at 6:30 am for the return leg home. First halt was Samudra Veg after Mangalore (90 km, 7:45 am) for a relaxed breakfast stop. From there, it was a spirited run to Sakleshpur for tea, and then on to Empire, Kunigal, for lunch and a top-up charge. I reached Empire with just 12% battery left-a 62% drop over 326 km of pure fun. The Statiq charger at Empire was acting up, so I could only add another 12%, but that 24% was enough to get me the final 90 km home, rolling in with 8% still in reserve. After the ghats, I locked into a 95 km/h cruise, seat ventilation on, front massages keeping things fresh, and the occasional burst of sports mode for excitement. Only irritants were the killer speed humps near Hassan and tolls, where I bottomed out maybe 3-4 times. Surprisingly, Donigal and Uppinangady, with all their reputation, didn’t cause me any scrapes. But I must talk about the crown jewel drive of the trip: the 60 km stretch between Nelayadi and Donigal. Calling it a road feels like an understatement-it was the EQS’s playground . A wide cement+tar ribbon, rain-washed, twisty enough to keep you on edge, smooth enough to tempt you to push harder, and beautiful enough to be lost in the drive. This was where the EQS turned into a beast and a ballet dancer all at once. The tyres bit into the damp tarmac, the 516 bhp and 855 Nm surged with every squeeze, and the low stance almost erased body roll. Corners that normally make SUVs slow to a crawl became my slingshots-I didn’t have to back off, just flowed through, accelerating out as the 4MATIC system kept things planted. Trucks, Thars, Cretas, Fortuners-vehicles that usually dominate mountain roads-were simply swept aside as the EQS rocketed past, silent and effortless. It was absolute magic! The car and road were in sync! Acceleration, grip, corner, surge, repeat. I found myself grinning, heart racing, completely immersed. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time a drive gave me such a high. That strip between Nelyadi and Donigal was nothing short of driving nirvana-so intoxicating that even now, thinking of it sends shivers down my spine. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
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Recent adventures with my Mercedes-Benz EQS 580
