It had rained the previous night in Gulmarg. So, the following morning was cold, clear and sunny as hill places around 2,700m up from sea level are wont to be. And there we were, trying out the fully-electric Mercedes-Benz EQE500 4MATIC SUV for size and comfort at the invitation of Mercedes-Benz India.

With the suspension raised, the EQE500 4MATIC SUV can tackle off-road stretches quite comfortably

Unlike the internal combustion engine-driven vehicle lineup of the company, where the nomenclature goes A, B, C, E, S for sedans, and GLA, GLB, etc for SUVs, in the battery electric vehicle lineup both sedans and SUVs have the same name starting with EQ, but the SUVs have an ‘SUV’ suffixed to the name.

In this very dark green livery in which our drive came, the highlights of the front end are the scuff plates, the daytime running lights and, of course, the Mercedes-Benz star

After a short briefing, we were out on the road and headed for Bota Pathri, which seemed like the prettiest and farthest place among the options we had in the only rather nice-looking green (literally) vehicle in the fleet. But it seemed everyone else also thought the same and soon the bugyal was hosting a whole bunch of EQEs of various hues and everyone seemed to be photobombing everyone else’s photograph or video!

The nearly sfive-metre length is fairly obvious when seen in profile

Since we were the first ones to arrive on the scene, we were initially a little tentative about getting the EQE off the road and onto the grass-slush-mud. Having raised the vehicle to its maximum ground clearance, however, we ventured off tarmac. For a vehicle that tipped the scales at around 2,700kg with one person up, it proved remarkably capable. We were going very slowly, like around 3-4kmph, and there was soft earth and water under the wheels in places, but the broad tyres — and these weren’t even the knobbly off-road variety — of the EQE and the 858Nm of torque available instantly were more than up to the task of hauling the SUV up the slopes without stuttering even once.

The highlight of the rear end is the body-width tail light cluster

By the time we had gone off road, the other cars had arrived. So everyone was watching to see whether we managed to get stuck somewhere. But the vehicle disappointed all and sundry and, as we said earlier, soon the bugyal was run over.

The cabin is very plush with high quality materials all around, something befitting a Rs 1.39-crore vehicle

We weren’t thinking a great deal when we were actually doing this bit, but in hindsight it seems that the EQE had made this whole thing look so easy and effortless when it actually probably wasn’t for a vehicle of its heft. That crawl up the slope was so cool. I’m pretty sure now that it can handle more difficult terrain as well and while it isn’t a hardcore off-roader, its off-roading chops are no pushover either.

The driver gets a cockpit-like space with the controls falling neatly to hand

The road from Gulmarg to Bota Pathri was a nice twisty piece of tarmac, mostly narrow and sometimes broken. I checked the weight of the EQE much later and while we were driving it along this stretch, it never felt this heavy. We have driven hatchbacks a third its weight that don’t change direction half as well as this one.

That low centre of gravity with the batteries down under the floor surely helps but it really is a revelation. And mind you, all this happens more or less silently. With the glass up, the passenger compartment is a cocoon that keeps out sound and the air purifier keeps out pollutants and pollen and the rest of them.

Very comfortable and ventilated seats up front minimise the strain of driving for long periods

Back down onto the Gulmarg-Srinagar road we were able to push it up to highway speeds. We were doing somewhere around half its rated top speed of 210kmph, and it was completely stable at those. And feels surprisingly nimble too at those speeds considering that it’s nearly 5m long and over 2m wide. With quick acceleration — it can hit 100kmph from standstill in 4.9 seconds if you floor it — it just shoots through gaps and feels way easier to live with than its size would indicate.

So, whether you are in the twisties or the straights, it just does a sterling job.

The interiors are what you would expect in a Rs 1.39-crore SUV, very plush and giving a sense of quality in everything you see and touch and feel. The design is understated, leather and carpet soft, the metal smooth with nothing scratchy anywhere. Both the front and two rear seats get individual climate control. The front seats have everything adjustable pretty much and they are ventilated too.

Boot capacity is generaous and flexible and varies between 520 and 1,675 litres

The vehicle we drove came with a very light grey upholstery. It makes the whole thing look very light and airy.

The dashboard has three screens like the one we saw first on the EQS. They manage everything from the audio to navigation to car settings, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Mercdes-Benz’s own voice interactive system and what have you. It also has the transparent bonnet and 360-degree displays. The screen in front of the passenger can be set up to do various things as preferred by the passenger.

Two rear passengers get individual zone climate control, similar to the front passengers

The exterior is best seen in the pictures. We rather like the smooth jellybean-like shape of the EQE. It looks like it can go through air very easily and it probably can. And the LED light clusters are way less innocuous than the earlier halogen numbers used to be. It might be a touch understated, but it’s quite the suave and capable vehicle.

The EQE commands a premium over comparable petrol/diesel vehicles, but it also comes with the latest technology and a phenomenal 10-year warranty for the battery. And that, coupled with the driving capabilities, would tilt the scales in its favour.