BMW i Series vs Mercedes-Benz EQS

What's the difference?

There are a lot of big numbers surrounding the BMW iX3, the German brand’s new-from-the-ground-up EV that acts as the flagbearer for its future-facing Neue Klasse (or New Class) architecture, designed to distil all the ingredients that make a BMW a BMW, and then electrify for them for the post-ICE (internal combustion engine) era.

But the one that really stood out? 805. That’s how many kilometres of driving range the iX3 will deliver, though admittedly in its most efficient and least exciting driving modes. That is bonkers, right?

It’s worth pointing out the first BMW i3, which only launched a decade-or-so ago, delivered more like 150km on what would have been the WLTP cycle, if it had existed then. Talk about leaps and bounds.

A good start for the newest BMW EV, then. But what else does the iX3 have to offer?

The Mercedes-Benz EQS is a car faced with multiple momentous responsibilities.

Not only is it the latest purely electric offering from Mercedes-Benz, but it also has to represent the future of the historic S-Class limousine, and in the AMG-spiced 53 trim we’re reviewing, it has to represent the future of the brand’s driving experience, too.

So can this oddly-shaped EV really take it all on and succeed? Read on to find out.