Mercedes-Benz Eqs450 vs Suzuki Vitara

What's the difference?

The EV revolution is bringing plenty of firsts, and this big electric behemoth is yet another one. Meet the EQS450, which Mercedes describes as its first "electric luxury full-size SUV with seven seats".

That is a bit of a mouthful though, right? So let’s shortcut that a bit, shall we? 

What you really need to know is that this is one of the few proper seven-seat electric SUVs on sale in Australia, so it will — a little surprisingly — end up being compared with the increasingly premium Kia and its EV9 when it launches in November.

So what does this electric answer to a high-riding S-Class bring to the table? Well, lots of luxury, of course.

Now that the original Mitsubishi ASX is finally gone, the oldest small SUVs still on sale in Australia today are the Mazda CX-3 and Suzuki Vitara.

Both released in 2015, their longevity is due to a combination of good design, strong engineering, sound driving dynamics and an undefinable charm.

Given their high number of rotations around the sun, it’s also surprising that neither has received a major facelift in all this time. Clearly, their creators got it largely right early on.

Until now. The Vitara steps up with the Series III makeover, ushering in a fresh nose, larger central touchscreen and a hybrid tech upgrade for the (now-sole) turbo powertrain, among other more-minor changes.

Are these enough to keep the venerable Vitara from vulnerability?