• Doug DeMuro’s real ultimate EV luxury car is the Lucid Air
• The Tesla Model S loses out in Doug’s quality scores
• Mercedes brings OEM luxury car quality into a near-perfect EV

Doug DeMuro, car Youtuber and longtime auto journalist, has handed out his verdict on the newest Mercedes-Benz EV. In a word, it’s not what the title of the video would have you believe. The Mercedes-Benz EQS is not Doug’s ultimate EV luxury car. It’s actually his third-ranked luxury EV, with the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S Plaid ranking above it. Confusing yes, but we’ll sort it.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS is an EV luxury car for the ages

Now, this is by no means Doug DeMuro saying he hated the EQS. As a matter of fact, one of the first thing Doug brings up is just how insanely good the Merc is in one critical luxury car category: the interior. Doug says it’s phenomenally comfortable and insanely futuristic, just like the exterior. By now, you’re likely aware of the Mercedes Hpyerscreen. If not, it’s effectively three massive screens that span the length of the dash. No, we’re not sure where the passenger airbag goes either.

Regardless, Doug is adamant that MBUX, Mercedes’ infotainment system present in all of their vehicles, from the A Class to the fabled S Class, is the best in the business. Nowhere is MBUX more useful than in the Mercedes-Benz EQS. EVs, especially luxury cars, have a simply dazzling array of settings that can be adjusted. MBUX makes all of that very easy, and much of it can be adjusted via the passenger screen (when a passenger is present). However, this wasn’t enough to save the Mercedes-Benz EQS from the likes of the Lucid Air and the Tesla Model S Plaid.

Is Lucid better than Tesla?

Now, this is where we get into the “Dougscore,” DeMuro’s system he uses to rate every car he reviews. Frankly, I’m a bit jealous I didn’t think of it, as it covers every single aspect of a car. Skip to the end of any of his videos to see what we’re on about. A number of categories are totaled up and a final score (out of 100) is assigned to each vehicle. Despite a killer infotainment system and features fit for a luxury car, the Mercedes-Benz EQS scored a 64. Largely, it was let down by its poor acceleration and low “fun factor.” Not typically luxury car traits anyways, mind you.

However, the Tesla Model S Plaid scored a 72, helped by where the Merc is let down, with a 10 and 8 in the acceleration and fun factor categories respectively. Overall, the Tesla outscored the Merc 73 to 64. Now, the real “Ultimate EV Luxury Car” comes into play: the Lucid Air. It scored the same as the Tesla, but won out in a crucial category: quality. Doug thought the Air was simply built better, though it didn’t quite beat the Merc’s score of 8.

How do I order an EQS?

So, supposing you want quality that only a huge luxury car OEM like Mercedes-Benz can provide, the Mercedes-Benz EQS may just be your ultimate EV luxury car. It’s just not Doug’s. Perhaps the EQS 580, which Doug has yet to review, can help boost the EV’s scores. For now, pricing of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ starts at $102,310. Should you want to pull the trigger on this 340-mile EV luxury sedan, you can order one via a dealer or online.