Can You Sleep in a Mercedes-AMG EQE? We Tried Car Camping in an Electric AMG Sedan
We took a Mercedes-AMG EQE 43 4MATIC, walked around it inside and out, then inflated a car mattress on the rear seat to see how comfortable a night in an electric performance sedan really is.
When people talk about AMG cars, they usually talk about 0–60 times, horsepower and sound. I wanted to find out something different: can an electric performance sedan also be a bedroom on wheels for one night? I took a Mercedes-AMG EQE 43 4MATIC, looked it over inside and out, then pulled out my inflatable car mattress and lay down on it. You can watch the whole thing in the video on our channel, "Mașina Timpului".
First impressions: silver paint, big wheels and a closed grille
To me, silver is the most fitting color for a Mercedes, and it instantly reminds you of the classic AMG cars. Our test car rode on 21-inch wheels, and on the rear tire sidewall I read 295/30 R21, so this is a car that likes good pavement. The front grille follows the EQ family style. It is fully closed and hides the cameras and sensors for the driver-assistance systems. The headlights are Digital Light units.
One detail surprises you right away: the hood doesn't open like on a normal car. There is just a small flap on the left front fender where you top up the washer fluid. There is no front trunk, so all your luggage goes in the back.
The cabin: luxury, screens and a fingerprint reader
Inside, the first word that came to mind was "luxury." The digital instrument cluster has several display styles, including one called Supersport with animated graphics, plus a classic layout, which is the one I prefer. In the middle there is a large navigation screen, and our car also had a separate screen for the front passenger.
Below the central screen there is a fingerprint sensor you can use to sign in to the car. The panoramic roof slides open and raises a wind deflector automatically. The rear seats are very comfortable, and the EQE works well as a family car too: the child seat installs quickly and easily, and a full-size stroller fits in the trunk with room to spare. There's a little extra storage under the trunk floor, but not much.
What Mercedes-AMG says about the EQE 43
According to the official "Mercedes-Benz Media" press release, the EQE 43 4MATIC uses two electric motors, one on each axle, for fully variable all-wheel drive. Total output is 350 kW (476 hp) with 858 Nm (about 633 lb-ft) of torque. 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) takes 4.2 seconds, and top speed is 210 km/h (130 mph).
The battery has 90.6 kWh of usable capacity at 328 volts. Mercedes quotes DC fast charging at up to 170 kW, enough to add about 180 km (112 miles) of WLTP range in 15 minutes, and AC charging at 11 kW as standard or 22 kW as an option. At launch, the European WLTP range was given as 462–533 km (287–331 miles), with combined consumption of 19.7–22.5 kWh/100 km. Note that these are European WLTP figures, and EPA ratings in the US are usually lower.
The mattress test: turning the back seat into a bed
The first question when you borrow or rent a car for camping: where is the 12-volt outlet? On the EQE it is well hidden, in the front passenger footwell. It's out of the way, but you need to know where to look. It's also the outlet you'd use to run a tire inflator if you got a flat.
I placed the mattress with the valves facing the side and, as in my earlier tests, inflated only the large section, enough for one person. The pump filled it very quickly, and the pillow was ready almost instantly. The surface in the back isn't perfectly flat. It slopes slightly, but the mattress makes up for most of it, and its shape fits nicely into the contour of the rear bench.
I'm 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) tall and lay down without trouble. On my back it was very comfortable. The only downside is that there isn't much room to turn onto my side, and the footwell area gets a bit tight. The fix is easy: slide the mattress forward, sleep with your feet toward the front, and adjust to your height. My mattress cost about 600 lei (roughly $130), which is very little next to the price of the car.
What it means for drivers
- An electric sedan can work for car camping too. It doesn't have the space of an SUV, but it's fine for one person, and an EV can keep the climate control running without an engine idling.
- Find the 12 V outlet before you leave. On the EQE it's in the passenger footwell, not in the trunk.
- Height matters. Up to about 5 ft 11 in it works well. If you're taller, move the mattress forward and lie at a slight diagonal.
- For road trips, the official numbers help: 90.6 kWh usable and up to 170 kW DC charging mean short stops, and a night in the car can save you a hotel room.
In the video I told viewers that if I had driven this EQE all the way to Cologne, I could have slept in it without worry. The next step is already on the channel: a family drive to the Transrarău mountain road with an unhurried efficiency test, to see how efficient this electric AMG is in real life.
