Mercedes-Benzs launched their quickly expanding all-electric EQ sub-brand with the EQS sedan, arguably the first EV to come from an established brand that truly delivered the flagship luxury sedan experience. Well, it’s time now to determine if this midsize EQE sedan can deliver the same experience for the rest of us.

Making a fully electric luxury flagship sedan is easy when money is no object, and Mercedes sure created a great one with last year’s EQS. Bringing that excellence down to a lower price point is much more difficult; but Mercedes wasted no time undertaking it with this midsize 2023 Mercedes-EQE.

The interior is not quite to EQS levels of sophistication, but still glorious to look at and with all the ambient lighting, almost as high-tech feeling.

While the EQS’ wide Hyperscreen dash is available, a more traditional setup is standard with the central control panel housing a 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen, with a tablet style 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster mounted upright behind the steering wheel. The MBUX interface is similar and responds quickly, with most functions easy to find. Standard navigation with Electric Intelligence will plan the most efficient route, or one with charging stations if necessary.

Whether you stick with the standard MB-Tex upholstery or upgrade to real leather, the feel is luxurious throughout. Front seats are very comfortable, as are the rear seats with plenty of legroom. A large panoramic roof and a premium Burmester sound system are standard.

Regen braking has three levels right up to full 1-pedal driving, plus an auto setting which never seemed to give the feedback we were looking for. Overall, the EQE was very solid feeling on the road, behaving more like a typical Mercedes-Benz sedan than an electric car. The only detractor from the experience was a very thick sloping A-pillar which seemed to be in our line of sight more than we’d like.

On to more specific powertrain details. A base 350+ features a single rear motor rated at 288-horsepower and 305-miles of range from a 90.6-kWh battery. An additional motor can be added up front for 4MATIC all-wheel drive both in 350 form, and this top of the line 500 4MATIC which cranks out 402-horsepower from 300kWs worth of dual-motors. No official range figure for the 500 yet, but our car indicated as many as 263-miles available, though based on our driving loop, around 220 seems much more realistic.

Off to Mason Dixon Dragway to see how that 400-plus horsepower translates to acceleration times.

While there was enough oomph off the line to press us back in the seat a bit, it felt mostly smooth for a somewhat soft launch. There are plenty of unique hyperdrive-like sounds to go along with the very quick 4.0-second trip to 60 miles-per-hour. According to Mercedes, torque delivery is checked 10,000-times per minute, distributing power to front and rear motors, according to traction, way faster than is possible with any mechanical system. Power stayed pretty consistent until just before the end of the ¼-mile, where it tapered off slightly as we finished in 12.6-seconds at 108 miles-per-hour.

In our handling course, the EQE delivered a very unique experience as its optional rear axle steering provides an extreme 10-degrees of turning, which translated to very little input needed to the steering wheel to change direction quickly. And while that hyper responsiveness took some getting used to, the minimal body roll and overall well-balanced nature were much appreciated. And needless to say, whipping in and out of parking spots is a breeze.

While the EQE shares the same basic one-bow, cab-forward shape of the EQS, the smaller size makes for a bit less of an elegant profile. Still very futuristic looking however, with a smooth face and wheelbase stretched to the max. Pricing starts at $76,050 for the rear-drive 350+, with the top 500 4MATIC beginning at $87,050.

While it doesn’t have quite the presence or panache of the full-size EQS, the 2023 Mercedes-EQE Sedan does a great job of bringing plenty of the flagship flair down to a more attainable level. Making it not only a great luxury sedan, but an even better EV.

Nissan began kicking around the idea of replacing their subcompact Juke with a much more modern crossover ute more than a decade ago. But it wasn’t until 2018 that the Kicks finally stepped onto our shores. Turned out it was a smart move, one that Nissan hopes to build upon with this all-new second generation kicks. So, let’s see if it kicks up more good things for Nissan.

SUVs, “small” utility vehicles in this case, remain the hottest wheels going, with carmakers putting a herculean effort into making them as appealing as possible to as wide of an audience as possible. That brings us to this 2025 Nissan Kicks.

What started out in 2018 as a more mainstream replacement for Nissan’s funky, entry-level ute Juke, has now evolved into a fine-looking SUV with impressive substance. While even the first Kicks looked way better than the Juke ever could, this one doubles down with some upscale Murano flavor, though the wide stance and exaggerated rear fenders do pay homage to the Juke. The unique patterns and textures around the lower body are designed to resemble high-end sneakers or “kicks”. Top SR makes the most of it with available 19-inch wheels, black accents, and full LED lighting.

This second gen is now bigger in every dimension, just under an inch taller, an inch and a half wider, and almost 3 inches longer; and even ground clearance gets a nice boost to a healthy 8.4 inches. There’s a new engine, too, staying naturally aspirated, but growing from 1.6 liters to 2.0 liters, and gaining 19 horsepower to 141. Torque gains are more impressive from 114 to 140 lb-ft. Bigger news is that all-wheel-drive is now available, as the original was front-drive only. And while we’re talking about that first gen, don’t get confused, as there is also a 2025 Nissan Kicks Play, which is actually a budget carryover of that first-gen Kicks.

Kicking off our track time, there’s a nice hit of initial spirit off the line, but then power delivery settles down and you take a slow CVT crawl down the track. It took us 10.7 seconds to hit 60 mph, a full second slower than the 2018 original. But it does seem to pick up the pace a bit further on, ending the quarter-mile at 18-flat and 78 mph. Engine noise is expectedly elevated, and even though there are simulated shifts happening in the CVT, it doesn’t really help the pace. Drive modes include Normal, Eco, Sport, and Snow, which comes only with all-wheel drive.

Now, it was a completely different experience on our handling course. Here, the Kicks kicked it up a nice notch for its class. There was substantial grip and good balance, steering was light and it provided a respectable amount of feedback. The suspension was firm and willing, with very little body roll and no notable understeer or oversteer. Overall, a quite pleasant cone trip.

All-wheel-drive models come with a suspension upgrade, replacing the rear’s simple twist beam setup with a multi-link arrangement, and adding a thicker stabilizer bar to the independent strut front. It was also quite commendable in braking with consistent, straight stops from 60 of only 106 feet.

Bigger dimensions allow for a nice upward movement in space inside the Kicks’ five-seat cabin. Plus, a tech upgrade has definitely taken place with all but base S trim getting wireless phone charging and a new 12.3-inch touchscreen. Top SR adds a 12.3-inch gauge display; and comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, simulated-leather trimmed seats, and surround-view camera. Nissan spreads the supportive Zero Gravity seats to both rows, so even back seat dwellers get well above average comfort for this price point. AWD hardware and suspension does necessitate a higher cargo floor and a bit less cargo capacity, 23.9 cu.-ft. instead of 29.2; max is 50.1 with seatbacks folded.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with all-wheel-drive are 27 city, 34 highway, and 30 combined. Our average was right on at 30.4 mpg of regular. While the new Kicks is certainly better to look at, it remains exceptionally affordable, beginning at $23,220; top SR starts at $27,570. All-wheel drive is available with all trims for $1,500.

The original Nissan Kicks existed almost totally as a value leader. And while the value proposition of the 2025 Nissan Kicks remains very high, it has upped its own ante to be a far more interesting and appealing small SUV to see, to drive, and to be driven in. We think Nissan put this one straight through the uprights!