Mercedes EQS interior

Infotainment

The extra passenger screen does most of the things that the main, central screen does, but basically allows your companion to peruse the menu themselves, while you concentrate on driving and using functions such as the sat-nav. There’s a driver attention system that can tell if you’re peering across at the passenger’s screen too much, and will dim the screen to stop you staring. Clever stuff.

The big central screen uses the familiar MBUX software setup that we’ve seen in the likes of the E-Class and S-Class. It all looks smart, and is reasonably easy to use. Mind you, there’s lots of information going on, so it can get a bit overwhelming.

Mercedes says that the system uses artificial intelligence so that it learns what functions and information to keep at the top of menu systems for you, but it still takes some learning. It’s worth pointing out that the Hyperscreen isn’t standard — it’s actually a £7,995 option. As standard, you get a 12.3-inch instrument panel, and a 12.8-inch central infotainment screen.

The heating and air conditioning controls are on the screen too, rather than using more practical physical buttons, but they’re not the worst in that regard. There’s the usual full integration for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, you get four USB-C sockets and two wireless phone chargers.

The ‘Hey, Mercedes’ digital voice assistant lives in the dash too, but it can be a bit intrusive (it activates almost any time you say ‘Mercedes’) and even though it’s clever, it’s still a bit hit-and miss.

Rear seat passengers get their own massive screens — two optional built-in ones in the backs of the front seats, and a lift-out touchpad that clips into the rear seat armrest.

You can even control how the EQS sounds through the screen. The stereo acts as a noise-cancelling system, turning the cabin into a giant set of headphones and theoretically filtering out unwanted noises.

You can then choose from three sounds that are piped into the cabin that remind you that you’re driving something electric — and they all have daft names like ‘Silver Waves’, ‘Vivid Flux’, and ‘Roaring Pulse.’ They all make slightly odd sci-fi wooshes and roars, and to be honest you’re probably best just leaving them switched off and enjoying the silence.

One thing — when you’re stopped and the gearbox is in P, you can ‘rev’ the ‘engine’ — dabbing at the throttle makes the artificial noise rise and fall as if you’re sitting there, gunning an actual petrol engine. Daft, but kind of fun.