Mercedes-Benz EQC 2020 Review – Australia

Think of the Mercedes-Benz EQC as a flag-bearer for Daimler’s zero-emissions technologies and a window to a world of all-electric models that will form the Mercedes-Benz EQ family, which will number seven models by 2023.

So within four years the battery-powered EQ line-up will include mini, small and large SUVs to straddle the mid-size EQC – dubbed EQA, EQB and perhaps EQE respectively – and the range-topping EQS based on a dedicated new EV platform that will also spawn a large sedan around the size of an E-Class.

The full-EV EQ range should not be confused with plug-in hybrid and 48-volt mild-hybrid versions of existing Mercedes-Benz models, dubbed EQ Power and EQ Boost respectively. The first EQ model, the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 is billed as an electric family SUV and the way you are able to buy it is just as ground-breaking.

The EQC 400 is the first Mercedes-Benz available to purchase directly from the manufacturer online in Australia. For buyers that choose this option, the new process cuts out dealerships, which will only be responsible for delivering and servicing the vehicles.

The EQC can also be purchased in the traditional way but eventually all Mercedes-Benz models will be offered for sale on the internet. And, going one step beyond the online sales models established by Tesla, Genesis and, previously, Subaru and Daimler’s own smart brand, one day you may not even have to visit a dealership. Instead, the new car will be delivered to you.

For the time being, online EQ customers can choose the colour, options and final specs of their vehicle, receive its drive-away price, purchase outright or finance, pay a $3000 credit card deposit via their Mercedes Me account, receive confirmation of their order and select their EQ agent for delivery.

At this stage, there are just nine capital city Mercedes-Benz EQ agents in Australia. More will follow in rural areas as EQC production ramps up and other EQ models are added. The EQC 400 can, however, be serviced at 26 metropolitan Benz outlets.

Mercedes says the EQC 400 was ideal model with which to launch its new direct sales business model because demand exceeds supply. More than 3000 Australians registered their interest within a week of a sub-$150K indicative local price being announced. Of those that subsequently registered to purchase the EQC, 26 per cent were aged between 49 and 58, and 70 per cent said they would charge their vehicle at home.

Mercedes-Benz won’t tell us how many EQCs have already been ordered or allocated to Australia, but all 25 examples of the special Edition 1 version are already spoken for, and customers who order now will have to wait until the second half of next year for delivery.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC is available in one model grade and comes with a non-negotiable price of $137,900 plus on-road costs.

It will be available to purchase online and view or drive at EQ showrooms from December 9. First customer deliveries for those who have already registered to purchase will take place from early 2020.

The first Mercedes-Benz EQ model is billed as an electric family SUV and it’s aimed at the Tesla Model X ($116,500-$149,600) and Jaguar I-PACE ($124,100-$146,000), as well as the Audi e-tron due late next year and the BMW iX3 due in 2021.

On the outside, the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 looks a lot like the Mercedes-Benz GLC – Australia’s top-selling luxury vehicle – with which it shares its platform and wheelbase. In fact, it wears all-new sheetmetal and Mercedes says just 15 per cent of parts are common to both five-seat mid-size SUVs.

The more distinctive EQC is slipperier, with an aerodynamic drag coefficient of just 0.28Cd (versus 0,32 for the GLC), thanks largely to a fully flat underbody, and is also 22mm lower, 46mm narrower and 119mm longer overall at 4762mm.

The EQC’s rear roofline is lower, reducing rear headroom and boot height, but its load space is longer, resulting in a similar 500-litre boot capacity to the GLC, which it also all but matches with total cargo space of 1600 litres via fold-down rear seats (although payload drops to 500kg).

The big differences are under the skin, turbocharged petrol or diesel powertrains have been replaced by a 300kW/760Nm twin electric motor all-wheel drive system.

There’s a 150kW asynchronous AC motor for each axle, driving through a direct-drive single-speed reduction gear. Only the front wheels are driven in normal conditions, with rear drive called on only during dynamic driving.

The motors are powered by a hefty 652kg, 405-volt, 80kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the floor between the axles. Suspension is via coil springs up front but air springs are added at rear.

Performance is spritely, with claimed 0-100km/h acceleration of 5.1sec putting the Mercedes-Benz EQC in a similar performance ballpark to the entry-level Tesla Model X (4.9sec) and Jaguar I-PACE (4.8sec).

However, both those twin-motor SUV rivals have a longer claimed range, with the Tesla rated at 565km (NEDC) and the Jaguar at 480km according to the more realistic WLTP protocol. The EQC, meantime, is claimed to offer 471km (NEDC), 434km (ADR) and just 353km (WLTP).

On the local launch drive, which took in plenty of urban and suburban Melbourne roads and then an extensive rural drive at highway speeds to Torquay (Vic), we travelled 242km and the trip computer said there was 38km of range remaining.

So, while energy consumption for the EQC is officially rated at 21.4kWh/100km, we averaged 28kWh/100km and saw an extrapolated range of just 280km -- although that included some spirited open-road driving and a handful of full-throttle overtaking manoeuvres.

In a purely urban environment, where EVs are most efficient, we’re happy the EQC will achieve the WPLT range figure of 350km. This is enough for most daily commutes but still less than the I-PACE and Model X.

It’s also a lot less than Australia’s cheapest e-SUV, the $64,490 Hyundai Kona Electric, which has a lower-capacity (65kWh) lithium-ion polymer battery and only one motor with less performance (150kW/395Nm), but routinely delivers more than 400km of range (449km WLTP).

On par with its chief rivals, the Mercedes-Benz EQC battery comes with an eight-year/160,000km warranty. The rest of the vehicle is covered by a three-year/unlimited-km warranty and service intervals are 12 months or 25,000km.

Customers can purchase an upfront service package covering the three years or 75,000km for $1350, or pay $450 for the first and third services and $750 for the second.

Mercedes-Benz EQC drivers will have access to free, unlimited fast-charging for the first five years via the Chargefox ultra-rapid (350kW) charging network, which will have 20 stations across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and the Queensland cost by the time first EQC deliveries take place.

Chargefox ultra-rapid chargers can deliver up to 220km of range in 30 minutes, at the EQC’s maximum DC charging rate of 110kW, or fast-charged from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 40 minutes.

EQC owners can also access a growing number of public pay-as-you-go 50kW DC fast-charging locations fitted with a Type 2 CCS plug, which provide about 100km of extra range in 30 minutes.

Alternatively, as 80 per cent of owners are expected to do, the EQC can be recharged at home using the optional Mercedes-Benz Wallbox ($1250 plus installation, which costs $700-$800).

At a maximum AC charging rate of 7.4kW, the Mercedes-Benz Wallbox Home can add about 15km of extra range in 30 minutes and in the same time period at 3.5kW it can add 7km.

At 2kW via a standard household power outlet (with the supplied trickle-charger and eight-metre cable) the same 30 minutes will deliver just 4km of range. All this means that charging the battery from 10 to 90 per cent at home is an overnight affair.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC comes with a journey planning function built-in to its sat-nav, showing the closest recharging stations and the distance to them, and functions like locking/unlocking, vehicle status, geofencing and air-conditioning can be controlled remotely via the Mercedes me smartphone app.

Towing capacity is 1800kg (braked) and the EQC comes with a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating after achieving a 96 per cent adult occupant protection score (the highest ever for an EV) and a 92 per cent child protection score – the equal highest of any car.

The interior of the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 is differentiated more strongly from the GLC. Standard features include the Driver Assistance Package comprising a stereo camera that’s a level up on S-Class and the now signature Benz twin 10.25-inch digital screens in a continuous instrument cluster.

Mercedes’ MBUX system powers the infotainment system via voice activation and touchscreen and wheel controls. There are a number of EV-specific functions.

Also standard are 13-speaker audio, 21-inch alloy wheels, AMG Line exterior and interior highlights, Multibeam LED headlights, a sunroof, head-up display, KEYLESS GO entry/start, wireless phone charging and metallic paint.

Many of the extra features seen in the special Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 Edition 1 are optional in the standard EQC 400 including 21-inch AMG multi-spoke alloys, two-tone designo Nappa leather with diamond-stitched platinum white pearl inserts, heated and cooled front seats, tri-zone THERMOTRONIC climate control and MBUX navigation with augmented reality.

There will also be an Electric Art Line package ($5900) comprising metallic silver grey dashboard textile with topstitching in rose gold, the ENERGIZING PACKAGE PLUS wellness program, AIR-BALANCE ionizer and multi-contour front seats with adjustable bolsters and massage function.

Standard metallic paint finishes include Polar White, Brilliant Blue, High-Tech Silver, Graphite Grey and Obsidian Black, and there are three optional ‘designo’ colours: Diamond White, Hyacinth Red and Selenite Grey Magno.

Inside, open-pore black ash wood trim is standard on the EQC 400, while carbon-fibre-look trim and aluminium-look trim are no-cost options.

Upholstery including seats is in AMG black leather, while ARTICO/DINAMICA microfibre is a no-cost option.

In short, like a Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, only more quietly. Double-glazed front windows and an acoustic windscreen makes it noticeably quieter than the GLC inside, where the faint electrical whirring at low speed sounds like a distant siren, which can be disconcerting initially.

There’s also the subtle sound of the Acoustic Ambient Protection system, designed to warn pedestrians of your presence up to 30km/h, and a slight click in brake pedal feel when the regenerative braking system switches off as you come to a stop.

Otherwise the EQC is remarkably ‘normal’ to drive, especially in the default D Auto energy recuperation mode, which offers a familiar level of ‘engine braking’ in normal conditions but varies this according to the gradient, speed limit and the vehicle ahead.

Select minimum regenerative braking mode (D+) via the right paddle shifter and the EQC coasts more freely, but shift to D- with the left paddle and there’s enough retardation when you lift off the throttle to make braking almost redundant almost everywhere.

Like most EVs, one-pedal driving takes time to get used to and can be testing for passengers if you’re ham-footed.

All that aside, the Mercedes-EQC is a rapid conveyance. It never feels quite as quick as the Model X or I-PACE — or for that matter the Mercedes-AMG CLC 43 Coupe, which is also slightly quicker to 100km/h (4.9sec) and costs $20K less at $117,400. But it leaps off the line with plenty of pep and also delivers effortlessly punchy performance at open-road speeds – including anywhere between 100km/h and its 180km/h top speed, making for effortless overtaking.

This performance is despite the fact the EQC weighs almost 600kg more than the GLC at around 2500kg (only around 100kg short of a 200 Series LandCruiser )

That weight has a noticeable impact on the dynamics of this mid-size SUV, however – and it doesn’t feel as agile as the Jaguar I-PACE.

No doubt thanks to the addition of rear air springs (although the dampers are fixed-rate), ride quality remains plush at all times and body control is a highlight, but there is a degree of body roll in corners and the front-end feels pushier during spirited driving than, say, the GLC.

So while the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 might have the straight-line pace of a sports car, it doesn’t handle like one. Yet for a spacious, high-riding SUV that only drives its front wheels in normal conditions, the level of corner-exit traction and mid-corner grip on offer is commendable. Comfort, refinement and stability are the key words here.

If you’re after an electric SUV that screams green then there are certainly more overt alternatives, like the Model X and I-PACE, but many will be drawn to the subtlety of the Mercedes-Benz EQC.

Despite the fact that every panel is unique, the EQC looks a lot like the GLC and it’s a shame Australians miss out on the US-market illuminated three-pointed star badge on its ‘grille’.

Likewise, the interior is focused more on luxury than novelty. We liked the copper-coloured air-vent highlights which are said to be inspired by electrical wiring.

The classy twin-screen MBUX infotainment and instrument presentation is the highlight here. It comes directly from the new A-Class and includes its sometimes overzealous voice control system, but adds a host of unique and worthwhile EV-specific displays.

Otherwise the seats, centre console, steering wheel and switchgear is as per GLC, meaning there’s a familiar level of design, quality and packaging here.

Reduced headroom, weight and price aside, the Mercedes-Benz EQC demands few compromises for its ability to transport up to five occupants and their cargo in spirited luxury with zero exhaust emissions for long enough to make it a daily driver and even a household’s only vehicle.

It is another convincing example of how far EVs have come in a short time. It’s also a tantalizing taste of what’s on the way in a variety of shapes from Mercedes-Benz, providing the first real litmus test for the acceptance of premium EVs.

There’s no surprise the first Mercedes EV prioritises luxury over performance at a slightly higher price than its rivals but it’s disappointing it fails to match its direct competitors in the all-important area of range.

For many, that will matter less than the badge on its grille. The first EV from Australia’s favourite luxury brand will all but guarantee the relative popularity of the Mercedes-Benz EQC.

How much does the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 cost?
Price: $137,900 (plus on-road costs)
Motor: Two asynchronous AC motors
Output: 300kW/760Nm
Transmission: Single-353km (WLTP)
Battery: 80kWh lithium-ion
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP)