Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 2019 Review - International

It may look much like the existing GLC model, but the all-new electric Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 is far more than simply an electrified version of Benz’s latest soft roader.

The first of a new family of cars from the world's oldest automotive brand, the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 is as much the company's four-wheeled calling card for a range of new technologies, new services and its shift from manufacturing to mobility, as it is a new model.

The car’s launch brings with it access for Mercedes-Benz buyers to a European-wide charging network, smart navigation and trip planning, whole of life servicing and ownership plans and even access to conventionally-fuelled Mercedes-Benz cars for when the EQC just won't do.

Just how many of these services will be extended Down Under is yet to be clear. What is also not clear is just how the Mercedes-Benz EQC will be sold locally – it's almost certain that the sales channel will be online. What is still to be made public is whether that will be fulfilled via Mercedes-Benz dealers or direct with the mothership.

Australians love prestige mid-size SUVs – in fact, the developed world as a whole has embraced this segment. It's perhaps then no surprise that the first mass-market Mercedes-Benz EV arrives in this size and shape.

There's a number of parallels in terms of packaging between the Mercedes-Benz EQC and its conventional stablemate, the Mercedes-Benz GLC.

Although the EQC 400 is about 90mm longer overall, its width, height, front and rear track and wheelbase are all but identical to the GLC. And the footprint upon which the new Mercedes-Benz EQC is built is very much aligned with its bestselling mid-size SUV counterpart.

It is not strictly the same platform, however. The EQC does use portions of the GLC’s body in white but the battery ‘skateboard’, the new drivetrain and every panel on the EQC is unique. Even the glasshouse is different, with an uptick to the rear quarter light that adds a little fastback to the flavour.

Although some vehicles of this size offer 5+2 seating configuration, like the GLC, the Mercedes-Benz EQC is strictly a five-seater with no third-row option.

Mercedes-Benz claims a luggage capacity of around 500L – slightly down on the GLC – but the rear row folds just like a normal wagon to yield extra space.

A 652kg battery pack sees the EQC tip the scales at around 2500kg (almost 600kg more than the GLC). which in turn significantly limits its payload – just over 500kg. Although Mercedes claims a maximum trailer load of 1800kg for the EQC, we don't expect to see many people fitting a towbar. For a start, at that loading the trailer ball download weight would significantly impact the load you could carry.

Mercedes-Benz calls its new electric powertrain eATS. In the Mercedes-Benz EQC, this comprises two asynchronous motors combined with electronic control modules, single-speed gearbox and differential (one integrated unit on each axle) and boasts a combined output of 300kW and 760Nm.
Electronic controls deliver the ability to almost infinitely vary the torque split front and rear, however, the EQC effectively splits the duties of the front and rear units.

While the EQC's operates characteristically like a four-wheel-drive, the front electric motor is configured for best efficiency in the low to medium load range, and the rear electric motor takes the lead in high-speed, high load situations.

In the real world, that translates to the rear unit being ‘in idle’ much of the time, although on rare occasions it’s the front motor unit that takes time out.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC’s liquid cooled battery pack is sandwiched in the high-riding wagon’s floor structure, ever so slightly reducing the ground clearance. There are six modules in total – two with 48 cells each and four with 72 cells each. The 405V installation has a nominal capacity of 230Ah and an energy content under NEDC measurement of 80kWh.

Mercedes-Benz claims an NEDC range of 445-471km. The WLTP range is around 100km less and is reflective of the real-world range we experienced during the launch drive in and around Oslo.

Mercedes-Benz employs numerous strategies to maximise range and performance in the EQC.

Five regenerative braking modes are offered, ranging from D Auto to D–. The latter is the highest recuperation mode and delivers one pedal driving.

D Auto is used in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz EQC’s ECO Assist system, which is described as an intelligent tool that allows drivers to achieve maximum efficiency.

This system attempts to automate predictive driving with a focus on economy. It uses navigation data (including topography), live traffic conditions, traffic sign recognition, and information from the car's own safety systems (including the autonomous emergency braking radar and camera system) to tailor how the car behaves.

For instance, lift the throttle on an uphill stretch of road and rather than apply regenerative braking, the car will coast. The opposite is true on a downhill section or if the car detects a slower vehicle ahead.

A haptic accelerator pedal is a key part of the system’s interface with the driver. In the EQC’s MAX RANGE driving mode, the pedal firms up to ensure excess energy is not expended and the next charging point or destination is reached, claims Mercedes-Benz.

That’s not to say Mercedes-Benz E QC is all about efficiency. Although Mercedes-Benz has very carefully avoided the uber-performance bent of the likes of Tesla with its Model X, there is decent performance available from the Mercedes-Benz electric SUV.

Five driving modes from Comfort to Sport and including an Individual program, are part of the EQC's offer. Sport ensures the driving program delivers the most dynamic chassis and drivetrain response, but for 95 per cent of customers and roads Comfort is the pick.

The EQC features conventional steel springs at the front with load-leveling air springs at the rear. Damping is not adjustable but overall the vehicle delivers a resolved and comfortable ride.

Although the Mercedes-Benz EQC is limited to 180km/h, acceleration performance (especially roll-on for overtaking) is good. From a standing start 100km/h is reached in 5.1sec.

As is often the case with electric vehicles, the more telling figure against the clock is charging.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC features a water-cooled onboard charger which in conjunction with the brand’s wallbox allows 7.4kW AC charging at home. This is far from the most rapid charging system but delivers a full charge (from 10 to 90%) in around 11 hours – overnight in effect.

DC fast charging is the focus of much infrastructure discussion with our federal election looming (May 2019). In a joint venture with Ford, the Volkswagen Group and BMW, Mercedes-Benz has established IONITY, described as a Pan-European quick charging network. Using IONITY’s 400V 300A DC chargers, the Mercedes Benz EQC can be charged from 10 to 80% capacity at a maximum of 110kW in approximately 40min.

Mercedes-Benz Australia’s local charging plans include partnership with Chargefox.

For the time being just one Mercedes-Benz E QC model will be offered, the EQC 400.

Mercedes-Benz Australia is yet to finalise specification for the local version of the EQC 400. You can, however, expect it to align with the highest specification non-AMG GLC models.

In short, that means the Australian EQCs will feature a full complement of safety equipment, with connected systems, all the luxury items and otherwise optional equipment such as AMG Line styling and big alloys, as standard.

The first EQC vehicles will be equipped with an Edition 1 package which will include (even larger) 21-inch AMG wheels and interior upgrades including diamond-stitched upholstery. Mercedes has not confirmed an exact build number for the launch edition.

Save for seat cooling, there was not a lot missing from the EQC 400s we drove in Oslo.

The new Benz electric SUV features an interior that will be familiar to both GLC and A-Class customers: the former in terms of overall size and practical two-row configuration; and the latter thanks to the large MBUX electronic screen-based driver interface.

Pricing for the new Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 is expected to be announced closer to the model’s official on-sale date in October. Based on European numbers, the standard Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 should arrive Down Under at around $140,000. The early Edition 1s will be under $150,000, insiders say.

The closest direct competitor to the new Mercedes-Benz, is the Jaguar I-Pace, which is priced from around $120,000. Jaguar offers a four-model walk-up for I-Pace with top-spec versions circa $160,000.

Mercedes-Benz chose what it claims is the world's most e-mobility friendly city to launch the new EQC 400 – the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

Thanks to cheap, clean electricity and aggressive incentives (courtesy of an oil-funded sovereign wealth fund that is the envy of the Western world – worth more than $US200,000 per citizen), Norway leads the globe in the uptake of electric vehicles. In April 2019, 58 per cent of new vehicles sold in Norway were electric...

Electric vehicles are exempt from VAT, road taxes, get cheaper parking, ferry and road tolls and even gain access to bus lanes under Norway’s pro-EV measures. In fact, the Norwegian Parliament has set a national goal that all new cars sold by 2025 should be zero emission – that is electric or hydrogen.

But we’re not here as cheerleaders for Norway, nor battery electric vehicles. Rather we are here to sample and evaluate the Mercedes-Benz EQC as a vehicle, as opposed to a political statement.

And the good news is the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 is a very capable and refined first up effort.

We drove the EQC on a range of roads in and around Oslo and can vouch for its decent real-world performance and a high level of refinement and vehicle smarts.

Mercedes-Benz claims much of the fine tuning of the EQC has been related to refinement. The truth is this is a very quiet, very smooth and polished vehicle. There’s a hint of EV whine on the ‘over run’ when the car is re-generation braking, but other than that the cabin is serene.

Double-glazed front windows and an acoustic windscreen contribute to very low levels of wind noise too (although Norway’s draconian speed limits mean the Oslo roads are hardly the right place to spend long periods at high velocities.)

There are all the cabin comforts you’d expect from a Mercedes-Benz or indeed any other $150,000 SUV. The materials are on the vegan side of the ledger (there’s not much natural cow to be found) but they deliver a smooth technical flavor to the cabin. There are also unique finishes to components such as the vents and audio grilles.

Mercedes-Benz is making much of the smarts integrated into the EQC. The local importer has confirmed the new SUV’s EQC Optimised Navigation will come Down Under and it’s a useful salvo in the war to tame range anxiety.

The system uses a continually updated mix of data to plan and optimize journeys, including charging stops where required. Inputs include battery charge, weather, topography and traffic flow, and available charging stations.

While one option is to pre-plan your journey off-board (via the EQC’s version of the Mercedes me App), the optimised navigation updates your arrival state of charge and other key info points in real time. Knowing that you will arrive at grandma’s with enough charge to make a quick exit if necessary does much to assuage EV doubts. It’s also significantly more accurate than the range predictor in the Jaguar.

Our driving of the EQC 400 in the single-digit Celsius temperatures tends to indicate a real world range of 330-350km.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC 400’s smarts allows a number of functions (including cabin climate pre-conditioning) to be initiated offboard. This is an area that will continue to develop.

If you’re expecting the Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 to perform at the sporting end of the SUV spectrum, that may be the one disappointment you strike.

The power delivery is there but the suspension, steering and chassis characteristics are aimed at the less enthusiastic end of the performance envelope. The low centre of gravity that the extra 650kg-odd of battery generates means the EQC 400 corners very flat and the ride is excellent, but the car never feels like it wants to be hustled.

Better to dial back the pace, enjoy the refinement and waft (with a reasonable degree of pace) along to your next port of call. There will be sports EQ models soon enough...

Any way you look at it, the arrival of the Mercedes-Benz EQC represents a step change for the brand and arguably electric vehicles as a whole Down Under.

Here is a right sized SUV, with the right badge, the right build quality and fit and finish, usable range and just the right mix of adventure and conventionality in its styling.

The EQC 400 doesn't have the flat-floored spaciousness of a dedicated EV platform a la I-PACE or Audi e-tron. The combo of conventional body-in-white and a flat battery pack has been described as a convergence platform. Clearly there have been development savings in pursuing this approach, but there's also a familiarity that will no doubt appeal to traditional Mercedes customers.

This and the fact that Mercedes-Benz is (finally) willing to put its reputation on the line with this launch in the EV space will also prompt many doubting Thomases to sign on the dotted line.

The first customer EQCs should the plugged into their owners’ home wall boxes in time for Christmas. Sales volumes will remain limited in Australia, however, for the foreseeable future. The combination almost ensures the Mercedes-Benz EQC will be a success for the three-pointed star.

How much does the 2019 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 cost?
Price: Expected to be between $140,000 and $150,000 at launch
Motor: Two asynchronous AC motors
Output: 300kW/760Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gears
Range: 471km (NEDC)
Battery: 80kWh lithium-ion