Mercedes-Benz EQC 4x4 proves electric works off-road

Until now, if you needed to go for an off-road adventure a diesel- or petrol-powered SUV was the only option. But that could change if the new Mercedes-Benz EQC 4x4² is green-lit for production.

Created to show that a battery-powered SUV is equally capable when the going gets rough, the new EQC 4x4² was developed by the same team that created last year's Mercedes-Benz E400 All-Terrain 4x4².

Featuring a towering ride height of 293mm, the EQC 4x4² is not only 140mm taller than the standard EQC, but rides a sizeable 58mm higher than the car-maker's toughest G-Class.

This has boosted the wading depth of the EQC 4x4² to a respectable 400mm, and although that's some way off a Range Rover's 900mm capability it's a big improvement over the measly 250mm depth the regular EQC can manage.

Helping it off-road, the pure-electric 4x4 gets portal axles that drop the wheels substantially lower than the axle's centre.

The vehicle has decent approach and departure angles, and engineers have also ensured the Mercedes EQC 4x4² comes with a more sophisticated off-road driving mode.

This includes clever use of the brakes as a traction-boosting aid that adjusts to the road or track's surface.

Specifying huge 285/50 R20 all-terrain tyres, designers also had to introduce wheel-arch extenders that widen the Benz SUV by 100mm and, happily, add some attitude to the EQC's staid design.

There's no word on whether engineers have increase power, but it's thought the standard EQC's dual motors, which combine to produce 300kW and 760Nm of torque, are up to the task.

Drawing from an 80kWh lithium-ion battery, the EQC 4x4², with its bigger wheels, extra weight and bluff aero, is unlikely to match the standard model's decent 469km range.

Unusually, as well as honing the Mercedes-Benz EQC into a real 4x4, engineers worked hard to improve the on-board soundtrack for the driver, providing new levels of aural fakery that's supposed to help improve feedback for the driver.

Externally, new speakers integrated within the headlights emit white noise to alert pedestrians of the EQC's near-silent approach in urban areas.

For now, the EQC 4x4² is claimed to be a one-off, but it's been reported that if there's demand for a tougher, more capable pure-electric SUV Mercedes-Benz will push its high-riding EQC into production.