Mercedes-Benz EQC: Australian price and specs

Mercedes-Benz’s first all-electric model will be positioned at the heart of its battery-powered premium SUV rivals and in the middle of the German luxury brand’s own conventional SUV range.

Officially on sale and available in EQ showrooms from December 9 ahead of first deliveries early next year, the ground-breaking 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC will be priced at $137,900 plus on-road costs.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC was also awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating this morning, after achieving a high 96 per cent adult occupant protection score and a record-equalling 92 per cent child protection score.

Its pricing aims the mid-size five-door SUV at the centre of the both the Jaguar I-PACE EV400 line-up (comprising the $124,100 S, $135,400 SE and $146,000 HSE) and the Tesla Model X range, which is priced between $116,500 and $149,600.

Other direct competitors will include the long-awaited Audi e-tron, which arrives here next year, and the BMW iX3 that’s not due until 2021.

Just as significantly, however, the sub-$138K price of the Mercedes-Benz EQC, which at 4762mm long is about mid-way between the mid-size GLC (4660mm) and the large GLE (4819mm) in size, positions the EV above mainstream versions of both SUVs but below the range-topping AMG variants.

The GLC 43 costs $109,900 and the GLC 63 is priced at $161,900, while the 400d currently tops the GLE range at $118,140 with the latest GLE 63 yet to come.

An Edition 1 version of the EQC will be available from launch, limited to just 25 examples and priced at $6900 in Graphite Grey metallic paint or $8600 in designo Diamond White paint.

It adds 21-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels, two-tone designo Nappa leather with diamond-stitched platinum white pearl inserts, climatised front seats, tri-zone THERMOTRONIC climate control, MBUX navigation with augmented reality and 'Edition 1' badging on the B-pillars.

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 ioniser,
multi-contour front seats with adjustable bolsters and massage function, climatised front seats and a choice of leather finishes.

There are seven other standard metallic paint finishes to choose from, including Polar White, Brilliant Blue, High-Tech Silver, Graphite Grey and Obsidian Black, plus 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 and Nappa leather is offered in a separate package.

Customers who have already registered to purchase an EQC online will be first in line to specify their vehicle after they lodge a deposit, as part of the Mercedes-Benz Australia’s first web-based retail sales program.

Mercedes-Benz says Australia was among the first countries in the world to receive stock of the EQC.

“The EQC is a game-changer for Mercedes-Benz, but also it imposes a more luxurious standard of electric vehicle ownership,” said Mercedes-Benz Australia-Pacific CEO and managing director Horst von Sanden.

“Our aim has never been to be the first to this market, but to offer the most complete solution possible to the question of future mobility. With the all-electric EQC, we are confident we have done just that. Electric now has a Mercedes.”

In Australia, the Mercedes-Benz EQC comes with an ADR-certified driving range of 434km and drivers will have access to free, unlimited fast-charging for the first five years at the growing number of Chargefox ultra-rapid charging stations.

Mercedes-Benz says that once EQC deliveries commence, about 20 ultra-rapid charging sites will be
strategically located for drivers commuting between Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with more to come in 2020.

Chargefox ultra-rapid chargers can deliver up to 220km of range in 30 minutes, at the EQC’s maximum DC charging rate of 110kW. Energy consumption for the EQC is rated at 21.4kWh/100km.

EQC owners can also access a growing number of commercial 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, EQC owners can recharge at home using the optional Mercedes-Benz Wallbox Home, which can be installed on regular single-phase power and delivers up to 7.4kW -- the EQC’s maximum AC charging rate.

At 7.4kW, the Mercedes-Benz Wallbox Home can add about 15km of extra range in 30 minutes. With three-phase power it can deliver about 22kW AC.

Charging the EQC 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.

Mercedes-Benz cautions that actual charging time depends on charging infrastructure, ambient temperature and battery state.

The EQC is fitted with a 405-volt, 80kWh lithium-ion battery pack that comes with an eight-year, 160,000km warranty, while a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty applies to the rest of the vehicle.

Service intervals are annual and owners will be offered “cost-effective’ maintenance and wear-and-tear
Packages, including a three-year capped-price
Service program.

Full details of these are yet to be announced, but Mercedes says all servicing and mechanical repair work can be performed at any metropolitan Mercedes-Benz service centre. However, any high-voltage repairs must be performed by specially trained technicians at designated EQ centres.

The EQC 400 comes with two asynchronous 150kW electric motors delivering a total of 300kW of power and 760Nm of torque to all four wheels via a single-speed, fixed-ratio transmission on each axle, resulting in 4MATIC all-wheel-drive with dynamic torque distribution.

Benz says the EQC 400 can sprint to 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds.

Standard EQC 400 features will include side-by-side 10.25-inch digital screens showing a range of EV-specific functions, plus the voice-activated MBUX infotainment system and Mercedes me Connect smartphone-based app functionality including remote starting, locking/unlocking, vehicle status, geofencing and more.