Mercedes EQC
The SUV should be the prelude to the EQ series.
(Photo: Daimler [M])
Düsseldorf If you don’t know, Daimler’s first electric vehicle would be a conventional model from the Mercedes SUV series. Where others develop their electric models from scratch, the EQC shares its platform with the GLC combustion model. Where others rely on futurism, the Swabians are down-to-earth. Although conventional is relative here, of course. Even the arrival of the SUV is extravagant. He rolls silently down the ramp of the huge articulated lorry.
The first impression is clear: everything is top class here. from the leather-covered fittings to the AMG floor mats to the independently opening trunk. Whereby you can argue about the black and white designed leather seats. However, Daimler has not skimped on luxury equipment in its Stromer. It was not for nothing that the then Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche advertised the car with the advertising slogan “The Mercedes among electric cars”.
But since its premiere, the EQC, which should actually be the starting signal for the electric age of the EQ series, has lagged behind its own claims in its home country. “We are certain that we will not be able to meet demand in 2019 and probably not in 2020 either,” Zetsche apologized shortly after the start. A year later, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, just 700 new cars were registered in this country. In view of the sluggish sales, executives already described the EQC as a “dead bullet”.
Compared to competitors such as the Model X from Tesla or the Audi E-Tron, the EQC has had a hard time to this day: According to an estimate by market researchers at IHS Markit, Mercedes was only able to sell around 1400 units of the model across Europe last year. The number of electric SUVs sold is likely to rise to 6,000 in 2020 – but Audi has already sold 21,000 of the E-Tron in the same period. What is the problem with the EQC?
First of all, you have to mention the short range, which is also noticeable in the test. Mercedes officially advertises the EQC with a range of 429 kilometers. When fully charged, however, the off-road vehicle only covered 360 kilometers in the Handelsblatt car test. And with a consumption of sometimes more than 30 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers on the motorway, they just melt away. The comparison with Tesla in particular is brutal for the EQC: The Model X is longer, wider, higher, heavier and offers up to two more seats – and with a good 29 kWh, it consumes around ten percent less than the EQC.
Although the premium car does much better in city traffic, the EQC is simply too expensive for a purely second or commuter vehicle at an average of 72,000 euros. In contrast to the Audi E-Tron, the basic version of which still benefits from a state environmental bonus.
Audi? Nice in the rearview mirror
But if you can overlook it, you will have a lot of fun with the EQC. The generous space for the driver and front passenger makes you feel like you’re in the living room, and the multimedia system leaves almost nothing to be desired.
And that in the truest sense of the word: Whether it’s too cold, I’m hungry or want to know where the next charging option is – the Mercedes MBUX voice control answers almost all of my questions in a Siri-like manner. Mercedes can definitely score here. And the Stuttgart-based company has even incorporated one or two slogans. When asked “Mercedes, what do you think about Audi?”, My test car replied confidently: “Looks nice, but only in my rear-view mirror”.
Restrained look
The Mercedes EQC was only subtly trimmed for the future.
(Photo: Handelsblatt / Witsch)
The color-adjustable ambient light in the interior of the SUV is also very nice, but more a matter of taste. On the other hand, the oversized infotainment screen, which can be operated via touch, buttons or the EQC’s own mouse pad, is really successful. For me, as a newcomer to Mercedes, the controls seem a bit over the top, but experienced brand connoisseurs assure me that this is pretty slimmed down for Mercedes.
Personally, it’s a bit too much for me to have a function on the touchpad, on a button and again on the steering wheel. Instead, the classic analog clock has flown out of the center console. Instead, I can choose from several designs to display important driving data such as speed or range.
With over 400 hp, the EQC delivers what it promises in terms of acceleration: it jumps from zero to one hundred kilometers an hour in five seconds. At 180 kilometers per hour it is over, but the Mercedes is as quiet as hardly any other electric car.
Plus point for the assistance systems
The EQC can also rely on the Swabians’ many years of experience when it comes to security systems. The lane departure warning system does its job safely, reliably and without jerking. In the stop-and-go of rush hour traffic, I don’t have to do anything other than keep my hands lightly on the steering wheel. Starting off, braking, keeping your distance – the EQC does it all by itself, and very well.
This is where the EQC leaves a really strong impression; voice control and navigation in particular work at the very highest level. With all assistants on board, however, the E-Benz costs just under 90,000 euros.
At this price, some would complain that the trunk falls behind with only 500 liters behind comparable competitors like the Jaguar I-Pace. Here the fact that the EQC, unlike the Jaguar, is not based on a pure electric platform takes its toll. The EQC is even ten centimeters longer than the GLC.
High quality interior
The Mercedes EQC can convince when it comes to processing.
(Photo: Handelsblatt / Witsch)
Unfortunately, this is also noticeable in everyday life. Tight parking spaces with a width of 1.88 meters are not an option when going to the cinema in the evening. So I have to park two streets away so that I can hang the Stromer on the charging station in the meantime. But even here caution is advised: the oversized car has to be moved three times until it no longer protrudes onto the road with its total length of 4.76 meters. On the other hand, an inattentive pedestrian could still run against the overflowing hood of the ECQ.
As with almost all electric cars, the battery is charged either via alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC), for which a CCS connection is used. CCS stands for “Combined Charging System”, ie a plug that transmits both types of electricity. The built-in AC charger has a charging capacity of 7.4 kilowatts (kW).
If things are going to be more fixed, a DC charging station is required, which can supply up to 110 kW. To recharge the battery from ten to 80 percent, Mercedes specifies a duration of 40 minutes. And the fast charging station on the motorway confirms the value in a practical test. With the high consumption, however, I stand at the gas pump more often than I would like.
No exhaust
Unfortunately, the consumption of the Mercedes EQC is very high compared to the competition.
(Photo: Handelsblatt / Witsch)
Incidentally, anyone wondering why the EQC consumes so much just has to take a look under the bonnet. The battery with 80 kWh capacity contains eight battery modules with 384 pouch cells, weighs 650 kilograms, is huge and also protected by an elaborate safety cage. Overall, the EQC weighs over 2.5 tons. However, the battery also pushes the vehicle’s center of gravity down so that the weight does not negatively affect the driving experience. The EQC is always stable in the curves.
With its range, the Mercedes EQC would be the perfect city or second car for short distances. The premium vehicle is far too expensive for that. Even if the technical equipment is otherwise convincing, Daimler should have taken more time with its electric car in order to be able to stand up to the electric competition in terms of technology. They want to do better with the upper-class EQS model, which is to be built on the Group’s new electric platform and will be launched in 2021. After all, whoever buys a Mercedes expects top class – in every respect.
Technical data of the Mercedes EQC
Five-door SUV
Length: 4.8 meters
Width: 2.0 meters
Height: 1.6
Wheelbase: 2.8 meters
Trunk: 500 liters
Electric motor: 300 kW (408 PS),
maximum torque: 760 Nm
Single-speed gearbox, 0-100 km / h: 5.1 s
Top speed: 180 km / h
Battery capacity: 80 kWh
Range (WLPT): 429 (356 in the test)
Electricity consumption: 19.7 kWh / 100 km
CO2 emissions: 0 g / km
Charging time: 1:22 (110 kW fast charging station) / 12:13 (Wallbox)
More: The (for the time being) last hydrogen car – Hyundai Nexo in the Handelsblatt car test.