The Mercedes-Benz EQC against anything Tesla.

Tesla is not all though. The EQC will enter the ring against the I-Pace, against the Audi E-tron Quattro, and against the upcoming BMW iX3. That is the playground for the expensive, yet, it seems, highly popular electric SUVs. Can’t even imagine what kind of bloodshed we should expect to see in the near future. Regardless of this, these are the most important facts about the Mercedes-Benz EQC.

It is coming to the U.S. in 2020

Revealed in Sweden only days ago, the new Mercedes-Benz will start delivering the EQC electric SUV in Europe next year. We will have it on our side of the pond in 2020. Of course, the third most important market is China.

It has a proper name - the Mercedes-Benz EQC400 4MATIC

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche was clear, the 400 in the EQC400 4Matic does not designate the power output, nor does it refer to the specs. In fact, it only marks the position within the EQ offering. This may well mean that the future could give us even more versions of the EQC. If they do come, Zetsche did say Mercedes could price different versions differently and probably offer different battery packages that will affect their range.

Production will start in 2019 in Germany

Mercedes-Benz will produce the new EQC in Bremen, Germany. All the vehicles for the western markets - including the U.K. and the U.S. will be produced here. Chinese models, however, are bound for production in Beijing. Interestingly enough, Mercedes officials did not confirm or deny the possibility of production in the U.S. Nevertheless; the U.K.-spec Mercedes-Benz EQC400 4Matic price will start at $87,000. I am sure it will be only slightly cheaper in the U.S.

Fast Charging Battery

The new EQC uses the latest lithium-ion batteries. An 80 kWh battery pack is placed in the floor and it weighs a whopping 1,433 lbs. Apart from improving the center of gravity and providing an even better safety cell for passengers, the battery pack features a water-cooled charger. While the slow charging process will last for hours, with the bespoke Mercedes Wallbox system, the EQC recharge process will be greatly reduced. DC fast chargers can recharge a battery pack from 10 percent to 80 percent in only 40 minutes.

Range controversy

After revealing the data and the press release about the new car it seems that Mercedes-Benz was quite clear about one thing - the range. However, after an unfavorable backlash from the Internet community, a Mercedes-Benz representative actually contacted The Verge and said this:

“Our colleagues in Stuttgart have advised us that the preliminary estimated range figure for the EQC of 200 miles for the U.S. is incorrect.”

PR Manager, Michael Minielly even added, "For now, we ask that you please use the 450-km NEDC figure (approximately 279 miles). The official U.S. range will be communicated closer to market launch."

Now, all of this seems a bit unprofessional, but luckily, in the depths of the Internet, I was able to find that the EQC range, according to WLTP standards (far more realistic than NEDC figures), is at 249 miles. Bear in mind that the official range estimates for the U.S. haven’t been revealed. Well, if we forget about the 200-mile thing, at least.

It Is Not Slow. At All

Performance figures for the new Mercedes-Benz EQC do promise a thing - fun. Silent fun at least, as the crossover is actually capable of hot-hatch levels of acceleration. It will surge to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds on its way to electronically limited top speed of 112 mph. Granted, 112 sounds laughable, but do you really need more? Mercedes probably limited the top speed in order to limit the strain on the battery.

The EQC Is A Practical Thing

As it is based on a highly modified GLC architecture, the Mercedes-Benz EQC features a boot with 500 liters of capacity. However, I find it more impressive that the EQC tow rating is 3,070 lbs with a maximum payload of 1,135 pounds.

All the praises aside, the EQC is different from other similar electric crossovers in terms of practicality. It does not have a frunk.

Propulsion System

As is the case with many new electric cars, the Mercedes-Benz EQC employs two electric motors - one on the front axle and one at the back - for a total power output of 400 horsepower. Aiding it is 564 pound-feet of torque which is, I think, crucial considering that the EQC is a hefty thing with a weight of 5,346 lbs. This is the weight of a really nice Bentley Continental GT. Remember though that much of the weight does come from those massive batteries.

Thanks to the two electric motors, Mercedes managed to craft a 4Matic system that probably works better than that of any ICE-powered car. Furthermore, with live torque distribution and instant torque availability, I am positive the EQC is actually a fun and capable crossover.

The EQC Is Only A Start

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche did say that Mercedes is planning on expanding its electric car offering to such an extent that as much as a quarter of all of the cars they sell in 2025 will be electric. Yet, he scaled down the expectations in one of his recent interviews admitting that they’d been a bit optimistic with the estimates. In spite of this, the plan for the introduction of up to 10 full-electric vehicles by 2025 is in full swing. We can expect a lot more with a similar drivetrain. This is the birth of a whole brand it seems. I would not be surprised if in 10 years or so we have a whole new brand called Mercedes-EQ. You know, like Mercedes-AMG, or Mercedes-Maybach.

The EQC Is Not Small

Being a crossover based on top of the modified GLC architecture, the new Mercedes-Benz EQC actually grew by 4.1 inches in length compared with the compact Mercedes crossover. This made the EQC dimensions like this -

Length

187.4

Width

74.2 (82.5 with mirrors)

Height

63.9 in


Interior Is A Look Into The Future

This new car features the most advanced MBUX infotainment system installed in a Mercedes vehicle. Maybe a bit more important than that, the dash and the front of the cabin have been changed compared to the GLC. Actually, some parts that will land in the facelifted GLC are already in the EQC. The changes compared with the GLC include a new dash, a new instrument and infotainment panel, reimagined vents, and a new steering wheel.

200 Prototypes

Developing a car is a time consuming and a rather tiresome process. Not to mention expensive. Well, in order to create a car worth of wearing the Mercedes-Benz badge, the Germans created 200 prototypes of the EQC and sent them all over the world - from the hot deserts of Africa to cold temperatures of the Arctic circle. The result is probably a high-quality electric car better refined than any other on the market.

Mercedes already has me convinced.

Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC.

Read our full review on the 2016 Mercedes‑Benz "Generation EQ" Concept.

Read more Mercedes-Benz news.