The future of motoring is electric and it was only a matter of time before more carmakers took the plunge. For Mercedes, the shift towards electric mobility starts with the new EQC and we travelled to Oslo, Norway to see if you should be all charged up for one. Ahem, your excitement might be in vain however, because the EQC is not coming to India. The lack of charging infrastructure and a price of around ₹1.3 crore (after taxes and duties) make it a non-starter for our market.
EQC 400 4MATIC; hightechsilber metallic; Ledernachbildung ARTICO / Stoff Sunnyvale zweifarbig indigoblau / schwarz; (Stromverbrauch kombiniert: 20,8 – 19,7 kWh/100 km; CO2-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km) // EQC 400 4MATIC; high tech silver metallic; Two-tone ARTICO man-made leather / Sunnyvale fabric indigo blue / black; (combined electric energy consumption: 20.8 - 19.7 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km)
It was quite fitting that Mercedes chose Norway to launch the EQC. The Scandinavian country is the capital of the electric car world and an eye-opener for EV sceptics (myself included), with every other car in Oslo being an EV. I’ve seen more Teslas in one day here than I have in my entire life. In fact, in March, the Tesla Model 3 was by far Norway’s best-selling car.
The EQC looks quite similar to the Mercedes GLC, and that’s not a coincidence, because it’s based on the mid-sized SUV. The EQC doesn’t sport a ground-breaking design. In fact, it looks rather plain from certain angles, with only the stunning alloy wheels and the distinctive nose — which has techy-looking headlights and a fibre-optic light strip running across the bonnet — spicing up its looks.
On the inside, the EQC is again very Mercedes, with lots of common bits like the switchgear and, of course, the fantastic double-screen display for the infotainment system and all the car’s functions. Adding a bit of ‘EV-ness’ to the cabin is a blue (for electric) lighting strip and some avant-garde design like the fluted air-con vents and grated speaker grilles.
EQC 400 4MATIC; hightechsilber metallic; Ledernachbildung ARTICO / Stoff Sunnyvale zweifarbig indigoblau / schwarz; (Stromverbrauch kombiniert: 20,8 – 19,7 kWh/100 km; CO2-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km) // EQC 400 4MATIC; high tech silver metallic; Two-tone ARTICO man-made leather / Sunnyvale fabric indigo blue / black; (combined electric energy consumption: 20.8 - 19.7 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km)
Space-wise, the EQC is not very large, and is similar to the GLC sold in India. You sit pretty high up at the front, like in a typical SUV, but at the back, the raised floor (the battery is packaged underneath) and tapering roof line impinge on all-round room. Unlike a lot of Mercs, back-seat comfort is not an EQC strength. Luggage space isn’t generous either, and with the engine gone, you’d expect to have some sort of a front boot — but that space is used by the motor that drives the front axle.
I pick up the EQC from Oslo airport, but find there’s only 30km of charge left in the 80kwH battery. So my first stop is the nearest charging station. That’s quite easy to find because all the charging stations in the country are saved in the navigation system. Charging the EQC was a breeze. It’s fast (around 40min to get to 80%) and there are plenty of quick chargers around. On a full charge, the EQC will give 445km on the NEDC cycle, which puts it ahead of a few other EVs.
With charging out of the way, it’s time to get down to the driving. The EQC is powered by two electric motors which drive the front and rear axles, in effect making it a four-wheel-drive car. Both motors are designed differently; the front motor is set up for efficiency and the rear for a more dynamic feel. Combined, they put out 408hp. It is no slouch and shoots to 100kph from rest in just 5.1sec. That is seriously fast for a 2.4-tonne SUV. Floor the pedal and the EQC lunges forward with a strong, seamless surge of acceleration. The way it gathers speed silently and without drama can land you in trouble in a country known for its punitively-high speeding fines.
You almost always have to keep an eye on the speedometer to know how fast you are going, as none of the usual indicators like engine revs, wind or tyre noise are there. The only indicators are the tall pine trees lining Norway’s roads that whoosh by in a blur.
Masking the EQC’s speed is its astonishing level of refinement. Yes, electric cars are quiet, but this one is eerily so. The whine of the electric motors and the roar of the tyres have been painstakingly filtered out, creating a cabin so hushed, you can hear yourself breathe.
The EQC has five driving modes (Comfort, Sport, Eco, Maximum Range and Individual) and five levels of battery regeneration, which you can select via the paddleshifters behind the wheel. That’s a lot of modes to play with, and you can spend the whole day experimenting with which combination works best for you. The multiple regen modes in the EQC are quite unique and brilliant to use. Tugging the left paddle feels just like shifting a gear down because it increases the level of regeneration or the natural feeling of ‘engine braking’.
The Maximum Range mode, which you can activate by pulling the right paddle until ‘D Auto’ is selected, is a clever piece of engineering as well. In this mode, the electronics take almost full control of the car’s powertrain to eke out the last kilometre from the battery. It’s a bit intrusive though, because the car doesn’t respond exactly to your inputs and listens more to what the battery wants.
For the most part, the EQC is a front-wheel drive, but prod a bit deeper with your right foot and the rear motor kicks in, making it feel more like a rear-wheel drive when driven hard. Torque vectoring balances the motors on each axle and is partly responsible for the EQC’s drama-free handling. The numb steering and sheer weight of the car won’t goad you into attacking corners, but it has a reassuring poise (for an SUV) that’s rooted in the low centre of gravity that most EVs with an underfloor-mounted battery pack have.
The ride on 20-inch rims is incredibly smooth, but on these well-paved Norwegian roads, even a bullock-cart will feel comfortable. Crossing tram tracks and a few sharp edges didn’t disturb the EQC, which clearly has been tuned for comfort in true Merc fashion.
On Norway’s well-manicured roads, but strictly speed-regulated highways, driving something so refined as the EQC was quite a non-event. A bit boring and sterile? Maybe. But the future of motoring is going to be just that. Better get used to it.
The multiple regen modes in the EQC are quite unique and absolutely brilliant to use. Tugging the left paddle feels just like shifting a gear down because it increases the level of regeneration or the natural feeling of ‘engine braking’.
The Maximum Range mode, which you can activate by pulling the right paddle until ‘D Auto’ is selected, is a clever piece of engineering as well. In this mode, the electronics take almost full control of the car’s powertrain to eke out the last kilometre from the battery. It’s a bit intrusive though, because the car doesn’t respond exactly to your inputs and listens more to what the battery wants.
For the most part, the EQC is a front-wheel drive, but prod a bit deeper with your right foot and the rear motor kicks in, making it feel more like a rear-wheel drive when driven hard. Torque vectoring balances the motors on each axle and is partly responsible for the EQC’s drama-free handling. The numb steering and sheer weight of the car won’t goad you into attacking corners, but it has a reassuring poise (for an SUV) that’s rooted in the low centre of gravity that most EVs with an underfloor-mounted battery pack have.
The ride on 20-inch rims is incredibly smooth, but on these well-paved Norwegian roads, even a bullock-cart will feel comfortable. Crossing tram tracks and a few sharp edges didn’t disturb the EQC, which clearly has been tuned for comfort in true Merc fashion.
On Norway’s well-manicured roads, but strictly speed-regulated highways, driving something so refined as the EQC was quite a non-event. A bit boring and sterile? Maybe. But the future of motoring is going to be just that. Better get used to it.
