[moralfibre]

The Mercedes EQC has been launched in India at a price of Rs. 99.30 lakhs (ex-showroom, India).

What you'll like:

• The first and only luxury Electric SUV in the Indian market
• 402 BHP with three quarters of a ton in torque. 0-100 in 5.1 seconds
• Luxurious inside out with excellent fit and finish. Typical Mercedes
• Healthy range for those weekend hill-station getaways
• 5-star NCAP safety rating & kit: 7 airbags, blindspot assist, attention assist, lane departure warnings, ESP, etc.
• Well-packaged: Drive modes, in-cabin comforts, standard equipment...
• Environment friendly! Zero emissions and 95% recyclable materials in the entire car

What you won't:

• Terrible ground clearance. Will scrape over even medium-sized speed breakers or road undulations
• Cabin space is restrictive for 5 occupants. Better for 4 onboard
• Lack of fast charging network in the country
• Bumpy ride quality on bad roads
• We'd expect a longer range after spending 1+ crore! Example, the ZS EV isn't that far behind
• Unpredictable traffic conditions in the country could hamper range significantly

[moralfibre]

The Background and market

Mercedes Benz India got it's first mover advantage in the luxury segment with the launch of the brand EQ in India. Brand EQ would set the stage for all future electric vehicle offerings for Mercedes in the country. Globally, the brand has the EQC and EQV derived out of a series of concept cars that were showcased in the motor shows of yesteryears.



2017 and 2018 saw several nations shout out a war cry to ban IC engines. The German Bundesrat has already issued a legislation for banning production and sales of engines by 2030. Thus began the automotive race to convert conventional gasoline and diesel engines to PHEV and BEVs. Mercedes' roadmap plans to commence production of a CO2 neutral car and van fleet worldwide by 2022. 2030 portfolio of their offerings aim to have a 50% contribution of BEV and PHEVs. Getting itself on course for a CO2 neutral new car fleet by 2039.

The EQC and the EQV offerings earmark their early foray into a segment the Daimler group hadn't stepped into. With Tesla's resounding success in tech friendly nations and the Nordics adopting environment friendly approach towards private transport, it is only imperative that the future is electric!

[moralfibre]

Exterior

The EQC derives it's lines and a ghosting impression from the GLC. It's no surprise that the body style and shape has enough inspirations taken from the GLC. However, the similarity ends right there. The EQC's bodyline is best defined to be bulgy to keep itself abreast with the ever demanding needs of aerodynamic efficiency. All design elements on electric cars in general drive their objective to reduce overall drag and thereby it's overall range per km on the battery. A lot of thought and effort later, the EQC boasts of a Cd value of 0.27, which is truly commendable for an SUV.

The looks however are a sure hit or miss with the populace. The environment friendly buyer in the premium segment won't hesitate from discounting the looks of the car. But, the one that wants street presence of an SUV with sharp and impressive lines, will surely think twice beyond the image the EQC portrays. The EQC is curvaceous. The monotony of it's overall rounded shape is attempted to be broken by the long sweeping light bars dominating the front and rear of the SUV.

Massive 20 inch wheels are derived straight up from the concept EQ. Ultra low profile tyres get generous amounts of Blue, in line with the overall design theme. Blue and Green have officially been accepted by the industry as signatures of environment-friendly vehicles. The EQC doesn't shy away from getting decent amounts of Blue on it. The light bars stretch across the front and rear panels giving the SUV it's desired highlights of a Green vehicle.

The side profile is where it twins up significantly with the GLC. It hides the otherwise bulky lines the EQC carries. The front fenders get EQ branding whereas the special edition 1886 version gets it's own branding. 1886 commemorates Daimler's founding father Carl Benz's first gasoline powered two seater car. The EQC has a specially packaged 1886 edition ironically running battery power which is a significant departure from the brand's strength! The EQC 1886 was the car we test drove and besides a few cosmetic, aesthetic and badge changes, it's the same car.

The 1886 gets a Piano Black front grill surround which is chromed on the standard variant. Additional computer driven driving aids with lane departure warnings, activity monitor, a heads-up display and badging are what distinguishes the 1886 variant from the regular EQC.

The rear hatch continues with the extended tail lamp that somehow reminds me of a style I had first seen on the Dodge Durango. The EQC's bar remains sleeker and plush. A massive rear spoiler dons the hatch adding a few points to it's aerodynamic efficiency.

German build quality is subtly felt on the car but weight savings are imminent. The EQC tips the scales at 2.5 tonnes!! 26% of the total vehicle weight is taken by the battery alone.

Personally, I wouldn't call the EQC a looker even when compared to it's BEV counterparts offered in the west. The Tesla model X carries it's own design cues but has a sharper design with unique quirks that add up to it's differentiation. The EQC however looks a tad too voluminous.

The standard variant dons a massive chrome bezel around the front grill with horizontal slats carrying some more of the shiny silver:


The EQC 1886 variant gets a massive Piano Black front fascia. The observant ones will notice that the 1886 version also dons a retro Mercedes logo up front:


When viewed from the side, one would observe resemblance to the GL family from where it derives several impressions:


The long sweeping tail bars lend a similar touch as their country neighbour's Porsche Cayenne:


Bulky street presence when viewed from the front three-quarters. All required lights are integrated within the headlamp housing:


Excess curves in the overall body shape seen from the rear three-quarters:


Headlamps continue the Blue-eyed look for environment friendly vehicles. All DRLs are LED:


One beam for all operations carries the turn signals, headlamp beams and fog lights:


The undersides do get aero aids for aiding the overall coefficient of drag. Don't miss the scraped out bumper due to the extremely low ground clearance:


Similar plastics are placed ahead of the wheels to cut through headwinds:


Front fenders either get the 1886 badging…


…or the standard EQC badging:


20" alloy wheels get Blue outlays which are India specific:


Well integrated side step added for those that need assistance to climb into the car:


Battery pack is placed low below between the two drive axles. Ground clearance is the biggest pain point of the EQC:


Wind deflectors on the back of the rear wheels as well:


Massive rear spoiler is integrated with the hatch lid to aid aerodynamic efficiency:


4Matic badging denotes the capability of the dual sync motor's ability to deliver power to all 4 wheels:


The rear follows similar badging norms as their IC engined cousins:


The rear camera pops out from behind the smart looking Mercedes badge on the hatch. The same mechanism doubles up as a tailgate release lever:


Sealed under body viewed from the rear:


Observe how the low hanging motor is almost hitting the ground:


Electric tailgate with motor assisted mechanism for luggage operations:


Parting shot with the EQC at the dealer's charging stations installed in light of the upcoming sale:

[moralfibre]

Interior

The interiors of the EQC are where it truly shines. Once inside, you are greeted with well-crafted bits that look like they have been very thoughtfully put together. The 1886 version gets a two-tone Indigo Blue and Black combination with 1886 inscriptions on the seats. Optionally, one could choose the Silk Beige and Black combination. The trims are offered in a Grey Matrix or Aluminium. There is no dearth to the combinations on offer in a typical luxury segment vehicle.

A generous amount of brushed silver buttons don the entire cockpit. Most buttons have been done away with and the operations are more or less driven by touch panel controls. In-line with what BEVs do to the drivetrain, the cabin also cuts down massively on moving parts like buttons, knobs and dials.

In-line with the software driven approach that all electric vehicles use to drive the motors, the interiors carry over heavy usage of the software driven approach for the in-cabin experience as well. There are two horizontally stacked command panels for all operations and driver feedback. While the use of touch panels is debated heavily and polarising across the population, it is only a sign of things to come in the future. The entire infotainment system can be driven by a direct touch, steering mounted controls or a strategically placed touchpad with haptic feedback. Those that are quite used to their personal tablet operations won't feel out of place in the cabin!

The dashboard has a nice flow to the design element. The theme carries subtle use of leather stitched panels, and multiple lighting combinations to choose from to add to the cabin ambience. There is that sunroof in place for those one-off occasions when our weather permits us to use it.

The seats are well bolstered and offer great comfort up front. The rear however felt quite constrained in it's real estate offering. The EQC is certainly not a spacious car for a family of 6 footers. Back seat occupants will complain of the lack of comfort over a period of time. To add to the comfort, there are massage options for the front seat occupants as well. While I didn't get an opportunity to try it, the range of the EV would certainly offer very few opportunities to get that relaxing treatment in the cabin.

Mercedes design team have followed the path of asymmetric design elements in the dashboard. Long sweeping lines up front go across the dashboard to meet with the speaker grills on the doorpad for offering a wider theme to the overall dash:


Well contoured steering wheel with thumb recesses for a strong grippy feel:


Steering control on the LHS get nice-to-feel buttons. These buttons are primarily used to navigate and control the LHS side console:


The RHS buttons on the steering wheel control the instrument cluster:


A top down look of the stacked screens that have replaced conventional analog consoles:


When on charge, the main console displays charge rate and battery status:


At the start of the drive, the range showed a healthy 287 km to go:


The flexibility on offer with tablet screens is unmatched. One can pick desktop themes to suit their personal tastes. Personally, I found the designs way too loud. Steve Jobs is sorely missed for his UI/UX expertise:


Option 2 - Classic:


Option 3 - Progressive. Apart from the themes, one could bring in the navigation map, trip stats, etc. in either of the consoles. The possibilities are exhaustive:


The AC vents on the farther sides of the cabin are directed upwards. No amount of adjustments would draft the air towards the passengers:


Somehow, I felt the driver footwell was a bit too cramped. The dead pedal was placed at a slightly awkward place too. Couldn't really get myself to have a comfortable landing spot for my left foot:


Bonnet lever is hidden from view and is cumbersome to access. Not that there's any reason to reach out for it either in an EV:


Front door pads seen with the Indigo Blue and Black theme. Door pockets can accommodate 3 bottles:


A smart brushed steel set offer the driver easy access for window and mirror controls:


Seat adjustments are familiar and well placed for reach:


The front seats are well bolstered and comfortable. Seen here with 1886 badging:


Healthy electronic adjustments for under thigh support:


The cabin surrounds have 64 different colours to choose from. Seen here in Red:


A giant display aids reversing as well as parking with ease:


The 360-degree camera with proximity sensors couldn't stop itself from beeping in thick Bombay traffic. It's best used for tight parking spaces:


Rose Gold vent inserts look smart on the EQC:


Centre console gets a generous array of brushed Silver buttons for managing the individual zone climate controls as well as toggling through the menu on the centre screen for infotainment:


Gracious use of Piano Black keeps the cabin lively. However, this element is severely prone to scratches and thereby lack of shine as seen here:


Tastefully crafted interiors continue the theme on the rear doorpads as well:


The backseat is a bit too upright for my liking:


Rear seats get a pair of ISOFIX to tether car seats:


A rather large floor hump makes the third passenger unwelcome:


Decent boot space with adequate hooks and straps to tie down the cargo:

[moralfibre]

Driving the Mercedes-Benz EQC

At first, folks unaware of the EV scene would expect a "Look ma, no engine!" under the hood. But, the EQC does get it's electric drivetrain packed under the bonnet. Badged as the EQC400 4MATIC, the SUV is powered by two asynchronous motors pelting out 402 BHP combined. The motors are a pair of 3-Phase AC motors. They derive their juice out of a 80 kWh battery pack fitted exactly between the two axles to bring down the cg significantly. The battery pack comprises of 384 cells and weighs a massive 652 kg. The entire assembly is cooled using a cooling circuit that takes in about 10-11 liters of coolant. The battery assembly is put together in Kamenz, Germany by Accumotive GmbH & Co, a subsidary of Daimler located close to Dresden, Germany.

The final assembly of the EQC happens in Bremen, Germany. Trivia: Bremen is considered as the sister city of Pune. There is a 'Bremen maitri chowk' that symbolises this bond between the two cities.

The EQC starts with a conventional start button to get it going. An electronic parking brake is auto-released once you engage drive mode from the steering column mounted selector. Drive modes on offer are D-Auto, D+, D, D- and D--. Each of these are very very important to master and use when familiarizing yourself with the car. Reason? The drive modes are what define your battery regeneration cycles on offer and get the maximum juice out of your battery pack. Thankfully, our drive route constituted a mix of jam-packed city traffic, moderately occupied highways and thereafter the Pune Mumbai expressway for a free flowing traffic pattern.

The EQC showed a healthy 290+ km range on offer with a 91% battery level after a full overnight charge. The dealership was equipped with a conventional charger without DC fast charging capability thereby offering slower charging rates. At city speeds, I left the drive mode in economy so as to have a relaxed drive and ensuring we get the most out of the battery. The suspension remained in comfort mode and the steering was light enough to snake my way out of the city. At city speeds (read: 0-40km/h), it's best to stay in D--, this gives you max recuperation. The moment you lift off the A pedal, the car dives back to brake and sends back the entire power derived to the battery pack. Occupants are bound to feel a forward lug each time the driver lifts off in this mode. An experience very similar to an aircraft landing with reverse thrusters engaged to stop the bird. While it is a bit discomforting, this mode is tuned to be the most efficient out of all options to maximise the range.

Once we exited the choc-a-bloc traffic pattern, we hit a rather wide highway stretch where speeds varied from 40 to 80 km/h. This is when D- mode was quite effective. D- offers medium recuperation but also helps coast to slowdown less aggressively without sudden drop in your inertia. This was also the time when I switched the car setup to sports mode. The steering weighs up nicely and the overall stance of the car becomes a bit aggressive.

As I hit the expressway, it was prudent to have a cruising speed and with minimal or no regeneration. Optionally one could choose between a standard D or D+ mode but I chose to have some fun with the car once we got onto the freeway. In D+, the car is a free roller. That kick in the seat feeling is intensely addictive. Torque is transferred down to the wheels faster than one's pronunciation of T from torque. The speedo climbs at a blistering pace and all driving aids help keep the EQC glued to the road. There is zero drama associated with the drivetrain. At 68dB at idle, the motor is par for the course of standards on cabin noise. One would often have to rely on the butt dyno or a glance at the speedo to understand their velocity. The in-cabin experience offers a complete isolation from all the surroundings. The lane departure warnings as well as driver alert modes were put to test when I casually let myself switch lanes on corners without actively holding the steering as one normally would in control. The dashboard was quick to remind me that I needed a break and coffee to keep myself awake and alive!

One must get used to using minimal or no brakes. For the entire journey, my usage of brakes was barely 10% of the total and in most cases, it was used for a complete stop. For slowing yourself down, it's best to engage lower drive modes as these double up as battery chargers while offering engine braking-like experience. The entire experience is a massive departure if you haven't tuned yourself to driving an EV before. It gets fairly simple in a little over an hour once you accustom yourself to the arcade video game-like experience of driving. At the end of the 80 odd km drive, we had consumed about 30% of the battery charge and the overall battery level had dipped to 65% from 91%. The range indicator was on track with real world usage and did deplete significantly due to some enthusiastic driving. One can only imagine the amount of remap capabilities that would be offered in the new aftermarket created for software alterations on motor behaviour.

A neat illustration of the battery pack:


A simple breakdown of key components of an EV:


Pop-up the plastic cover to get a view of a motor that is a significant departure from the standard fare one is experienced with:


The only known fluid in the car that requires maintenance, the coolant cap:


When on charge, the battery cooling circuit remains active and keeps chilling the battery pack while it regenerates itself for the next drive:


A pair of heat exchangers are placed on either side of the motor control unit for managing the cooling systems:


A condenser unit:


Side view of the condenser unit:


Healthy recuperation of the battery is maximised with use of driving modes for engine braking:


Just like the ECU in conventional IC engined cars, the EV gets a MCU a la Motor control unit placed right above the front motor:


The massive electric motor up-front manufactured by ZF:


The good old friendly radiator is placed forward with an XXL-sized fan housing:


On par with EV safety norms, all high voltage connections, sockets, wires, etc are a bright Orange.


Jumper connections for the auxiliary battery to jump start the car:


The charging port:

[moralfibre]

Ride and Handling

You expect the EQC to ride like an SUV but will face the horror of hitting the underbody at typically Indian speed breakers you encounter. This shocker took a while to sink in and in the first 10 meters of my drive, I landed the base with an ultra loud thud! I thought I failed to spot the bump, but reality struck again when the EQC couldn't clear another small to mid-sized speed breaker. This is no SUV that can fly over bad roads and undulations that dot almost every city in the country. One has to be ultra careful to clear these as the underbody tends to have the most expensive component of the EV, the battery! The entire feeling of being in an SUV and unable to glide over potholes dampens the overall experience. GTO had a slightly better experience cruising with the EQC in Bandra, but he still scraped over 2 / 10 speed breakers.

The ride quality on city roads is something that is unlike a luxury car. It is stiff and bound with a nervous feeling of it's inability to clear the smallest of a deformed road.

Stiffen her up in sports mode on a clear highway and it flips itself to be a competent highway runner. The steering is sharp and lovely to use. Its Achilles heels of low ground clearance actually aids it's road manners significantly. While it won't offer you a sedan like tight cornering experience, it is no wallowing mammoth on fast corners.

[moralfibre]

Other Points

• 8 years or 1,60,000km warranty on the EQC Battery.

• Charging infrastructure setup for home charging would be via an AC wall box. 10 hours for full charge in this system.

• You'll notice that the entire cooling circuit is operational even in charging mode.

• No spare wheel or space for one!

• EQ experts trained and placed at every dealership.

• Blackened dual LED headlights follow the design theme of modern day Mercedes cars.

• As per international regulations, all high voltage components are built and placed in Orange colours.

The conventional home charging cables are placed in the boot:


Home charging would best offer 3.4kWh of charging. That would take eternity to get to full charge:


A 7.4 kWh charging box available at dealerships:




A different design of the same charging box. Mercedes engineers will do a feasibility and implementation survey at customer locations:




The 1886 variant has a rather large box with two cameras for safety recordings:


The same box seen from the inside:


The standard variant with a single front camera:


Lower down on the front windscreen, you'll see a neatly carved Mercedes logo from the early times of the company:


Rear view camera pops out smartly from the rear hatch logo:


Both variants get a crisp sounding Burmester audio system:


A fire extinguisher is placed under the driver seats for safety:


Heads-up display for the 1886 version:


Seen here is the standard wall charger driving power out of an AC wall box plugged in. The bottom two pins remain unused unless a DC charger is plugged in:


Rear seats ISOFIX anchor:


A massive fusebox is placed in the boot for various electronics:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Sreesh1009]

Amazing review. The EQC looks and feels futuristic but that ground clearance and range are the biggest flies in the ointment. Why don't German Companies think about Indian Conditions (huge facepalm) This is my biggest grouse with them and I hope that they start taking feedback or make something that can handle our roads. This would be a great SUV for those Golfing trips or short day trips. I would love to drive this down to Mysore/Coorg, hopefully by then the required infrastructure comes into place.

Hope to own one in the coming years! (fingers crossed and ground clearance raised )

[sv97]

Great review!!

Now we know where Kia took the inspiration from for the Sonet's rear





Pic Credit: Respective Team-BHP threads

I am surprised from the badge placements to the reflectors everything seems so similar.

[Shreyans_Jain]

So for 4 times the price of a ZS, we get about the same range and about 30% more performance. In the ICE world, cars that cost a crore tend to be at least twice as quick as those which cost 20L.

The EQC had pretty average reviews from the international media and apart from the typical Merc cabin, there is nothing here that is exciting. Goes to show just how far behind the Germans are on EV tech compared to Tesla. What’s even more surprising is how little the performance and range gap is with EVs costing many times less.

There is nothing on the water wading depth of the vehicle. Hope the low hanging motors and battery have enough waterproofing. If this car fares like your regular Merc sedan on our water logged roads, it will be trouble.

The battery warranty of 8 years/160000km is about the same as the Nexon EV and ZS EV.

[itwasntme]

Why bother bringing these to India? Only the German Consulate and a few German MNC expat CEOs will buy this. It won't even make it into any 7 star hotel given the many bumps they place nowadays to slow down vehicles.

Just a placeholder for the next generation so that MB can tick a box.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Why bother bringing these to India? Only the German Consulate and a few German MNC expat CEOs will buy this. It won't even make it into any 7 star hotel given the many bumps they place nowadays to slow down vehicles.

Just a placeholder for the next generation so that MB can tick a box.

Car like this are built to bring down the corporate average CO2. Merc will sell it at loss if it has to. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to continue business in Europe. The product is obviously not up to the mark, Mercedes will never approve a car with this kind of performance and range for an ICE engine at anywhere near this price. The 64kwh Hyundai Kona and Kia eNiro offer 90% the performance and much better range for a third the money.

[murajith]

Awesome review, as always.

Considering SUV build, at this price point and for Indian condition, would have been appropriate to consider height adjustable suspension. Even if it means a compromise to drive feel.


A gentle feedback on the review. For EV reviews, I feel mentioning the range (in kms) in summary post will be helpful, as this is a key factor (at least until most cars cross that 'mental threshold' of range ) .
Also, whenever possible to have a separate section on Range, Change in battery charge with drive/drive behavior etc.

[sumeethaldankar]

If it scrapes then it ain't an SUV. The big M has always been in the forefront on car tech and it's a surprise they did not get an electric car first after all they invented the automobile didn't they? Looks good. Since electric cars don't have much moving parts, should be reliable.