REVIEW: Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 – From Las Vegas To Red Rock Canyon

Article and inspection from InsideEVs

Cruising down the strip in Las Vegas in the Mercedes EQC 400, it’s quite possible to fully overlook you’re in an electrical car. The lights, outside inevitable and music slow crawl in Vegas strip visitors can remove a few of the most enjoyable characteristics of forcing electrical; being the instant torque of the electrical motor, the silent cabin and smooth vibration-less acceleration.

Therefore I was certainly pleased when Mercedes informed me we’d be leaving the lights and action of the Vegas strip, and heading to Red Rock Canyon for my EQC ride-along. Even better, we’re leaving before dawn, therefore, cruising around the winding canyon streets as the sun climbed.

YesI stated ride-along, since Mercedes isn’t allowing any EQC press drives only however, the only exception being Jay Leno last week, but he is Jay Leno. Luckily though, the driver was Mercedes engineer, Bastian Schult, who knows how to push , and was willing to show that. When recommended, he even pushed the EQC to the stage of slightly drifting round a couple of the tight curves the shore provided.

Perhaps assisted by the morning dew in the street, but you are able to drift in an EQC. In hindsight, I really wish I had a drone listing us carved up the winding streets of Red Rock at dawn. Schult was enjoying himself a little too much for another Mercedes representative sitting in the back seat, who, more than once had to mention “OK, that’s a part of that,” before Schult eased off the accelerator and slowed down.

What was discovered

Not a committed EV platform

The EQC is not a dedicated-platform EV. It shares many parts with the C-Class along with GLC line. It’will be manufactured on the Exact Same lineup since the C-Class and GLC in Daimler’s plant in Bremen, Germany. Mercedes told me by sharing the production line and components, they can easilly increase or diminish EQC generation as required to meet market demand. Europe will be first to acquire the EQC, together with the launch planned for June 2019. The US might have to wait 7 or 8 months longer, before early 2020.

We believe the simple fact that the EQC doesn’t have a dedicated system is why there isn’t even any storage area under the hood, and probably a part of the reason why the EQC weighs in at a porky 5,346 pounds. We were told that the upcoming few vehicles coming out of the EQ lineup will probably be bigger than the EQC, and also have committed platforms, and also be manufactured at Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant. In all, there’ll be 10 all-electric vehicles from Mercedes from 2022.

Range

As for scope, Mercedes has been quoting 400 km, which is based on the European WLTP scope test. Shult has been pushing the EQC for a while now, and knows exctly what it’s effective at. He advised me of a recent excursion when they drove the vehicle (normal driving maybe not hypermiling) 228 miles and had 7% battery left. He added that we’d have to watch for the official EPA variety rating, but he expects it to be more approximately 220 miles. That seems about right in the event that you do the math based on the 400 km WLTP score (by the way, the “400” in the EQC 400 name, is based on the 400 km WLTP rating). On additional EVs, we’ve noted the EPA rating has been approximately 10% — 15% lower than the WLTP, and 220 is 12 percent lower than the 249 mi (400 kilometers ) the EQC was rated. For that which it’s value, the car estimated that it’d 230 miles of scope once we began in the morning, completely charged.

Charging

The EQC has a 32-amp onboard charger, so great for AC charging around 7.4 kW. The car will have a 120-volt mobile EVSE in the US, and Mercedes provides Level 2 charging choices for purchase. As for DC Fast charging, the EQC will accept up to 110 kW, permitting the vehicle to charge from 10% to 80% in approximately 40 minutes. I asked why Mercedes didn’t fit with the Audi e-tron and provide 150 kW charging, and has been advised they believe 110 kW works nice for your 80 kWh battery. In the event the battery has been bigger, then they would have possibly allowed a greater charging speed. It was explained that Mercedes considers 10%-80% in 40 minutes is “very great ” to get a 200+ mile EV in now ’therefore market.

Driving Modes

You’ll find just four driving modes, and an Individual customized placing. The four standard modes are: Comfort, Sport, Eco along with Max Range. The car consistently adheres to Comfort upon startup. In Sport mode the auto provides the most dynamic performance, with more electricity available off the line and more direct steering response. In Eco the car offers less electricity and is more efficient, and also in Max Range, the vehicle will provide the highest possible variety. Our Mercedes rep warned us who it’s not fun forcing in Max Range, but it will find the driver most range accessible. Individual mode allows the driver to personalize certain driving characteristics to their liking.

Mercedes describes the driving manners as follows:

COMFORT: Default setting; accelerator pedal feature supports a comfortable driving mode, but also mechanically grows more lively depending on the driving mode.
ECO: Driving program centered on high efficiency and low consumption.
MAX RANGE: Intelligent driving program which may assist the driver reach the highest possible variety.
SPORT: Driving program focused to the ideal response for the top driving operation.
INDIVIDUAL: Allows the driver to customize each individual parameter separately.

Regenerative Braking

The EQC has five unique levels of regenerative braking. The most fascinating is the default setting, also called Auto. In this manner regenerative braking is continuously adjusting based on topography, traffic, stereo cameras, and radar information, to set the strength of regeneration. Mercedes considers most motorists will appreciate how nicely this manner works, and use it for the vast majority of their driving. For people who desire stronger or weaker regeneration, you will find paddles on the left and right side of the steering wheel, like Hyundai has about the Kona Electric.

The left paddle reinforces the amount of regen, and also the perfect one lessens it. One pull of the right paddle from the default Auto mode puts the car into “& sailing ” mode. We were advised this is basically the same as freewheel coasting. The other extreme is One-Pedal mode that’s triggered by two pulls from the left . In D manner the vehicle mimics a traditional ICE having automatic transmission. Below is how Mercedes describes the 5 most regenerative braking modes:

D Auto (recuperation through ECO Assist to suit the problem )
D + (coasting)
D (non recuperation)
D — (medium recuperation)
D — — (high recuperation). This makes one-pedal driving potential, since in many situations the recuperative deceleration is enough not to require operation of the brake pedal.

Performance & Quiet Cabin

The EQC has two asynchronous 150-kW motors which provide a total of 408 hp along with 564 lb-ft of torque. This ’s still great enough to propel the hefty EQC for 0-60 mph in 4.9 minutes. As mentioned previously, our driver really gave us a great idea of how well the electrical crossover can do once pushed, and it was certainly impressive. We ’ll have the chance to drive an EQC ourselves nearer to the European launch. Although the two motors equally produce 150 kW of electricity, they aren’t made equal. The motor in the front has just 5 windings, and is more efficient compared to the back motor. The front motor will do the majority of the job by itself unless more electricity is needed. When that comes to pass, the rear motor, which includes 7 windings and is less efficient, is called upon to join in.

The cottage is extremely silent, and is perhaps the quietest EV I’t ever driven in, which says a great deal. Mercedes spent a great deal of time eliminating as much noise as possible, and it’s not exactly where they want it to be. We were advised this automobile didn’t have the glass for the side windows which the production version will soon, which is milimeters longer to shut even the smallest gap which currently allows some outside noise in.

Battery & Thermal Management

The EQC has an 80 kWh batterylife, which we found out during the driveway is the usable capacity, not the total. The package, the power electronics and drive motors are liquid-cooled, along with the vehicle also uses a heat-pump.

The EQC is equipped with the most recent creation of a lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery serving as the energy source for both electrical motors. The battery is made up of 384 cells and also can be located in the automobile floor, between the two axles. The battery system is modular in design, comprising two modules with 48 cells each and four with 72 cells per day. The potent high-voltage battery has a nominal voltage of approx. 350 V along with a minimal capacity of approx. 218 Ah, to get an energy content of 80 kWh (according to NEDC/WLTP).

The integral overall cooling notion of the EQC, consisting of a heating pump operate and two electrical PTC heater boosters, but not just contains the power electronic equipment, the electrical motor and the rotor, but in addition the battery. The whole battery system is liquid-cooled. At low temperatures a battery heater guarantees outstanding functionality and performance. — Mercedes

Conclusion

There’s much to like about the EQC. Personally, I like the exterior design, and I really like the inside, for the comfort and consumer experience. The Mercedes MBUX infotainment process is easy to navigate and intuitive. The Voice controls didn’t work really nicely, but I was confident that was since this was a pre-production vehicle and not created for the US market, which caused some connectivity problems.

The EQC has plenty of power and performed amazingly well for a heavy crossover. Ride quality is what you’d expect in the Mercedes, as bumps and road irregularities disappear without notice under the car or truck. However, when called upon, the EQC could handle corners at rates that many owners will never push it to. The cottage was exquisitely quiet and perhaps the quietest EV to date. There is plenty of cargo space behind the rear seats, (I forgot to confirm if the rear seats fold flat) and it can tow a respectable 3,968 lbs.

On the other hand, I believe Mercedes dropped a chunk on charging rates. In my opinion, big battery EVs such as the EQC should have flat 2 charging at 40-amps or 48-amps, such as the Audi e-tron and Model 3, respectively. Even the 32-amp onboard charger will take roughly 11-12 hours to completely control the EQC out of empty. A 40-amp charger would cut down to about 9 hoursand charging at 48-amps would be approximately 7.5 hours. However, the 110 kW DC fast rate is most likely a much bigger fumble. Grantedthere aren’t lots of cars which can charge at greater than 110 kW now, but there’ll be in 2020 if the EQC starts in the US, and there’ll be a few charging stations that can provide 150+ kW, courtesy of Electrify America.

While other manufacturers quoting DC fast recharging occasions often say, “Up to 80 percent in 30 minute,” Mercedes has to state “10-80percent in 40 minutes. &rdquoWe realize that may not be a big deal for most Mercedes buyers, particularly those new to EVs. But, experienced EV owners know how the additional 10 or 15 minute wait at a DC Fast charge station can be at the least, annoying. The Audi e-tron, as an example, is bigger, has a bigger battery, can control at 150 kW. Plus, the BMW iX3, another EQC competitor launching in 2020, will even encourage 150 kW charging. Mercedes should have given the same 150 kW rate rate as the contest in our opinion.

This brings us to the price. Mercedes hasn’t yet announced pricing, therefore that it ’s hard to really say how we feel about the EQC. In case Mercedes can figure out how to keep the cost at or under $75,000 we believe that it ’s good purchase relative to the contest. The bigger Audi e-tron lists at $79,500 along with also the smaller Jaguar I-Pace begins at $69,500. Both of which have bigger batteries, but quite similar ranges and standard features. Tesla diminishing the Model X 75D was a belated Christmas present to Mercedes, and to Audi and Jaguar, since the cheapest Model X is now the 100D, which begins at $97,000.

That really opens up the market for the three European competitors (and also the BMW iX3 from 2020) to get back some of the earth that Tesla had obtained from them. Well, at least before the Model Y becomes accessible.

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