Mercedes EQC 400 - All Merc, all electric
We spend a few days with Mercedes' first all electric offering in the UAE
The Mercedes EQC 400 is the company's first all-electric vehicle in the UAE. In fact, 'EQ' basically represents 'Electric Intelligence' as far as the company is concerned. Let's check it out.
Mercedes Benz EQC 400
Body and Design
As you take a look at the car, it will give you a sense of familiarity. This is because at it's core, the EQC 400 is a reengineered GLC created to fit a 642KG battery below.
The colour of the vehicle we had was the Selenite Grey. It has a matte finish and it is beautiful! This AMG edition comes with 21” AMG multi-spoke light alloy wheels. They're my favourite feature on the looks of the car. I absolutely love them and hope they find their way to more models in the Mercedes line-up.
The EQC 400 comes has a pretty spacious 5-seater interior and comes with a 500L boot. I've seen reviews where people have mentioned issues with the space in the vehicle but I personally didn't mind it too much.
Range and Charging
Mercedes claims a 471km range (NEDC) on the EQC 400. We received the battery charged to about 80% which should means we should've got about 336KM but what we actually got is approximately 280km.
Now I'm not saying that this is not good and Mercedes is giving inaccurate numbers. As a person who regularly drives combustion engine vehicles, moving to an electric car isn't as easy. There's a driving style required for electric cars, which I didn't really bother developing in my time with the car.
As far as charging is concerned, with a 110 kW charging station you should get an 10%-80% charge in about 40 minutes. With a home charger (7.4 kW), it would take about 11 hours to charge the EQC 400.
Power and Drive
The EQC 400 is a 408 bhp beast with 760Nm of torque. If you want to understand how much power that it, it's the same as a Mercedes AMG E63 S twin-turbo V8. The drive is smooth, there's power right at your feet. Put the pressure on the accelerator and even though this is a 2.5 tonne vehicle, you'll feel yourself being pulled into your seat. The car does 0-100kmph in 5.1 seconds.
Infotainment
Now anyone who knows my automotive content knows I love the Mercedes Benz User Experience (MBUX) system. It's interactive, easy-to-use and very intuitive. I won't take a deep dive on the MBUX system here. If you'd like to know more, check out the video below. As far as the MBUX system on the EQC is concerned, it's not my favourite interpretation of the technology in the Mercedes line-up but this is just me nit-picking. If you'd like an in-depth look at the MBUX system, check out the video below.
The car comes with a premium Burmester surround sound system. It's got 13 speakers and 590 watts of system power.
Should you buy the Mercedes EQC 400 in the UAE?
Starting price at just over Dh290,000 and going all the way up to the top line AMG model (which we reviewed) is just under Dh347,000. The Mercedes EQC 400 is a really good luxury EV offering. Maintaining that Mercedes identity and bringing in the automotive future, the EQC 400 sets the stage for what's to come from the brand while providing quite a good luxury family EV option.