Mercedes EQC 400 review: The Li-ion King

Singapore

SOME people find the future scary and bewildering, while others think it's exciting. The Mercedes EQC is very much a car for both, mixing the heritage and pedigree of the world's oldest carmaker with all the promise of the coming electric age.

That was my long-winded way of saying that the EQC is a pure electric vehicle (EV), but more significant than that is the fact that this is the first EV here with Mercedes' three-pointed star on the bonnet. (Mercedes did build a battery-powered version of the B-Class in 2014 but never sold it here. It didn't have much range to speak of and almost certainly lost money, so now it's like that cousin who failed all his PSLEs that no one in the family talks about.)

So serious is Mercedes about EVs that it has a whole sub-brand dedicated to the breed: Mercedes-EQ. Strictly speaking, that makes this car a "Mercedes-EQ EQC". If you think that sounds awkward, goodness knows what you'll make of "iX xDrive 40", which is what BMW calls its next pure EV, due for launch here by year's end.

But if all those letters and numbers are making your head spin, the EQC exudes a comforting familiarity. That's largely because it looks like a Mercedes, rocking the smooth curves, elegant presence and prominent grille of one, with light bars at both ends of the car adding a fashionably modern touch.

It doesn't take too much squinting to recognise that the EQC is largely based on the GLC, a (combustion) Sport Utility Vehicle and one of Mercedes' most popular models. That stands to reason; if you're scrambling to meet the world's sudden jump in demand for EVs, you might as well start with one of your best-sellers and go from there.

Out go the engine, gearbox, propeller shaft and fuel tank, and in go two electric motors (one for each axle), some heavy duty cables and more microchips than you can shake a stick at. An 80 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion pack lives under the floor, which brings to mind another reason SUVs make for easier EV conversions - their tall ride height leaves more room between road and chassis for batteries.

Not that you'll see any of the EV hardware. Pop the bonnet and the only thing that greets you is a neat cover, and if you want to see the motor that powers the rear wheels, you'll need tools and a diagram of which bolts hold the hatch in place that conceals all the gubbins. One thing's for sure - the EQC looks like a slickly-executed piece of engineering.

Mercedes has also been clever enough to add spark (not literally, of course) to the cabin. The main controls and displays are straight out of the current Mercedes playbook, but the EQC has metal fins that I couldn't stop strumming with my fingers, and the air-con vents have a copper-like finish, a visual reminder of all the electrons zipping around under you.

If the first impressions are of a Mercedes that seems to have been beamed back here from 2026, then firing up the car brings you back to today. Push the start button and there's no futuristic whirr of a spaceship powering up. Instead, the digital dashboard simply lights up and you're ready to go.

The driving experience has a nod to the combustion present, too. Ease off the brakes and the EQC creeps forward like today's cars do, whereas many EVs stand still until you tickle the accelerator pedal. Here, there's nothing to learn.

Once on the move, though, there's no mistaking the EQC for anything but a powerful electric car. The motors put a combined 408 horsepower down (a basic Porsche 911 has 385hp, for comparison), so when you stomp on the right pedal the Mercedes blasts ahead like a thing possessed. The pin-you-to-your-seat acceleration is all the more enthralling because it takes place with a sudden, violent fervour, and there's no roar of combustion to accompany the take-off.

Driven sensibly, the EQC is appealingly, amazingly quiet. It's not just that it wafts along like a carriage drawn by ghost horses, but that it's terrifically insulated from other noises. Some EVs may be quiet under the bonnet, but they let plenty of sound from the wind and tyres into the cabin. The Mercedes, on the other hand, feels like it could drive on stage during a Guns N' Roses concert and not have anyone inside hear a thing.

The main weakness in its game has to do with weight. Batteries are heavy things, so the EQC feels like it has beefy springs to cope, and that results in a busy ride. Even on relatively smooth tarmac, you sometimes find yourself rocking in your seat as the car undulates with the road surface. It's fine for the short drives most of us do in Singapore, but after spending hours behind the wheel at a time I felt vaguely like I'd done a core workout (though you wouldn't know it to look at me with my shirt off).

But as an overall experience, it's easy to see the EQC's appeal. Despite its electric drivetrain, it's easy enough to slip behind the wheel and operate it like any regular car. It's quieter, more distinctive-looking and way faster than the average Mercedes, and it has enough in the battery department for plenty of range. I covered 310km and returned it with 73km left in the battery. That means assuming you have access to regular charging, you'll most likely push a plug into the Mercedes less than once a week.

At S$299,888 with Certificate Of Entitlement, the EQC 400 doesn't actually cost an arm and leg by Mercedes standards. It's only S$3,000 more expensive than the glamorous but slower GLC 300 Coupe. To anyone for whom charging access isn't a problem, the EQC is surely a tempting proposition. One of the few ways to outshine a Mercedes-Benz owner is to drive a Mercedes-EQ.

MERCEDES-EQ EQC 400 4MATIC

Electric Motor 408hp (300kW), 760Nm Battery Lithium ion, 80kWh (net) Charge Time/Type 7.5 hrs / 11kW wallbox Electric Range 423km 0-100km/h 5.1 seconds Top Speed 180km/h Efficiency 21.5kWh/100km Agent Cycle & Carriage Price S$299,888 with COE Available Now