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The new Mercedes EQB is not a special e-car on its own platform, but an SUV of the GLB type that has been converted to an e-drive
Photo: Mercedes - Benz - Global Communications Mercedes - Benz Cars & Vans;
photo by André Tillmann on behalf of Mercedes -;
Benz AG
The first impression:
Looks like a playful version of the clunky G-Class, just like the combustion brother GLB.
The smooth design, the black plastic cooler and the continuous LED strip on the tailgate reinforce the impression.
This is what the manufacturer says: "
Electromobility in a family package," is how Mercedes Product Manager Marius Philipp praises the EQB. He praises the SUV as the first and for the foreseeable future the only electric seven-seater in the compact class. However, the car has five seats as standard. Seating in the third row costs around 1400 euros extra. "We have learned from the buyers of the GLB that the seven-seater is not always used, but that the third row of seats is more of a practical back-up, for example if a kindergarten friend wants to come along spontaneously." The two fold-out seats in the are permitted third row up to a height of 1.65 meters. On long journeys it will be uncomfortable there for some elementary school students.
We noticed:
Compact on the outside, spacious on the inside? He is not quite as generous as product manager Philipp describes the EQB. With a length of 4.68 meters, it is in principle no longer a compact car. But compared to calibers like the EQC, the Skoda Enyaq or even the BMW iX, the EQB is still a handy car. Those who do not use the third row can move the second row of seats by 14 centimeters, an advantage over most competing models. In this way, the compromise between knee room and trunk volume can be adjusted every time you drive.
How handy the EQB is can be seen in city traffic, where SUVs are mostly driven.
Easy to steer and easy to park thanks to all kinds of cameras, it hums calmly through the rush hour.
It even looks clearer than the smaller EQA.
Sure, the EQB is not so streamlined with the higher roof and the upright structure.
Instead, it has larger windows and offers better views - for the driver when maneuvering or when looking in the rear-view mirror and for the children when looking out.
The trunk is pleasantly large with a relatively low loading sill.
Of course, if the third row is used, the jackets of all occupants still fit in.
But as a five-seater, the EQB swallows a respectable 495 liters and is therefore suitable for long holidays.
It is true that, unlike the EQS, Mercedes did not design the EQB around the electric drive, but only rebuilt the GLB. But the drive now looks mature. The navigation system plans the routes intelligently and takes into account the charging power and charging time of the columns along the route. The car brings the battery to the right temperature in good time before it stops charging. In addition, the recuperation works flawlessly: Anyone who has set the lowest level of energy recovery rolls for kilometers when they lift their right foot. And those who drive with the strongest setting can usually ignore the mechanical brake - the EQB is better at driving with a pedal than many other conversions.
You have to know that:
Although the EQB will go on sale at the end of the year, Mercedes has not yet announced exact prices. But if the price jump from the combustion engine to the electric model is similar to that of the smaller types GLA and EQA, then the EQB should cost from around 55,300 euros. There is the EQB 300 model with two engines with a total of 168 kW and all-wheel drive. Alternatively, Mercedes offers the EQB 350 from around 58,000 euros, with 215 kW. This variant develops more torque (520 instead of 390 Nm) and accelerates faster, but the top speed of both EQB versions is limited to 160 km / h.
Later there will be a cheaper variant with just one engine and front-wheel drive, as well as one with a greater range.
This is currently 419 kilometers in each case and is based on a battery with a net storage capacity of 66.5 kWh.
It is charged with up to 100 kW, so that the battery level increases from 10 to 80 percent in the best case in 30 minutes.
Then electricity flows for 150 kilometers within 15 minutes.
We won't forget that:
the rose-gold decorative frame around the ignition key.
It fits with Mercedes' thesis that the prospects for the EQB as the first electric seven-seater are bright.
However, the signature color chosen by Mercedes’s head of design Gorden Wagener for e-models does not look really neat.