Mercedes-Benz EQB 300: An addition to the electric family...

Mercedes-Benz’s portfolio of luxury electric vehicles has steadily grown over the last few months. Continuing the momentum during this calendar year, the German brand has just launched the new EQB. Unlike the EQC, the EQS and the latter’s AMG counterpart, the EQB will be a unique addition in more ways than one. For a start it is hierarchically lower than the others and so will be positioned to appeal to a different audience. The other facet of the EQB that makes it an interesting choice for a fledgling battery-electric vehicle (BEV) market like India is the fact that it is a 3-row SUV. Isn’t it too narrow a band of buyers to focus on? Mercedes-Benz India doesn’t think so. Given the speed at which EV buyers are evolving, the practicality of a luxury 7-seater may well be what many would want. 

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

In an India-first, Mercedes-Benz has launched two SUVs at the same time. The GLB and EQB are related to each other. They are both built on the same MFA2 platform; in fact, this is a platform that is also shared by the likes of the A-Class and the GLA. Last week I drove both these new 3-row SUVs - one features internal combustion engines and the other sports an all-electric powertrain. Both will target the urban nuclear family, and here’s all you need to know about the new EQB. 

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

Design

The EQB sits at the entry to Merc’s fast-growing electric portfolio. It has been built on a sort of adapted platform enabling it to share the same architecture as a clutch of other vehicles bearing the 3-pointed star. The EQB also shares quite a few of its body panels with the GLB. Yet, there is no mistaking the EQB and its electric leanings, thanks to the clear-cut design language that Mercedes-EQ vehicles radiate. The narrower peeled-back headlamps and the solid black grille in the middle seamlessly connects the two and presents a uniform fascia.

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

The EQ signature LED strip that connects both the headlamps and the two tail-lamps at the rear deliver a very special, unmistakably brand-specific light impact. It also gets adaptive high beam assist. With no need for air-intakes to cool an engine, the EQB’s front fender has also been designed differently to the GLB. The slim faux airdam under the black panel grille gets a thick chrome frame. The bonnet slab with its power dome running down the middle is shared with the GLB but is still quite striking in the EQB. 

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

From the sides, the EQB’s 4.68-metre length strikes me and that’s again where its 3-row character shows up. A lot of the side profile between the A-pillar and the C-pilar is like the GLB. But the EQB sits a little lower and features a set of smaller, 18-inch alloy rims, compared to the GLB’s 19-inchers. Though it features a relatively narrow tailgate, the connected LED taillights give the EQB’s rear the perception of size and a wider stance. The auto-closing EasyPack tailgate also offers hands free access. 

Cabin

The EQB’s cabin looks identical to the GLB’s in terms of its layout and features. But it certainly feels more luxurious with stitched leather elements for the top panels of the dashboard and that EQ signature rose gold highlights adorning the fins in the turbine style aircon vents. The upholstery for the seats and the door panel inserts are a mix of artificial leather and contrast rose gold coloured fabric. The tubular elements for the dashboard trim are similar to the GLB’s, but the materials used are little different and the patterns for the LED backlighting are entirely specific to the EQB.

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

There is also the EQB backlit lettering for the door sill panels. The seats and the amount of room in the EQB cabin are both similar to the GLB again. The same goes for the flat-bottomed sports steering wheel with its nappa leather and chrome control panels. The seat configuration and adjustments for both the first and second rows are also the same as in the GLB. The boot volume too remains more or less the same, with 465 to 1,620-litres being the space available with the maximum being available with the third and second rows folded. With all seven seats in use, the space available is a paltry 110-litres. 

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

There is no skimping on features just because this is an electric. The touchpad MMI, wireless phone charger, dual 10.25-inch screens that are stuck together in one unit and do the job of the infotainment display and instrument cluster, and multi-colour ambient lighting are all offered in the EQB too. The only difference in the EQB is that the ambient lighting doubles up as an indicator while charging the car. And the instrument cluster configuration is different, meant specifically for an electric and displays real-time information regarding state of charge, drive range and power being consumed, in addition to the speed.

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

The infotainment screen also displays real-time information like charge consumed, current energy flow, charging options etc. In addition to phone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there are other connected car features that can be accessed via the Mercedes Me app for features like pre-cooling the car pre-entry. The latest NTG 6 (sixth-gen) MBUX virtual voice assistant is also on offer. 

Performance

The EQB 300 (ignore the misleading numeric nomenclature) features two electric motors - one on each axle. The front axle features an asynchronous motor (ASM) and the rear axle sports a permanently excited synchronous motor (PSM) and the combined peak output is 225hp and 390Nm. The system is finetuned to monitor the state of charge and driver demands and while the rear motor is the one that stays active most times (somewhat like cylinder-deactivation), the front motor gets activated only when there is a need for a burst of acceleration. The system is said to be capable of calculating 100 times per second for fixing the power demand between the two axles. It is a 4MATIC too, meaning that it is an all-wheel drive. Peak torque is delivered to the wheels via a single-stage, fixed-ratio gearbox. 

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

Powering the motors is a 66.5kWh battery pack that is located under the floor of the EQB. The 300-cell pack almost weighs a quarter of the vehicle’s 2.2-tonne kerb weight. The battery pack is said to provide enough juice to power the EQB for a distance of 388-423kms (European WLTP rating cycle). Real world driving range will likely be lower. I wouldn’t base my test drive as a benchmark for gauging actual range since most of my trip was downhill, and so the EQB 300 test mule was in recuperation mode most of the way. But, with a relatively consistent and steady driving behaviour, the EQB should be able to deliver a real-world range of about 300km. Top speed is restricted to 160kmph. There are four drive modes to choose from including sport, and there are steering mounted paddles for manually selecting the level of regenerative-braking. The battery can be fully charged in about six and a half hours using a 11kW AC charger and a 80 per cent charge can be had in about 32 minutes using a 100kW DC fast charger. 

Mercedes-Benz EQB electric SUV. Photo : Bijoy Ghosh To go with Muralidhar's report | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

The driving dynamics of the EQB seemed much like the GLB. A very nice-planted ride coming down the ghats enroute from Kodaikanal to Madurai with adequately precise wheel placement and decent feel at the steering wheel. Possibly because of the lower centre of gravity coming from the battery placement below the cabin floor, I felt that the ride quality was a bit better in the EQB especially around corners. There a number of safety and assistance features in the EQB including active parking and lane-keeping assist, seven airbags and active brake assist. The EQB gets a NCAP 5-star safety rating and the battery gets special perforation protection from potential crash events. 

Bottomline

The EQB 300 is being offered in only one loaded trim. This will be a fully built import, yet it has been aggressively priced at ₹74.5 lakh. This is one of the most practical and most affordable battery electric SUVs in the market today.