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The long, steep climb up and over the hill on the way into the sleepy town of Wainuiomata takes on a new perspective from behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz EQC.
The main priority is to make sure no one is loitering in the fast lane to disrupt a seemingly effortless ascent sustained by two powerful electric motors that between them serve up 300 kW (kilowatts) of power (400 horsepower by the old measure).
The acceleration is incredible – zero to 100km/h in around five seconds if you push it. Absent the throb of a combustion engine, it is surely one of the most serene driving experiences the luxury EV market currently has to offer.
The vehicle is beautifully designed, but under that glossy exterior there’s also cutting-edge technology which resulted in the EQC being awarded the 2020 New Zealand Car of the Year.
With the EQC, the company that invented the car also shows its prowess as a tech inventor. Here then, are some of the tech features that will help you make the most of this stunner of an EV.
Hey, Mercedes!
Just like the Apple Siri or Google Assistant gadgets responding to voice commands in a growing number of Kiwis’ lounges, Mercedes-Benz has its own intelligent voice assistant that allows you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road, but tweak any number of settings you desire.
Its natural language capability is particularly advanced, so it can handle statements like, “Hey, Mercedes, I’m cold” and respond by dialling up the air-conditioning temperature. It does a fair job of dealing with the Kiwi accent and comes into its own letting you initiate phone calls and ask for turn-by-turn navigation instructions. Voice control has matured to the point where your virtual co-pilot is an indispensable assistant and Mercedes-Benz is the most capable of them all.
The Mercedes-Benz EQC interior.
Assisted driving
While we are on the pathway to fully autonomous vehicles, for the time being we are in the driver-assisted phase of that evolution, and the EQC is one of the most advanced vehicles on the road utilising the full suite of driving technologies from Mercedes-Benz.
A supercharged form of cruise control, easily accessible with the touch of a button on the steering wheel, the standard Driver Assistance Package puts you into a limited hands-free mode. Simply resting your hands lightly on the wheel, the EQC will guide the car for you, keeping you in your lane, maintaining your speed and braking to keep you safe. It’s ideal for motorway cruising, taking the effort out of driving. But it also works a charm in bumper-to-bumper traffic where you can set the assisted-driving function to automatically advance with the slow-moving traffic, taking the frustration out of your daily commute.
Intelligent navigation
In-car satellite navigation has been a feature of the Mercedes-Benz range for years, but the EQC’s satnav system sets a new standard for innovation. It starts with the Mercedes Me app, where you can plot your journey before even getting into the car.
The in-car system then seamlessly takes over, analysing traffic conditions, topography, power consumption, battery temperature, and charging-station availability to plan the optimum route. Behind the wheel, you get an augmented overlay over a camera feed that shows the road ahead. House numbers and road signs appear for easier navigation, as well as arrows indicating where to turn and what lane to be in. It is pure genius and in conjunction with the navigation aids offered via the EQC’s heads-up display, takes all of the guesswork out of finding your way around.
The EQC is a smart drive.
The ultimate experience: MBUX
Sitting at the heart of the Mercedes-Benz user experience are two 10.25-inch screens that sit above the centre console and extend behind the steering wheel in one unified display, which you can customise with different themes. The right-hand panel gives you the typical dials you’d expect to see, displaying speed, available range and the power demands you are placing on the front and rear electric motors that power the EQC.
The left-hand panel is reserved for all other functionality and displays the various camera angles that give you a 360-degree perspective on what’s around the EQC. This really comes into its own when you manoeuvre into a carpark where the cameras reveal just how much space you have to work with. There’s even an overhead view that helps enormously when you are navigating narrow streets - the camera will show you just how much room you have to work with.
A trackpad sits on the centre console and offers quick navigation of the entertainment features, once you’ve mastered the required finger swipes. There are customisable functions everywhere in the EQC and you can tweak the mood lighting, air conditioning and seat positions to your heart’s content. But none of it is intimidating or confusing, you can simply hop in and drive, ignoring the bulk of the bells and whistles, if you prefer.
MBUX also takes care of all your entertainment needs, with its own media centre that feeds a powerful 13-speaker Burmester audio system. There’s support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which connect to your smartphone. The touchscreen lets you easily adjust the ambient lighting, change driving modes and see a list of nearby electric-charging stations. But you don’t need to even glance at the screen to do all of that. Just use your voice…
The EQC is easy to charge.
Max range mode
The EQC has driving modes ranging from Eco, designed to minimise power consumption, through to Sport, which lets you enjoy its silky acceleration power in full force. But with New Zealand long-distance drivers in mind, there’s also a mode that will maximise battery life in a really intelligent way.
Max Range mode leaves the EQC to figure out how to help you drive most efficiently until you reach the next charging station. It will automatically keep you within the speed limit for the roads you are on and give you some haptic feedback via the steering wheel if you are too heavy-footed on the accelerator. For those pushing the limits of the EQC’s range, this could squeeze 40 to 50 kms more distance from the battery.
In need of recuperation
While over 400km of range is sufficient other than for long road trips that will require a fast charge or two along the way, the EQC’s battery will naturally drain quicker the heavier footed you are.
Still, I was impressed at the economy I got from it, even with bursts in Sport mode. The EQC’s “intelligent recuperation” system is the key to getting the most out of the battery and has four settings you can switch between by tapping the paddles on either side of the steering wheel. I generally stuck to D Auto mode letting the car decide the right balance of drivability and economy for the road conditions. Dialling up to D – (high recuperation) mode you basically no longer need to use the brake pedal; lifting your foot off the accelerator sees the EQC slow dramatically almost immediately.
Pulling up at the ChargeNet station in the New World carpark in Karori, I duked it out with a Nissan Leaf owner for access to the single 25kW DC charger and won, topping up the battery while I did my shopping.
The electric economy
Aside from the iPhone-like bells and whistles that make the EQC a pleasure to drive, you are ultimately paying a fraction of the running costs of a petrol or diesel-powered SUV, maybe $40 to fully charge the EQC’s battery at a ChargeNet point and half of that cost at home, depending on your power provider’s pricing. Installing a Mercedes-Benz EV wallbox in your garage only makes for a more efficient and faster charge too.
The real luxury in owning the EQC is that it looks and feels like a premium SUV from Mercedes-Benz, but you are able to put your foot down and enjoy all of that silky torque without nervously watching the gas needle shifting to the left – or worry about the cloud of carbon you are leaving in your wake.
For more information, visit mercedes-benz.co.nz
