It’s a new dawn for Mercedes, and it begins with the 2020 EQC. The 2020 Mercedes EQC marks the first-ever fully electric vehicle from the Bavarian auto manufacturer. To be honest, it’s quite a big deal given Mercedes's reputation for elegance and mechanical genius. The EQC is the pioneer of the EQ Sub-brand, and Mercedes claims its new 80 kWh battery can provide more than 200 miles driving range.

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Even though the EQC shares much of its platform with its already thriving sibling, the GLC, there’s an abundance of new features it offers apart from just being an electric vehicle. Here’s everything we know about the 2020 Mercedes EQC so far.

10 Stylish New Design, but not a Standout

Just like you would expect with the Audi E-Tron or the Tesla Model X, the Mercedes EQC is a futuristically designed SUV, that draws a thin line between a compact crossover and a midsize SUV. Like its sibling, the GLC crossover, the EQC rides on the same 113.1-inch wheelbase, but with a few more inches. Overall, the Mercedes EQC doesn’t stand that tall.

At first glance, it does not immediately dawn to you that it is a brand-new model or even an electric vehicle. Let’s face it; the new EQC looks more like the next generation of the GLC.

9 Ride Quality

A particularly impressive thing about the Mercedes EQC is that it is a silent, and composed as you would expect of an EV luxury car. Even with the radio off, and your foot down the accelerator, only a faint whirr is audible. There’s a lot that has gone into making the EQC silent, including premium insulation fitting to keep the wind and road noise out.

The new Mercedes EQC is perhaps the quietest vehicle today. Its low center of gravity keeps this luxury EV planted and stable on the highway. Even though it comes with a 21-inch tire setup, the Mercedes EQC offers a much better ride experience than the Tesla Model X or the Jaguar I-Pace.

8 Interior

Just like you would expect in any Mercedes, the EQC is designed in the same premium luxury spirit. It has a five-seater capacity cabin, with comforts and contours as you’d find in the GLC. It comes with the same huge MBUX Screen, center console, and dash.

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Though redundant, Mercedes has little to no competition when it comes to designing premium cabin spaces, and for that, the EQC is an extremely delightful place, smart, and plenty comfortable. Prospective owners should expect rose gold accents with ribbed metal trims that are softer and plusher than the Audi E-Tron.

7 Mercedes EQC Powertrain

The new Mercedes EQC gets all its juice from two electric motors. The powertrain is set up in such a way that a single motor is attached to each axle—making up a standard all-wheel-drive. The EQC generates a total of 402hp and 564 lb-ft of torque.

For efficiency and maximum torque, the front motor does a lot of the daily driving, while the rear motor only comes in when there is the need for additional power or hard acceleration, especially when cruising around hills. On Eco-mode, the vehicle’s throttle resistance increases with a stopping point raised to halfway through the travel, which helps reduce overaccelerating.

6 Battery and Range

The Mercedes EQC will not arrive in the US until early 2020; therefore, the official EPA ratings will take some time. However, the Mercedes EQC has an 80-kWh lithium-ion pack battery that is expected to travel for an average 270 to 290 miles depending on the spec on a full charge. Mercedes claims that all the testing is on the 279 miles European NEDC cycle.

The NEDC is more optimistic than the EPA rating system, meaning the EQC’s range might be shorter than announced. There’s no solid formula to convert the numbers into a realistic figure for American expectations. Additionally, changes before production could alter EV luxury crossover's final range estimate.

5 Pricing and Availability

Techno Classica 2019

The Mercedes Benz EQC will be available to the US market in early 2020. The Mercedes EQC will compete with the Jaguar I-Pace retailing at $69,500, Tesla Model X at $84,000 as well as the Audi e-Tron at $74,000 in the EV luxury crossover SUV segment. While the official pricing is not yet available, car experts and enthusiasts have put an estimate on the retail price at $83,000 close to the Model X.

The EV market price is still pricey, and most buyers looking to make a purchase won't be able to afford it. However, as the number of hybrid cars increase, stiff competition might work in the favor of buyers looking into this market. Additionally, the $7,500 tax credit on electric vehicles should help offset the overall costs.

4 Tech and Safety Features

While it's obvious that the new Mercedes EQC will share most of its tech features with the brand’s current lineup, the EQC MBUX infotainment system will include a new voice command technology preset. To activate the system, prospective buyers will use the command “Hey Mercedes,” among other commands. The advanced system will also be able to listen and respond to causal speaking.

The EQC will also come with a ton of driver assistance technology such as autonomous driving with stop-and-go capability, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian and cyclist sensing systems. Additionally, owners will get an adaptive cruise control feature.

3 GLC or Electric

Driven by EQ Stuttgart 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC F-Cell, Iridiumsilber-Metallic, Leder Schwarz Anthrazit. Wasserstoffverbrauch kombiniert: 0,34 kg/100 km, CO2-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km, Stromverbrauch kombiniert: 13,7 kWh/100 km (vorlŠufige Angaben) Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4MATIC Stromverbrauch kombiniert: 22,2 kWh/100 km; CO2-Emissionen kombiniert: 0 g/km (vorlŠufige Angaben) // Mercedes-Benz GLC F-Cell, iridium silver metallic, Leather antracite black . Hydrogen consumption combined: 0.3

You can call the Mercedes EQC anything, a step into the future of motoring, forced progression, or a product of market dynamics, but do not call it a GLC. The new EQC is a serious luxury electric vehicle in the form of a crossover, which is a hard nut to crack for most people. While it uses the GLC MRA platform, Mercedes claims it only derives 15 percent of the parts from its fuel-hungry sibling.

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It’s a fully electric vehicle running on two motors drawing 1,400-pound, 80 kWh lithium-ion battery to generate 402hp. It is capable of doing zero to 60mph in 4.9 seconds, even though its top speed has been limited to 112 mph electronically.

2 Dimension and Weight

The 2020 Mercedes EQC rides on the same platform as its older sibling, the Mercedes GLC, using the same 113.1-inch wheelbase. It measures 187.4-inches in total, making it 2-inches shorter than the GLE and 4-inches longer than the GLC. When compared to other luxury electric vehicles, the EQC is a bit longer than the Jaguar I-Pace and significantly shorter than Tesla’s Model X.

When it comes to size, the EQC weighs 5,400 pounds, which is quite heavy for the compact luxury SUV segment. It doesn’t dismiss it from the luxury EV class since it shares the same weight aspects due to the load on their batteries.

1 Charging

Potential owners of the Mercedes Benz EQC should expect a 7.4 kW onboard charger that supports DC fast charging. According to Mercedes, typical public charging technology will charge the EQC from 10 to 80 percent in only 40 minutes.

It’s, however, not clear how long it would take to charge the EV on standard Level 1 and Level 2 home charging docks, keeping in mind that 120V (Level 1) takes several days to get the EV to charge fully. Either way, full night charging should be enough to help most people through their daily commute.

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