Mercedes is trying to expand their electric range, and this is their newest addition: the EQB. It's an electric version of the GLB...
which we already know, and we already know the used technology in this car as well, because it shares the technology with the EQA.
Having said that, this car should be seen as an addition right inbetween the EQA and the EQC.
The interior is very similar to the interior in the GLB. The materials and finishing are of a really high level.
The dashboard itself is very familiar as well. A big MBUX-system which houses a lot of functionality, but they've kept a few physical buttons.
For the airconditioning for example, or the other main functions. Mercedes didn't fall for the same trap as BMW did with the i4.
The i4 essentially is the electric version of the 4-series Gran Coupé. And opposed to the regular 4-series, the i4 has a lot of screens.
That could be annoying, but that's not the case in here. You can operate things with the screen, the steering wheel and even voice control.
I'm almost 2.00 m. tall myself, but I've got enough room in all directions. Nothing wrong with that. The seats are comfortable as well, and they...
offer support in all directions. It's a different story on the backseat though, because the rear seat is lowered by five centimetres.
Or I should say, the floor is five centimetres higher than the GLB, because there's a battery pack incorporated in the floor. That means...
your legs are in an awkward angle, and your buttocks are more on the seat than are your legs. That's too bad.
Also, because of the battery pack, the luggage space is 80 litres smaller. You still have enough room to play with however.
495 litres to be precise, if you get the five-seater version that is. That's right, you can also get this as a seven-seater.
That will cost you 30 litres of luggage space, but you'll get two more seats in return. Not that you'll spend any time back there...
as an adult, because the seats are clearly meant for children. But hey, it's still an electric seven-seater car.
It's got a 66,5 kWh-battery pack, which should take you 416 km on a single charge according to WLTP.
On paper that is, in the real world, you should be happy with 350 km. That's neat, but it's not groundbreaking in any way.
Charging can be done up to 11 kW with alternating current, or up to 100 kW at a quickcharger.
At first, this car will be supplied with two different drivetrains. Or rather, the drivetrains are the same, but they have different power outputs.
You've got the EQB 300 4Matic and the EQB 350 4Matic, producing 228 and 292 horsepower respectively. I'm driving the latter, and I'm certainly...
not a slowpoke. It's pretty rapid. It's got flappy paddles behind the steering wheel as well, even though...
they're not meant for changing gear. There aren't even any gears in this drivetrain. Instead, they're meant to adjust the amount of regenerative...
braking. You can let it roll out or let it brake quite vigorously whenever you release the throttle.
The EQB has got four-wheel drive because of two electric motors aboard, one at the front and one at the back. And they're different motors.
At the back, you've got a synchronous electric motor, whilst the motor at the front is an asynchronous electric motor.
Most of the time, the rear motor will do most of the work and the car will primarily be rear-wheel drive, with the front motor...
gently running along. And because the front motor is asynchronous, there's less resistance than if it were a synchronous motor,
so that's why they've chosen two motors. With several electric cars that have been derived from regular cars,
we often see that the chassis settings are a compromise, to counter the additional battery weight. Mercedes was able to solve that problem nicely.
This car doesn't feel like a compromise at all. It's comfortable without being too floaty, and I'm even driving the version with adjustable dampers.
In Comfort-mode, it's nice and comfortable and when I put it in Sport-mode, it all tightens up nicely. With comfort still being the priority.
The steering follows suit. There's more than enough feeling, without it becoming nervous or anything.
When it comes to electronic driving aids, Mercedes is a clear front-runner. And that shows in this EQB. Not everything is standard of course,
but there is a lot to choose from. From safety to comfort improvements and driving aids. For example, the satnav is working together very well...
with the cruise control. The car will know to speed up at a roundabout for example. Or when you're driving in Germany, where 100 km/h is allowed...
on back roads, but that's not always the best speed in tight corners. The car will know that and adjust the speed by itself.
Another smart feature in the satnav is the fact that it monitors the outside temperature. If the car can choose two routes, with one being...
15 degrees and the other being 17 degrees, and your climate control is set to 19 degrees, it will take the route that's 17 degrees because it...
only has to heat up an additional two degrees. Mercedes isn't giving us prices for this car yet, despite releasing the EQB in...
february, but it will be right inbetween the prices of the EQA and EQC, so expect prices to start at around €60.000.
But for that money, you do get a fully electric seven-seater.