Last updated on January 29th, 2020 at 09:42 pm
The new range of electric cars from Mercedes claims extended range and a very relaxing drive – with prices starting from £65,000 in the UK. In terms of design, it comes in pseudo SUV styling as the EQC Sport – presumably to maximise space for batteries – as well as some AMG variants (Line, Line Premium and Line Premium Plus). So can these new models shake Tesla's hold on the market?
According to Mercedes own brochure, production is expected to ramp up in June, with pre-orders being taken in May – so customers can secure their place in the queue for a £1,000 deposit.
These new models will go from 0-60 in about 5 seconds, but your maximum speed tops out at just over 110 mph.
While the styling is neat, we have some concerns over range. For a start, in the accompanying 47 page brochure, only mentions range once – and it is the same 259 miles for all the models discussed. The brochure claims that a 3.7kW charger will fill the 80 kWh batteries on a new Mercedes EQC in 4 hours, but on page 41 of the brochure it actually notes that the ‘charge speed' information is yet to be announced.
While the pricing is likely to appeal to Mercedes enthusiasts who have been waiting for an electric luxury option, it's worth noting that the ‘cool Ai stuff' where the car helps to keep itself in the right lane and avoid crashing into the car in front, will add around £1,700 to any of the new models.
We go to press as the Barcelona Grand Prix is about to start in Spain. While Tesla has a strong lead in terms of technology development and experience in the EV market, one thing that Musk lacks is Mercedes ability to win F1 title after F1 title.
The launch of the EQC range will certainly provide a challenge for Tesla going forward. We're looking forward to trying the new Mercedes range and reporting back to you soon.