Goodwood Test: 2021 Mercedes EQC Review

This is the first series production electric car from Mercedes. There was an early electric model back in the first round of electric cars, and then there was an electric version of the SLS, but this is the one that will spearhead the future for the German brand. Like many Mercedes decided to hit the biggest possible market with its first car, so the EQC is a large SUV, about the size of a C-Class (hence the C).

If you look at the EQC without really staring, you wouldn’t have any reason to think it’s not just some ordinary SUV – it’s pretty much just bulbous Mercedes SUV as we know. But there are some hints.

For a start the face is very much its own. EQ is being set slightly apart from the rest of the range, and for now will be the branding on all electric Mercs – it may even become its own brand one day. The face is suitably different to the rest of the Mercedes range to amplify that, along with the thin lighting strip that runs across the front above the grille. Then there’s blue elements in the lights, blue of course the colour of electricity, and the EQ badges on the side, but other than that it’s very much what we expect. That’s partly because the EQC is based on the GLC’s chassis, so an outlandish design wasn’t particularly possible.

The EQC, here in 400 4Matic form, is a car of contrasts. If you use it calmly, it is a perfectly acceptable form of transportation. A motorway cruise can be dispatched with little effort – the EQC is very, very happy to cruise like this – and so too can a journey into town. In comfort mode the ride is acceptable with the performance – it can hit 62mph in just 5.1 seconds – strangely hidden. The ride is smooth when presented with just the odd bump and ready to cosset you up the country to your destination. This is where the EQC lives best.

Driving it on a country lane is more troubling. The suspension can deal with the odd bump, but show it something a bit more broken up, like a British B-road, and the ride control goes to pot. Sadly sticking the EQC into sport mode does little to change the issue, if anything making it worse, and it’s all compounded by steering that doesn’t so much lack feel as seem to disguise what’s going on. It only takes a couple of attempts at a spirited drive to decide that you won’t be doing that again.

The acceleration is also slightly strange. With 408PS (300kW) and 760Nm (564lb ft) on tap you might expect something truly extraordinary, even though the EQC weighs around 2.5 tonnes. But when you stick your foot down that’s not what you get. Instead you get some decent attempt at moving. Perhaps it was a deliberate ploy by Mercedes to make buyers feel more comfortable when moving from an internal combustion car to electric? I don’t know. My advice if you want an EQC is to stick to plodding.

The interior is sort of Mercedes meets future, although at first glance it really feels a bit like it’s trying too hard. There is, of course, the standard Mercedes big tablet of screens in front of you and a big shiny piano black centre console with controls for the screen (if you don’t want to lean forward), climate control and radio. It is all nicely put together but looks a bit plasticky to me. Then again, after you get used to it it’s rather a pleasant place to spend a few hours, and actually I rather likes the aluminium and bronze accents.

One good feature is the paddles on the wheel, odd you might think for an electric car with no gears to play with, but actually cleverly repurposed. They control the regenerative braking, which you can increase and decrease to your hearts content. It’s actually quite useful, to switch between times when you want to slow and might as well gain some energy back, and others on a cruise, when actually coasting is more efficient.

Overall, this is what you expect from an mid-range SUV: it’s spacious and comfortable, and once you get over how shiny everything is, it’s magnificently put together.

The EQC can be recharged in all the usual ways with a 7.4kW charger on board attaching through DC or CCS chargers. The sat-nav system will also plot your route to take into account any charging you might do, even going as far as to tell you how long you’ll want to wait on that particular charger.

Inside the screens are actually very well laid out, with impressive graphical menus and a reasonably simple interface. You can spend hours playing with the various ways to customise the Mercedes EQC (who can name 64 colours?) and of course you can set the car to pre-heat or cool should you know your time of departure the next day. The good thing, in AMG-line spec at least, is that pretty much everything is standard. That means noise-insulated acoustic glass, LED adaptive headlights, an electric tailgate, leather, a digital radio, the 10.25-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, Mercedes fancy (and quite good) augmented reality sat-nav, keyless go, lane departure warning, 21-inch alloys and cruise control. If you want such things as blind spot assist and active cruise control, you’ll need to plump for the optional Driving Assistance Plus pack for £1,695 above the cars base £74,610 price.

The EQC really feels like a first attempt at an electric car from a traditional car company, which is what it is. Using the C-Class chassis will have saved Mercedes some money, but may not have served the EQC very well; it feels heavy and unsuited to such a different transmission. However the EQC is totally designed toward comfort in the day-to-day – nipping to the shops or driving on motorways. There it performs very well, with only the odd niggle (why do the heated seats go off and refuse to turn back on after half an hour or so?) to show up. It is perhaps a shame that it feels a little overshadowed by other electric cars at around the same price point (it costs around the same as a Taycan) and struggles to engage with the driver. But, if you don’t ever plan on attacking a B-road the EQC is a good option, with decent range (around 250 miles are claimed, but expect 200), good looks, and long tech list.