Mercedes-Benz EQC

The Mercedes-Benz EQC is the first all-electric vehicle from the German automaker, and it went on sale in India on October 8, 2020. The new Mercedes-Ben EQC is also the first luxury electric SUV in India and it will be sold under the company's electric vehicle brand EQ, which made its debut earlier this year, in January 2020. Mercedes-Benz India will start deliveries for the car in a phased manner, and the first phase will include only 50 vehicles, which will be sold in six metro cities – Mumbai, Pune Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru. The introductory price for these first 50 customers stands at Rs. 99.30 lakh (on-road, India). Currently, the new EQC does not have a direct rival in India, however, Audi India is prepping to launch the e-Tron electric SUV to challenge Mercedes-Benz's electric SUV, and so is Jaguar with the i-Pace.

The new electric SUV from the Stuttgart-based carmaker comes in one powertrain option - Mercedes-Benz EQC 400, which gets two electric motors, with each positioned at the front and rear axles, helping the SUV with an all-wheel-drive configuration. Powering the electric motors is an 80kW lithium-ion battery unit that can provide a driving range of 450 km per when fully charged. The electric motors generate a cumulative power of 402 bhp along with 765 Nm of peak torque, and it propels the SUV to do a 0-100 kmph sprint in merely 5.1 seconds, before reaching an electronically limited top speed of 180 kmph.

The Mercedes-Benz EQC comes with three charging options – a 50kW DC fast charger, a 7.4kW AC wall charger, and a 2.4kW plug-in charger. While the DC fast charger will take about 90 minutes to charge the battery from 0 to 100 per cent, the AC wall charger, or as Mercedes calls it Wallbox will take 10 hours to do the same. The standard plug charger will take about 21 hours to charge the battery from 0 to 100 per cent.

Visually, the Mercedes-Benz EQC looks a lot different compared to any other Mercedes SUV. Upfront, the SUV comes with a multi-slat grille with a U-shaped chrome surround, along with LED headlamps and LED daytime running lamps. There are blue accents inside the headlamps, and an EQC badge above the front fender also treated in blue. The SUV also gets a set of large 20-inch alloy wheels which also come with blue elements that signify the SUV's electric nature. The rear section, on the other hand, comes with sleek wraparound LED taillights connected by an LED strip and a well-sculpted tailgate.

Inside the cabin, the big attraction is the large 12.3-inch dual-screen display that is angled towards the driver and is used for both instrumentation and infotainment. The SUV also gets the latest MBUX infotainment system with Me, Mercedes, offering a range of connected car functions and voice command features. The SUV also gets a multi-functional steering wheel and a signature centre console with the trackpad to control other in-car functions. Other features include automatic climate control, power-adjustable seats with massage function, and a premium Burmester audio system and smartphone connectivity in the form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In terms of safety, the EQC gets 7 airbags as standard along with a bunch of active and passive driver assistance systems.