Mercedes’ first electric crossover will start production later this year.
Back in September, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC emerged as the brand’s first mainstream all-electric crossover. It made its way to the Paris Auto Show last October, but it hasn’t debuted in the U.S. — until now. At the 2019 CES event in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC just debuted as a tech-heavy Tesla fighter, ready to jump into the EV crossover fray. Here’s what you need to know about Mercedes’ first EQ model.
Forget what you thought you knew about Mercedes’ styling
The 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC takes a different approach to the brand’s current crop of crossovers. While the 3-pointed star on the front (that is illuminated, by the way) points to the EQC’s family tree, it looks markedly different from the conventional GLC, for instance. That’s mainly down to the grille, or rather the ‘Black Panel’ on the front of the car. The EQC sports a completely different headlight design and a trim piece that visually connects the headlights together under the grille. A narrow, illuminated strip on the top of the grille joints the running lights for a boomerang-like appearance at night.
Performance – Over 400 horsepower
With dual asynchronous electric motors, you wouldn’t expect the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC to be slow. And you’d be right: Mercedes estimates 0-60 comes up in about 4.9 seconds. That performance comes courtesy of a combined 402 horsepower and 564 lb-ft of torque from those motors. The top-end speed is electronically limited to 112 mph.
Mercedes-Benz fits the EQC with an 80 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and it’s capable of driving up to 279 miles on the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle). There’s no word on how that translates to the EPA economy ratings yet, but it’s likely going to land somewhere around the Jaguar I-Pace’s 240 mile range.
Technology
Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) will make its way to the brand’s EQ line by way of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC. The system incorporates a new dual-display setup, as well as a new touchpad and touch button controls on the steering wheel. It also uses AI and natural language recognition to learn users’ commands, and they can prompt it by saying, ‘Hey Mercedes’. You can even use gesture controls to command certain functions, like turning the interior dome lights on with a wave of your arm.
On Sale in 2020
The new EQC will start production later this year at the company’s Bremen, Germany plant. From there, it will go on sale in the U.S. in 2020. Pricing information isn’t available just yet. Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates!
Photos: Mercedes-Benz
