B SPARKY & PRACTICAL (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mercedeseqb_2022

By Jonathan Crouch

Mercedes delivers us the market's first mid-sized seven-seat EV. Jonathan Crouch drives the EQB.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 55

It's very difficult to package a mid-sized EV so effectively that up to seven people can sit inside it. But Mercedes has pulled off that feat with this car, the EQB, which usefully broadens its electric vehicle line-up. It's based of course on the combustion-engined GLB crossover and shares much of that car's premium appeal.

Backgroundword count: 188

There's a flood of mid-size Crossover electric vehicles out there at present. So any fresh class entrant had better have something fairly unique to offer. Fortunately, this one does: the Mercedes EQB. It's one of what seems like a continual stream of different Mercedes EQ electric models, with the 'B' in this case standing not for the brand's mini-MPV but designating instead something you may already have guessed from a quick glance at this car: the fact that this is the full-battery version of the Stuttgart maker's GLB mid-sized SUV. Engineering and technology-wise, this car shares everything that matters with its smaller EQA hatch stablemate - including a slightly compromised MFA2 chassis not originally designed for EV use. This model hails from quite a different production facility though. Instead of Rastatt in Germany, it's screwed together at Kecskemet in Hungary, where the GLB is built. A change from the original plan, which would have seen the EQB produced in Daimler's French Hambach plant alongside little smart cars. Regardless of provenance though, what we've got here looks as if it might be a smart choice for a forward-thinking family.

Driving Experienceword count: 314

The EQB sprints away from rest pretty quickly, despite tipping the scales at around 2.2-tonnes, a legacy of the fact that Mercedes makes this model run on an MFA2 platform originally designed for combustion models. That being the case, you might have expected the brand to have countered that extra bulk by fitting a more powerful propulsion system but if anything, the opposite is true here. From launch, this EQB was only available in twin motor '4MATIC' AWD form and if you cast a glance around the segment, you'll find that most rivals believe around 300hp is necessary to properly propel a 4WD EV in this class. Well to approach that with this Mercedes, you've to stretch to the rather pricey top '350' version we tried, which offers 292hp. The EQB 300 model that more customers are likely to choose has only 228hp. This model's close relative, the EQA, sells best in front-driven 190hp '250' form but from the launch of the EQB, the brand wouldn't tell us whether this car would also be offered with that more affordable powerplant. Still, you won't be choosing an EQB as an autobahn burner - and if you did, the 'burning' in question would primarily be through this model's rather restricted driving range, WLTP-rated for these two 4MATIC variants at a best of 253 miles - in a class where better versions of comparably priced rivals regularly deliver figures well over the 300 mile mark. Mercedes says it's developed an EQB variant capable of a 500km (310 mile) range, but that will only match (and in some cases still not equal) the current class standard. Whatever variant of this model you choose, you'll find it easy to drive and particularly in its element around town, where you'll appreciate the light steering; and the compact 11.4-metre turning circle you might need for getting into those tight charging bays.

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