The upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQC is Stuttgart’s answer
to the Jaguar I-PACE. It’s also part of Mercedes‘ new EQ sub-brand, which means
that it features a fully electric and highly efficient powertrain. Almost 200 prototypes have been
built so far, with the German automaker busy testing them in different
environments around the world, from Europe to the Middle East, China, the
United States and even South Africa.
With this prototype in particular, Mercedes have
decided to go with a little less camouflage, meaning all body cladding was
removed, revealing the crossover’s overall design language. We had a strong feeling Mercedes
wouldn’t simply take the Generation EQ Concept from two years ago and strap on
a couple of production lights and mirrors, calling it a day. In reality, the
final product seems to be a sort of mix between the concept and the GLC, albeit
a little longer than the latter.
We can also see that the grille will be a lot more
conventional than the one on the concept, although the fact that it’s nearly
flush with the rest of the front fascia makes it unlike any other Mercedes
grille presently available. Overall, it would seem that the production EQC will
look a lot more like a beefy estate car, rather than a crossover – but that’s
not necessarily a bad thing.
Carscoops spy photographers have also managed to glance
inside a RHD version of the EQC, and while we can’t see the entire dashboard,
important details such as the dual display setup, center console design and
steering wheel design are within view.
The bottom of the console looks like the one from
the all-new A-Class, minus the support pad. Come to think of it, the displays
and the steering wheel look like the ones from the A-Class too, which makes
sense since this is clearly the way forward for most, if not all upcoming
Mercedes models. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if the next-gen GLC had an
identical interior.
According to Mercedes, the EQC should offer its
passengers an all-electric driving range of about 500 km, which are
identical numbers to those of the Generation EQ Concept. As for the Jaguar I-PACE, its
90kWh Lithium-ion battery (larger than the EQC’s 70kWh one) claims a maximum
range of 475 km. Mercedes is expected to unveil the production-ready EQC crossover as
soon as next month.
