Amid all the headline-grabbing new Benz content came one bit of important news for U.S. Mercedes fans about an EV we’ve already seen. Mercedes showed the EQB electric SUV at the Shanghai Show earlier this year, but more details emerged at Munich today, including the announcement that the model is definitely coming to the U.S. early in 2022.
Based on the platform of the GLB crossover, rather than dedicated EV architecture, the EQB will initially come in EQB 300 and EQB 350 forms. Both versions feature twin electric motors and all-wheel drive, and can travel for up to 419 km on the WLTP cycle, which would give them a marginally shorter range than an Audi Q4 e-tron. But while the Audi can only carry a maximum of five passengers, the EBQ can take up to seven with an optional third row of seats. Mercedes does caution, however, that the rearmost seats are only suitable for people under 5 ft 4-inches, meaning they’re really just for kids.
The base EQB 300’s 225 hp and 288 lbs-ft of torque should be enough for most town drivers, but those looking for a little extra zip will find it in the EQB 350 with its 288 hp and 384 lbs-ft. Zero to 62mph takes 8.0-seconds in the entry-level car, but Mercedes hasn’t revealed specific acceleration numbers for its big brother. Both cars are artificially limited to 160 km/h to preserve battery life. Single-motor, front-wheel drive versions and a long-range model will be added later.
Prices won’t be announced until closer to the 2022 on-sale date, but we expect the EQB to be priced to match Tesla’s Model Y, which starts at just under US$ 54,000.
