Mercedes-Benz EQB – seven-seat electric SUV detailed

The Mercedes-Benz EQB has made its official European debut alongside other EQ models, five months after the SUV was first unveiled at the Auto Shanghai 2021. Two variants were announced in Munich, the EQB 300 4Matic and EQB 350 4Matic, and they are the first fully electric cars to be produced at the automaker’s Kecskemét plant in Hungary.

Both variants get a twin-motor all-wheel drive configuration with single-speed transmission as standard. The front motor is an asynchronous unit (ASM), while the rear uses permanently excited synchronous motors (PSM). The EQB 300 4Matic gets a total system output of 168 kW (228 PS) and 390 Nm of torque, enough for a century sprint time of eight seconds.

The EQB350 4Matic is quite a bit more potent with 215 kW (292 PS) and 520 Nm of torque, doing the century dash in 6.2 seconds. Both of them top out at 160 km/h. A 66.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack (420 volt) is shared between the two, offering up to 419 km of range. A single-motor front-wheel drive model will be introduced sometime in the future, alongside a long-range version.

The EQB ships with a 11 kW onboard charger as standard, and plugging into a three-phase 11 kW outlet will fully charge the battery pack in 5 hours 45 minutes. It also takes DC charging at a maximum rate of 100 kW, taking approximately 32 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%. A 15-minute charge time yields 140 km of additional range.

Now, as the GLB‘s fully electric counterpart, the EQB is roughly the same in size with an overall length of 4,684 mm, width of 1,834 mm, height of 1,667 mm and a wheelbase length of 2,829 mm. Luggage capacity is between 495 litres to 1,710 litres for the five-seater version, or 465 litres to 1,620 litres for the seven-seater model. The second-row bench slides fore and aft by 140 mm, which provides an additional 190 litres of loading capacity.

The third row seats (with three-point seatbelt as standard) is a unique proposition for its class, allowing comfortable seating for two persons of up to 165 cm in height. A total of four child seats can be installed in the second and third rows of the EQB, plus one more in the front passenger seat.

In terms of design, the EQB gets its own unique front fascia and tail lights design, but the rest of the body is the same as the GLB, including the power domes on the bonnet. There’s a horizontal fibre-optic strip that connects the LED DRLs, and the headlights themselves feature electric blue highlights, as per Mercedes-EQ fashion.

Unique to the EQB are the light alloy wheels, available in a bi- or tri-colour design, including either a rose gold or EQ blue colourway. Wheel sizes range up to 20 inches in diameter. At the back, the EQB’s number plate is moved to the bumper, and the reverse camera is built into the pivoting tri-star badge.

Inside, the cabin is pretty much lifted wholesale, but customers get to choose between rose gold or EQ blue accents to match the exterior. These highlights are found on the air vents, floor mats and contrast seat stitching, making for a surprisingly pleasant spectacle. The automaker’s latest MBUX system is standard, and the digital instrument panel gets four EQ-specific themes – Modern Classic, Sport, Progressive and Discreet mode.

Mercedes-Benz paid particular attention to the EQB’s NVH levels, adding more insulating materials to the areas surrounding the electric motors. Components that generate vibration such as the air-conditioning compressor are fitted with rubber dampeners, while new rubber bushings and bearings are fitted to the front and rear suspensions. These efforts ensure that no irritating noises are perceptible inside the vehicle.

The EQB ships with comfort suspension as standard, and all models feature a four-link rear suspension (three transverse links and one trailing arm) as standard. Adaptive Damping System is an optional upgrade.

There’s a fat suite of advanced driver assist systems available, including the Driving Assistance Package, which offers Level 2 semi-autonomous driving. This includes Active Distance Assist Distronic, Active Steer Assist, Active Speed Limit Assist with Traffic Sign Assist, Evasive Steering Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active brake Assist, and Active Blind Spot Assist.