MOTORING REVIEW: Merc EQB is Limerick's family friendly electric 7-seater

THE Mercedes-Benz EQB is the pure electric version of the company's seven-seater GLB SUV and was designed to meet the needs of family buyers. Interior spaciousness and flexibility is reflected not just in its seven-seat option but in the car’s upright high appearance and seating which aids visibility and getting in and out. Compact on the outside, roomy inside.

The car’s strong character is evident and you can’t miss its Mercedes-EQ credentials. The distinctive black panel grille, EQ blue headlamp strips and a continuous fibre-optic strip runs along the front and rear. I wasn’t all that impressed with the rear styling but the lights do emphasise the car’s width. Light-alloy wheels in bi- or tri-colour design are available in sizes up to 20 inches. Studded roof rails are practical and functional.

The luxurious and spacious interior provides very good head and legroom and the beautiful beige artificial leather upholstery contrasted well with the dark grey of the exterior. Seats are extremely comfy, front ones can be heated, and the driver’s has 4-way lumbar support. Second row seats can slide forwards and backwards to help getting into the very back pair, which are suitable for people up to 4ft 4ins tall. They are concealed beneath the boot floor and can be raised easily when required. Four seats have Isofix certification for child seats. Boot capacity of 465 litres in five-seat mode is expandable to 1,710 litres.

Other items include a very distinctive and colourful centre console and instrument panel that seem to merge together with a black background, with MBUX multimedia system and smartphone integration for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the ‘Hey Mercedes’ command system.

The driver’s instrumentation consists of two dials with current speed shown centrally in yellow, as well as range left in the battery, the energy consumption and flow. You can see the power recovered through recuperation as a percentage value and can adjust the degree of recuperation manually using the steering wheel paddles. The level of recuperation is displayed - in very small figures - on the lower instrumentation screen.

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Buttons on the flat of the central console include driving modes of Sport, Comfort, Eco and Individual and a parking feature which allows you find a suitable parking spot and helps guide you into it. You can watch this procedure on the central touchscreen. Temperature settings are controlled via up and down arrows on the row of controls.

Standard items included a high definition reversing camera and overhead view of the vehicle, a blind spot alert, ‘C’ type USB ports, automatic climate control and a suite of the top-end driver safety features. Cubbies include a large area below the twin-door front armrest, a lidded cubby on the central console, huge front door bins and a decent glove box.

I could get a really good driving position, and the car was a joy to drive on all types of roads, but doing 120km/h on motorways eats into your battery charge. The suspension provides a comfy ride for all occupants. The battery being under the floor helps with centre of gravity when cornering so there's little body roll, and the AWD system helps with grip control especially in wet weather. A degree of road noise did filter into the cabin.

My EQB 300 4MATIC was equipped with a 66.5 kWh battery and two electric motors producing 228hp and 390Nm torque giving All-Wheel drive. The official WLTP range is 419km, the car has a 0-100km/h time of 8.0 seconds and annual road tax of €120.

The EQB can be fast-charged from 10pc-80pc in 30 minutes, or from 10pc to 100pc using a home charger in 5hrs 45mins. Remaining battery charge shows the slightly longer range available if you drive very carefully. The battery was charged to 311km when I collected the car. After driving the 70km to my home there was still a 70pc charge of 241kms remaining, consumption showed an ‘average from start’ of 20.3kWh/100km. Recharging the battery from 70pc to a full charge with an eCars charging meter took 45 mins.

This is a really good all-round family car but is quite a costly purchase.

The entry EQB 250 is expected to be the most popular model here with prices from €64,030. My 300 4MATIC version is from €65,660; Metallic Paint and a Night Package of tinted glass, 18-inch alloys and roof rails, took the total price to €67,492. The more powerful EQB 350 is from €71,520.