The arrival of the practical and highly evolved all new EQB from Mercedes-EQ demonstrates that electric vehicles (EV) can be viable for everyone. This specific model makes an undeniable case for the innovation driving Mercedes-Benz towards the point where every model in its range will have an all-electric variant by 2025.

After a first drive of the EQB, it feels like an enthralling new automotive breed. Like the EQA before it, the all new EQB isn’t a repackaging exercise to retro-fit a fossil-fuelled model with an electrical system. From the moment Mercedes-Benz conceptualised the innovative idea of a compact-sized SUV with seating for up to seven, a discrete all-electric variant was non-negotiable.

The outcome is a SUV that’s refreshingly untarred by the oddball design, packaging quirks and driving range compromises that have been the hallmarks of early EV efforts from a range of brands.

A versatile beast

The key model we’re testing is an EQB 250, fitted with an optional third row that brings seating capacity to a maximum of seven occupants. As you get into the vehicle, an encouraging first impression is that you neither step up or down. The seating height is just right; a bonus both for parents who lift young children into booster seats, and older occupants whose agility might not be all it once was.

Crucially, the EQB is a versatile beast. The cabin can be arranged in dozens of configurations from seating seven occupants to carting wardrobes or bikes, or anything in between. The optional third row of seats arise from the flat boot floor to form seating suited to two smaller bodies, who nonetheless have a window to look out of, cupholders, a storage shelf and an armrest. Second row passengers also get door and seat-back pockets, adjustable seat backs, and plenty of space for bigger bodies courtesy of the sliding fore-aft seat cushion available with the optional third row.

A signpost for future EVs

Also difficult to miss is the edgy cockpit layout. With a high-resolution widescreen display comprising a pair of 12.5-inch full-colour screens, this is what a vehicle that’s a signpost to the future ought to look and feel like.

The fully digital interface serves up a number of displays and graphs to help you monitor energy consumption and range. There are choices of charging programs, and you can also set the climate control to pre-heat or cool the cabin before you start your journey.

Silence is golden

You’ll have a difficult time finding the evidence to prove there’s a sophisticated electrical drive system built into this model. A singular electric motor occupies the same space under the bonnet that’s normally reserved for a combustion unit, driven not by a fuel tank but a powerful lithium-ion battery cleverly and invisibly sandwiched beneath the floor. Integrally engineered into the architecture, it imposes no compromise on the passenger space – even the boot space is almost identical to the similar petrol-powered model.

It's only when you press the start button and slide the gear level into drive that the game is given away. The cranking to life of a combustion engine is conspicuously absent, replaced by a gentle electrical whir as you release the brake and touch the throttle.

Yet as you slide into traffic, there’s little sense of ‘different’; with 140 kW of power and 385 Nm of torque, the EQB hustles along with more vim than its mid-size body dimensions would suggest. For the first few minutes, you might sense the absence of the rhythmic rise and fall of revs of a standard transmission. Quickly though, you become attuned to the relative silence.

Commute with confidence

A key advantage of EVs is their ability to capture heat energy generated during braking and store it, adding valuable extra kilometres to the driving range. In the EQB, a set of paddles sits behind the steering wheel not for gear changes, but to toggle between three recuperative settings. In the most aggressive of these, one-pedal driving may be possible in heavy traffic, reducing the need to switch constantly between the accelerator and the brake. For many urban EV drivers, this is a treasured function that can significantly ease the physical burden of their commute. Pair this with standard adaptive cruise control including navigation-based assistance, and the EQB can adjust its set speed to maintain a constant gap to the vehicle in front.

During our drive, the EQB demonstrates exemplary road manners. With a lower center of gravity than a combustion-powered model due to the large, flat battery under the floor, it travels implacably through bends and corners.

Not everyone needs the EQB 250’s extreme level of utility, and that brings the EQB 350 4MATIC model into play. Equipped solely with five seats, it also lifts the ante with a pair of electric motors sending a healthy 215 kW and 520 Nm to where it’s most needed. Combined with sports-style seats including eye-catching red stitching, it brings a performance element to the sensible SUV category.

The EQB 350 also gets a standard panoramic glass sunroof and AMG-specific body styling to look the part, too.

With the EQB now forming a potent SUV pairing with the EQA, Mercedes-Benz is continuing to build on the success of the pioneering EQC. New and returning customers now face a relatively small step to fully embrace the brand’s exciting all-electric future.

Discover the EQB from Mercedes-EQ and book a test drive today.

By Steve Colquhoun