Mercedes EQB 300 4Matic: Big Brother

Whoever says A must also say B, as the saying goes. And what the tradition dictates is only right and fair, especially in the Alemannic region. So after the EQA, Mercedes is now adding the EQB, which at 4.68 meters is 22 centimeters longer than its little brother. “The cars are designed in a modular way,” explains chief engineer Axel Heix. Which means nothing else than that A and B are very closely related in Mercedes technology. One distinguishing feature is the size just mentioned. So you can pack a third row of seats in the EQB, which is subject to a surcharge, or use a trunk with a maximum capacity of 1,710 liters.

If you look at the all-wheel drive, the Mercedes EQB also uses a similar drive philosophy for all-wheel drive as the competition from Ingolstadt, Wolfsburg and Mladá Boleslav. While a permanently excited synchronous machine provides propulsion on the rear axle, an asynchronous machine (ASM) does its work at the front and is practically a part-time worker. The advantage of an ASM electric motor is that it can also run without power, with only very low drag losses and the electric motor can be switched on at lightning speed if necessary. This means that the 4Matic drive in the Mercedes EQB is basically an electronic hang-on all-wheel drive. Because most of the time, the efficient PSM electric motor on the rear axle works on its own anyway and only brings the front axle into the propulsion boat when necessary. This saves electricity.

Modern technology fulfills its duty in the Mercedes EQB 300. The interaction of the axes happens imperceptibly and at lightning speed. On the other hand, the spread of the driving programs is more noticeable. Basically, the EQB is more comfortable than the EQA. It would be more than counterproductive if the family excursion mutated into a shaking adventure. In comfort mode, the engineers have trimmed the adaptive chassis to absorb the uneven ground as well as possible. This also works splendidly, but the body sometimes wobbles. In the eco program, the dampers are set tighter and in sport mode the chassis forwards short impacts more relentlessly to the occupants. But it is definitely an alternative on good roads.

The throttle response also differs. In sport, the EQB responds quickly to the pilot’s desire to move forward, while in eco mode things are not so rushed forward. However, you can override this reluctance by kicking the accelerator pedal. If you get everything out of the 165 kW / 218 PS of the EQB 300 4Matic, you can reach country road speed after eight seconds from a standstill, and it’s over at 160 km / h. That is why the EQB 300 gradually runs out of air beyond 120 km / h. Mercedes states the WLTP average consumption of 18.1 kWh / 100 km, we needed 22.1 kWh / 100 km on our first test drive. With the 66.5 kWh battery, that’s enough for a good 300 kilometers.

This means that the EQB 300 4Matic has a smaller power tank than the Audi Q4 45 e-tron quattro, a Skoda Enyaq iV 80X or a VW ID.4 GTX. Even if the plastic cockpit in the VW ID.4 GTX is not one of the highlights in German automotive engineering. That looks better in the EQB, but the mix of materials in the interior does not reach S-Class level. You can also hear the mechanics of the reversing camera when maneuvering. A consequence of the missing parcel shelf. Nevertheless, the star electric car is expected to have its price at around 55,000 euros. The Skoda Enyaq iV 80X (has a 77 kWh battery / net), costs from 47,000 euros, the VW ID.4 GTX at least 50,415 (77 kWh batteries) and the Audi Q4 45 e-tron quattro (76.6 kWh) is available from 50,900 euros. In addition, the VW group offer E-Crossover augmented reality in the head-up display. So flying arrows show the way.

When it comes to navigation, the EQB’s big hour comes with “Electric Intelligence”. This system takes various factors into account in the search for the fastest route to the goal. The fact that topography, driving behavior, traffic conditions and speed limits play a role is nothing new. But that weather data is included is interesting. The logic behind this makes sense: the colder it is, the more energy has to be used for heating. Incidentally, an additional charging stop can also accelerate the journey. The Mercedes logic makes sense: Refueling two times briefly with higher charging speed is faster than pumping the battery as full as possible once. After all, the speed drops noticeably beyond 80 percent of the battery capacity. If you look at the nominal charging power of the EQB, a maximum of 100 kW is really not a world record, because the VW Group models can do more. “We charge robustly with 100 kW,” says Axel Heix on the other hand. The reason is supposed to be the treatment of the sensitive batteries, which are put into a comfortable oasis when charging is pending, so that the current can flow as unhindered as possible. According to Mercedes, after 15 minutes of fast charging, there is juice for around 150 kilometers in the energy storage device, while refueling from 10 to 80 percent takes 32 minutes. One good thing is that the clutter of payments with Mercedes me Charge should be a thing of the past. At 250,000 European and around 42,000 German charging points, billing is automatic and the fun is free in the first year, after which the price is currently 99 euros per year.