Firstly, let’s talk about EV’s in South Africa – there is a huge gap in terms of education around them and, for the most part, it is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Now, going into the drive of the week; The Mercedes-Benz EQB 350 4Matic Progressive, an all-electric compact SUV ‘version’ of the GLB (in that it was built on a similar platform).

Now that we got that out the way, let’s have a setting for this week-long test. The week just so happens to be race week for The Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, the world’s most beautiful ultra-marathon, and I am on support duty. Being on support means that I would be the ‘road runner’ for the athletes running the race and it also means having the need for the “perfect” car that would enable me to run from one support point to the next. So having an electric vehicle seemed like that perfect option (and opportunity at that) to really put them to the test. We also thought it would also be fun to do some exploring in a setting that was not all that familiar with us – in an electric vehicle, as we would normally do when it came to a combustion vehicle (and it was very interesting to say the least) outside of the racing agenda for the week.

The EQB come in 2 options of a 5-seater and a 7-seater, we had a former in this instance, and it worked quiet brilliantly in that it provided ample space for camera gear, running bags or ferrying off some mates post-race (because, the legs have stopped functioning properly) off to their parking. Having the 5-seater meant that was a sure-fire way to truly enjoy the car. The car is spacious, boasting ample leg and roofline spacing for even the tallest of people in South Africa – which I have been crucified before by mention how 1.8m is not all that tall by anyone’s standards.

The exterior has been updated with a clean panel grille and the Mercedes-Benz signature central star where a typical inlet grille would be. The clean look extends to the outside in that the lines around the car extends the luxury feel of the vehicle, right out to the rear and back lights – the long LED running light in the front and over the brake light make sure that the car stands out in which ever angle that you might catch a glimpse of it.

The interior boasts a familiar look that GLB drivers would notice, with the same luxury finishes to the dash, stainless steel finishes running across and actual dials to control the air condition or infotainment system. The driver dash has been revamped with some updates that assist in keeping track of the car’s electric consumption from start till the end of the journey.

The comprehensive standard specification includes features such as the Progressive Package, LED High Performance headlamps with Adaptive Highbeam Assist, the EASY-PACK tailgate with electrically operated opening and closing, KEYLESS-GO, 18-inch light-alloy wheels, Navigation Connectivity Package, Comfort seats with four-way adjustable lumbar support, Active Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC and a reversing camera for added convenience and a better overview when maneuvering, and a multifunction sports steering wheel in leather. The EBQ Edition 1 includes AMG body styling, roof rails in black, heat-insulating dark-tinted glass, 20-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels, leather trim in Neva Grey with CYBER CUT blue trim, heated front seats and special floor mats with ‘Edition 1’ lettering.

One of misconception that I have been coming across with regards to consumers that regard electric vehicles as “unnecessary” is that the cars don’t perform all that much as opposed to their gas-guzzling counterparts and I would like to categorically state that this is false. The EQB is powered by 2-motors at each axle and produces 215kW @ 520 Nm of torque, and this is direct torque that is available in an instance. The car does city cruising like a dream as the power is direct through the different drive modes and almost makes you oblivious to the fact that you are hauling a 2-and-a-half-ton electric vehicle, with the weight shifts slightly felt when taking the corners at high speeds. The performance if further felt when taking it on the open road, as we did the long drive from Cape Town to Langebaan, and it truly came to life. Overtaking over that open road was easy for the car, making one forget that they are in a family SUV and not in a space car. The direct power is further felt when switching to ‘Sport’ mode in which both motors are active and the car is basically catapulted on the road. I particularly loved how it really felt like a sports car in this mode. But a big warning; much the same as how any car’s performance would be affected when driving in sport mode, particularly the fuel economy, the EQB’s power range is also affected in the same regard and the range becomes less than desired.

The economy of electric vehicle is nerve wrecking at first. What I mean by this is that there was a bit of research done with regards to charging stations and equating it to the range of the car. I knew that the EQB has an acclaimed range of between 395-423KM on a single charge and had to plan accordingly. We managed 410KM’s on a single charge and we charged twice through the 6-days we had the car. The inner city commutes were not a problem at all as we did all the admin in preparation for the race weekend and still managed to have 250KM’s left on the range till we decided to make a bold trip to Franschoek and back to Tygerberg before our first official charge as this was the closest DC charging station. We needed the DC charger before heading out on the long trip to Langebaan. The trip between Cape Town to Franschoek and back to Tyger Valley Shopping Center was approximately 137KM, this meant 137KM off the already low range on the car and we had to do some ‘smart’ driving to get to our charging station with ease.

The EQB handled this quite well as we slipped into Economy mode to make the trip back, and we managed to make it with 22% left on the fuel range. The big thing with electric cars is that one will have to rethink their driving habits when embarking on this journey as the range is completely affected by the way one drives (outside of other factors like having the air conditioning on, appliances that are constantly charging in the car, etc). It is recommended that one should not have their range below 30% before charging again and we pushed it a bit – it is also worth noting that this was because we forgot our charging cables and could not got to just any charging station. Fortunately, all the charging stations that are publicly available have been listed on the GridCars website and anyone can visit the website to see which stations are closest and available to them at any time.

Overall, I truly feel like we need to “de-badge” the EQB from being a car associates with the soccer moms or school runs as it is an exceptional car. Given the bonus of it being an electric car, I think this car can easily win over anyone looking for a spacious car that will enable you to strap the kids in and drive down to the beach to breathe a bit for a few days. If you are really looking at getting the best looking one from the selection, then the 4Matic Edition 1 is the one to go for.

Mercedes-Benz EQB350 4Matic Edition 1

Pricing on the Mercedes-Benz EQB starts at R1 379 00 and comes with a 5 Year Maintenance Plan, an unlimited warranty on the vehicle, 160 000KM on the battery.