Mercedes were a bit slow to the electric market, but they are making up for lost time and by the end of 2022 the German manufacturer plans to have ten electric models available for Irish customers to choose from.
Last week I got to drive the massive EQV 300. Up to now most electric cars I have seen or driven, have been small and fairly neat, but this was a massive seven-seater people carrier.
You can configure the seating to carry up to eight people if necessary. Normally in seven-seater vehicles there is very little space for luggage with all seven seats upright.
Not so with the EQV 300, as there is still ample space at the rear to carry suitcases and you also get a spare wheel, which is located underneath the car.
As I write about cars every week I try and keep a close eye on new cars when visiting various shopping centre cars parks, but I definitely don’t wear an anorak!
Last week I spotted a Mercedes very similar to my EQV 300 in a local shopping centre. It was also silver-coloured and it looked very like the electric car I was driving. The only difference I could see in the 07 registered Viano model was that it had two roof rails.
Of course there were other differences; the interior of the Viano had a walnut trim and probably posher seats. But I couldn’t wait around for the owner to return to have a better look, so I went back to my 211-registered electric test car. But I thought the 07-registered Viano looked in great shape.
The EVQ is set high and my wife, who sometimes has difficulty climbing on board high cars, had no problems. A hand-grip and a step to help anybody with a touch of arthritis to get on board, helped.
But who would be your typical customer for an electric car that will cost you very close to 100k?
Prospective owners are likely to include those with large and extended families for whom generous seating and ample carrying capacity will be key factors.
Also corporate clients, hotel and hospitality providers and the chauffeur-drive rental sector whose needs include airport transfers, guest transport, VIP groups and celebrities whose preference is for discreet transport.
My version had seven seats, but it can easily configured to use eight seats. And there is still plenty of head and leg room and arm-rests for everybody.
A ten-inch media display keeps the driver updated with information across a host of headings, like battery power and others relating to driving modes, voice-activated features, infotainment, navigation and route planning.
I found it easy to drive as there is no long bonnet in front and it was a joy to drive. It’s very long so you need to be careful when reversing, but thankfully there is a proper reversing camera.
The price is €97,005 and when you add an extra €2,000 for metallic paint you won’t have much change out of €100k. Road tax is €120.
You get 204 bhp and there is a 90 kWh battery.
Mercedes claim you can get from zero to 100km/h in 12.1 seconds, but I couldn’t find anywhere safe to test that claim. They also claim a range of 350km when fully charged and that’s a fairly accurate claim.
It’s expensive, but it’s also really impressive.
