Mercedes EQB was presented for the first time in the world premiere at the Shanghai Motor Show in April 2021 and at the IAA Munich, Mercedes presented the European version of EQB. The seven seater compact SUV will be available from the end of this year in two 4Matic versions: EQB 300 4Matic and EQB 350 4Matic.
The compact electric SUV with seven seats option will initially be launched in China in the EQB 250 version with front wheel drive and a single engine with 140 kW (190 HP). It will come from factory production in China. For Europe, the Mercedes EQB will be available at the start with two versions with 4Matic all-wheel drive and two engines: EQB 300 4Matic and EQB 350 Matic which also exist at EQA.
Like EQA which is based on the conventional GLA platform, EQB takes over GLB’s platform. Both use the MFA2 platform that is the basis of all compact models from Mercedes. The EQB has almost the same dimensions as the GLB: the width of 1834 mm, the height of 1667 mm and the wheelbase of 2829 mm are identical, only the length of 4684 mm is 50 mm longer than the GLB.
Like the GLB, the Mercedes EQB optionally offers seven seats but the third row is only suitable for people up to 1.65 meters tall. In the 5-seater version, the trunk volume reaches 1710 liters with the rear bench folded. Unlike EQA where the sliding bench cannot be ordered as in GLA, the EQB can offer as an option the sliding bench which slides 140 mm.
Like the Mercedes EQA, Mercedes EQB is offered in three versions:
– EQB 250 made in China, with a single engine in front. With 140 kW (190 HP) which will initially be sold only in China.
– EQB 300 4Matic with two engines and 4Matic electric all-wheel drive with 168 kW (228 HP) and 390 Nm
– EQB 350 4Matic with two engines and 4Matic electric all-wheel drive with 215 kW (292 HP) and 520 Nm.
The last two are produced at the Mercedes plant in Kecsemet, Hungary, and are the first to be marketed in Europe. The front motor is asynchronous with permanent magnet and the rear one is synchronous with permanent magnet.
The Mercedes EQB has a body similar to the GLB and presents the characteristic elements of the EQ range: the Black Panel grille with the Mercedes logo, and the headlights and taillights are connected by an LED light strip.
The interior is similar to that of GLB and EQA. Compared to conventional models, the EQB comes as EQA with MBUX multimedia system with navigation and digital instrument cluster displayed on a 12.3-inch screen as standard. The navigation system also has the Electric Intelligence function. If a navigation destination is programmed, the MBUX system calculate permanently the range taking into account the topography and weather. If the route is longer than the range, the navigation include a charging station on the route.
On all models the battery has a net capacity of 66.5 kWh and EQB 300 and EQB 350 offer a WLTP range of 419 km. The battery can be charged to AC stations with up to 11 kW and to DC stations with up to 100 kW.
Mercedes EQB will be available from the end of this year. Mercedes did not give information about prices but according to our estimations, EQB will be about 2000 more expensive than EQA considering that this price difference exists between GLA and GLB with equivalent engines. Thus, in Germany the EQA 300 4Matic costs 50,563 euros and we estimate that the GLB 300 4Matic will start at about 53,000 euros. The top version of EQA 350 4Matic costs 53,260 euros so the EQB 350 4Matic will reach somewhere around 56,000 euros.
