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Battery size: 90kWh
Miles per kWh: 2.34
E-Rating™: E
Max charge rate: 110 kW
Range: 211-213 miles
As unfashionable as a big, seated box might seem, the world needs vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz V-Class. And with the world shifting from traditional old petrol and diesel engines to an electrified future Mercedes-Benz has taken a pragmatic plunge with its new EQ model, mixing seven-seat comfort and space with a plug-in powertrain. It’s no halfway house hybrid, either, the EQV is a pure EV, with a 90kWh battery slotting easily under the floor and an electric motor under the bonnet of the V-Class, which allows the EQV to carry you and six others as far as 213 miles on a single charge.
A useful thing then, if carrying people and their things is a priority, or you just like the luxury that masses of space brings. The EQV has loads of it, too, with its van origins apparent in not just its looks – it is a handsome thing, regardless – but the gargantuan interior. You sit higher than any commanding driving position in a fashionable SUV, the view out great, and being flat-flanked and squared off at the corners it doesn’t feel cumbersome to drive, even around town. Quite the opposite, though you’ll want the 360 degree camera from Sport Premium trim and upwards for the ultimate in parking confidence.
Do that and you’ll squeeze the EQV into any parking space, and with electrically-operated sliding doors on its sides, you’ll be able to get out of it, too, something that’s not always a given with big cars and tight parking spots these days. It’s not just spacious for you and your occupants, either, as the boot’s, urm, van-like, in its capacity, because it is one, so you can chuck everything in it, too.
It’s not fun to drive in any conventional sense, but there’s enjoyment to be had eking out as much range from the electric powertrain, and the pervading sense of satisfaction being surrounded by so much space in the luxuriously appointed cabin. With Mercedes-Benz’s huge MBUX touchscreen and touchpad operated infotainment system among the best out there, too, it and various driver-selectable modes all helps aid your ambition to maximise the range with plenty of EQV-specific screens. Use all that and the EQV is an easy companion, that’ll do the school run in blissful, guilt-free serenity, well, on the return leg at least, when you’ve dropped the noisy kids off…
The pricing looks lofty for a posh van, but the £70,000 starting point isn’t too different to the many, upmarket SUVs that so many convince themselves are the right solution for hauling their families around in. Well, they’re not - this is, if you are really being honest with yourself.
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