The New EQB

Mercedes Benz is giving us a peak at the new all electric EQB. The details they gave us are for the European model, but expect details for a North American model soon. This new SUV is focused on families with three rows and seating for seven.

The new vehicle will be hitting Chinese dealers later this year along with the European version being released in 2021. Those of us state-side will have to wait until 2022. With that said, what is the angle of the new EQB?

First the all important electric specs: the new EQB will start with a 66.5 kWh battery as standard, but a long range version is planned. The vehicle will come in both front wheel drive and all wheel drive, with various powertrains- the most powerful of which will be putting down over 268 horsepower.

Additional electric features of the new EQB include an electric specific navigation system which will perform the typical tasks of taking range into account and ensuring that you will be able to reach enough charging stations in order to reach your destination. The vehicle will support DC fast charging and can charge at a rate of up to 100 kW. With this charge from 10-80% is just over 30 minutes. EQB owners will have access to Mercedes me Charge, a charging network with over 500,000 AC and DC charging stations spanning 31 countries. This system allows EQB owners to pick from a variety of charge providers and use a simple integrated payment system.

Driver assist features are numerous on the EQB. Active lane keep assist and active break assist are standard. An assistance package will include features such as pedestrian detection and an assistance system for maneuvering in tight spaces.

The exterior remains similar to the gasoline powered GLB, but it features Mercedes electric design cues such as front and rear light strips along with a blacked out panel where the grill would be in a gasoline powered crossover.

The interior is what we have come to expect from modern Mercedes- high quality materials with extensive use of brushed metals and interior ambient lighting. We get the large MBUX system and what appears to be a fairly standard Mercedes interior experience.

The EQB follows the EQA-250 and is the second electric compact from Mercedes-EQ. One very interesting point of this vehicle is the Chinese focus- it was debuted in Shanghai and it is being produced in Beijing for the Chinese market (it will be built in Hungary for the global market) and in the press release for this crossover Hubertus Troska, the Daimler AG Board Member responsible for China, called China "...the most important passenger car sales region for us..." Chinese buyers will even be getting the EQB as a maxed out AMG version. Electric SUV's have proven very popular in China and this growth is expected to continue, and Mercedes is capitalizing upon that.

We will keep you updated as Mercedes continues to build out its electric lineup. Stay tuned to Gas Guzzler Reviews for more.