I have recently swapped from an EQC to an EQE SUV delivered on the 11th December after being ordered at the end of April.
Sadly the EQE needed to go back for a software update as the ambiant lighting only partially worked, a known issue and down to poor PDI process on the part of Mercedes (not the dealership much of the PDI is now carried out at the distribution centres).
I had an EQA whilst my car was with the dealer. It is an impressive entry gamme as they say here car.
EQC experience.
The EQC was flawless and the best Mercedes I have ever owned over my 14 yrs and previous 4 models. Very quiet and powerful. NVH controlled extremely well and handling was fine for my needs. The navigation system is well integrated like the Tesla so there is no need at all to use third party navigation like chargemap or A Better route planner. You can plan a route from the app (I use both the tablet and app) send destinations to the car, see the suggested charge stops and en route the car changes in real time based on consumption, traffic and charger occupancy. I had the full driving package but due to the UN new regs that came in just as the EQC was launched parallel parking was removed as was active lane changing on the motorways features I had in the previous car a 2018 e class estate, it also came without the augmented navigation due to the start of the chip shortsge). I had a low coolant warning (1 of the common complaints) but a simple top up was all that was needed. When I bought it felt slightly less luxurious in terms of internal design than the e class and a step down but it was the only all electric at the time but after a month or so I loved the car and was very sorry to part with it as it was so easy to live with. Not an efficient car per se but it‘s range of on average around 340km winter, and 380km summer worked just fine for my needs. In warm weather after some long trips I saw over 410km range predicted. In summer I regularly achieved better than WLTP. Mercedes threw a lot of investment into building the car apart from a new body so it sits on the GLC platform,but quite frankly that seemed utterly irrelevant to me, but all the work on isolating the motors damping noise etc delivered a great quiet to be in car.
EQE SUV
I ordered this sight unseen having driven the EQE saloon. I would have bought one but the saloon package just did not work practically for me. The EQE was impressive on NVH achieving an even higher degree of suppression and I was very surprised about the improvements Mercedes had made given the already high achievement of the EQC but it did reflect the much higher price feeling. Both the test EQE and my SUV run on airmatic (the EQC is rear air only) but 2 of the ICE did also so I am used to it and the benefits it brings and the limitations of the previous incarnations (just occasional jolts on potholes or manhole covers rare but they do happen) the latest versions seem less susceptible and in the SUV it does a marvellous job of keeping the car fairly flat in cornering making it pretty good for such a heavy car on the twisty country roads I use. With its acceleration (I went for the 500 to match the EQC performance which I was used too) I can still outrun many little cars driven hard by their young drivers! The tech has moved on a lot from the EQC and is smoother something I have noticed with each new car the toys in the c were subtly better in the e, better in the EQC and better still in the EQE. So far efficiency has been disappointing actually but I have done less than 800km and we have had very cold weather and most of my journeys have been short. The price of the car is eye watering and I had a long conversation with myself was it worth it and decided given my time of life why not and I do not regret my decision even with the teething troubles, the very first time I have had such an experience with a new Mercedes. Connectivity is great and finally Apple CarPlay is wireless the EQC and EQA are wired.
EQA 250+ AMG Line Premium plus
I was really surprised with this car half the price of the EQE all the navigation and the app elements are exactly the same as the EQC and EQE. In terms of NVH it is not at the level of either of the above but it is still a cut above or I should say I could live with it comfortably as a short run car but I must stress I am over conscious of NVH and not in the normal part of the bell curve in that regard, some cars make me feel physically ill they are so bad. It is perfectly fast enough and feels nippy. Yes everything is just a little bit cheaper like a smaller screen, the doors do not close with quite the same clunk, under leg support was manual not electric just little things here and there but it still felt like a Mercedes unlike previous A or B which felt very mediocre ordinary cars with on which Mercedes had put a badge not any engineering. I did find the dauto function which blends regen and coasting was not as smooth as in the EQC or EQE probably I suspect down to an earlier generation processor. I did use the navigation so do not know if it had the augmented reality might be an option on the range. I could see myself buying one if I wanted to downsize. The stock sound system was good and you need to be interested in audio I think to want to change it but the Burmester in the EQE is truly audiophile and better than the EQC as ever just that bit better. It handled nicely on the routes I used it on. Overall a quite relaxing car to be in.
Mercedes EQ in general
Mercedes have some great tech much of which other manufacturers have also inc OTA for navigation updates and the EQC had one for the LTE. Apparently the EQE can accept a wider range of ÔTA . BUT They do not have the same capability as Tesla so with the software issues on my car it had to go back and I could see from reports I was getting from the app they had it wired up 2 days!
The EQC servicing was annual the EQE is biannual, the EQA would I assume be annual like it’s bigger stablemate.
The Mercedes me charge card is all I have ever needed for the rare public charging I do.
No spare wheels only a compressor and gunk but there is a help button in the car so you can call a Mercedes helpline and as long as the car is serviced by the Mercedes dealer network you have recovery cover.
Service of the EQC was half the price of the ICE cars I had at around 250 euro. They do
require a brake fluid change at 2yrs.
EQC Front tyres were close to needing replacement when it went at approx 30,000km useage.
The app is good with lots of functionality as is the eco coach app which helps you adjust to the world of electric and then achieve the best efficiency.
Mercedes make good quality premium electric cars covering the various budgets people want to spend whether in the middle market which the EQA is aimed at there is enough to differentiate it I am not sure there are a lot of players out there and it is really a typical non sporty Mercedes good at what it does but not exciting. If I only had a choice between a Mercedes EQA or a Model 3 (here they are now in the same price bracket) the Mercedes would win. It does everything a Tesla does but in a more boring way apart from the speed and its range may not be as good but from all I have read about Tesla the ride and NVH quality would put me off. I am also not a fan of just one screen. Mercedes give you several ways to do things, buttons and screens. I find MBUX intuitive and quick to use.
The EQA v a Hyundai, Kia, Stelliantos I think it may have the quality NVH edge but if that is not important to you then the price premium may not be worth the cost or one of the others may be more rewarding to own for other reasons.
The three cars definitely have a family feel and the 3 cars are all on a gradient smaller and more affordable to bigger and luxury price. The EQA is I think the one that surprised me the most as it did not feel so much the cheap entry level more the baby.
This ramble may or may not help someone😉😄
Sadly the EQE needed to go back for a software update as the ambiant lighting only partially worked, a known issue and down to poor PDI process on the part of Mercedes (not the dealership much of the PDI is now carried out at the distribution centres).
I had an EQA whilst my car was with the dealer. It is an impressive entry gamme as they say here car.
EQC experience.
The EQC was flawless and the best Mercedes I have ever owned over my 14 yrs and previous 4 models. Very quiet and powerful. NVH controlled extremely well and handling was fine for my needs. The navigation system is well integrated like the Tesla so there is no need at all to use third party navigation like chargemap or A Better route planner. You can plan a route from the app (I use both the tablet and app) send destinations to the car, see the suggested charge stops and en route the car changes in real time based on consumption, traffic and charger occupancy. I had the full driving package but due to the UN new regs that came in just as the EQC was launched parallel parking was removed as was active lane changing on the motorways features I had in the previous car a 2018 e class estate, it also came without the augmented navigation due to the start of the chip shortsge). I had a low coolant warning (1 of the common complaints) but a simple top up was all that was needed. When I bought it felt slightly less luxurious in terms of internal design than the e class and a step down but it was the only all electric at the time but after a month or so I loved the car and was very sorry to part with it as it was so easy to live with. Not an efficient car per se but it‘s range of on average around 340km winter, and 380km summer worked just fine for my needs. In warm weather after some long trips I saw over 410km range predicted. In summer I regularly achieved better than WLTP. Mercedes threw a lot of investment into building the car apart from a new body so it sits on the GLC platform,but quite frankly that seemed utterly irrelevant to me, but all the work on isolating the motors damping noise etc delivered a great quiet to be in car.
EQE SUV
I ordered this sight unseen having driven the EQE saloon. I would have bought one but the saloon package just did not work practically for me. The EQE was impressive on NVH achieving an even higher degree of suppression and I was very surprised about the improvements Mercedes had made given the already high achievement of the EQC but it did reflect the much higher price feeling. Both the test EQE and my SUV run on airmatic (the EQC is rear air only) but 2 of the ICE did also so I am used to it and the benefits it brings and the limitations of the previous incarnations (just occasional jolts on potholes or manhole covers rare but they do happen) the latest versions seem less susceptible and in the SUV it does a marvellous job of keeping the car fairly flat in cornering making it pretty good for such a heavy car on the twisty country roads I use. With its acceleration (I went for the 500 to match the EQC performance which I was used too) I can still outrun many little cars driven hard by their young drivers! The tech has moved on a lot from the EQC and is smoother something I have noticed with each new car the toys in the c were subtly better in the e, better in the EQC and better still in the EQE. So far efficiency has been disappointing actually but I have done less than 800km and we have had very cold weather and most of my journeys have been short. The price of the car is eye watering and I had a long conversation with myself was it worth it and decided given my time of life why not and I do not regret my decision even with the teething troubles, the very first time I have had such an experience with a new Mercedes. Connectivity is great and finally Apple CarPlay is wireless the EQC and EQA are wired.
EQA 250+ AMG Line Premium plus
I was really surprised with this car half the price of the EQE all the navigation and the app elements are exactly the same as the EQC and EQE. In terms of NVH it is not at the level of either of the above but it is still a cut above or I should say I could live with it comfortably as a short run car but I must stress I am over conscious of NVH and not in the normal part of the bell curve in that regard, some cars make me feel physically ill they are so bad. It is perfectly fast enough and feels nippy. Yes everything is just a little bit cheaper like a smaller screen, the doors do not close with quite the same clunk, under leg support was manual not electric just little things here and there but it still felt like a Mercedes unlike previous A or B which felt very mediocre ordinary cars with on which Mercedes had put a badge not any engineering. I did find the dauto function which blends regen and coasting was not as smooth as in the EQC or EQE probably I suspect down to an earlier generation processor. I did use the navigation so do not know if it had the augmented reality might be an option on the range. I could see myself buying one if I wanted to downsize. The stock sound system was good and you need to be interested in audio I think to want to change it but the Burmester in the EQE is truly audiophile and better than the EQC as ever just that bit better. It handled nicely on the routes I used it on. Overall a quite relaxing car to be in.
Mercedes EQ in general
Mercedes have some great tech much of which other manufacturers have also inc OTA for navigation updates and the EQC had one for the LTE. Apparently the EQE can accept a wider range of ÔTA . BUT They do not have the same capability as Tesla so with the software issues on my car it had to go back and I could see from reports I was getting from the app they had it wired up 2 days!
The EQC servicing was annual the EQE is biannual, the EQA would I assume be annual like it’s bigger stablemate.
The Mercedes me charge card is all I have ever needed for the rare public charging I do.
No spare wheels only a compressor and gunk but there is a help button in the car so you can call a Mercedes helpline and as long as the car is serviced by the Mercedes dealer network you have recovery cover.
Service of the EQC was half the price of the ICE cars I had at around 250 euro. They do
require a brake fluid change at 2yrs.
EQC Front tyres were close to needing replacement when it went at approx 30,000km useage.
The app is good with lots of functionality as is the eco coach app which helps you adjust to the world of electric and then achieve the best efficiency.
Mercedes make good quality premium electric cars covering the various budgets people want to spend whether in the middle market which the EQA is aimed at there is enough to differentiate it I am not sure there are a lot of players out there and it is really a typical non sporty Mercedes good at what it does but not exciting. If I only had a choice between a Mercedes EQA or a Model 3 (here they are now in the same price bracket) the Mercedes would win. It does everything a Tesla does but in a more boring way apart from the speed and its range may not be as good but from all I have read about Tesla the ride and NVH quality would put me off. I am also not a fan of just one screen. Mercedes give you several ways to do things, buttons and screens. I find MBUX intuitive and quick to use.
The EQA v a Hyundai, Kia, Stelliantos I think it may have the quality NVH edge but if that is not important to you then the price premium may not be worth the cost or one of the others may be more rewarding to own for other reasons.
The three cars definitely have a family feel and the 3 cars are all on a gradient smaller and more affordable to bigger and luxury price. The EQA is I think the one that surprised me the most as it did not feel so much the cheap entry level more the baby.
This ramble may or may not help someone😉😄
