THE PEOPLE'S CARRIER (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_mercedeseqv_2021

By Jonathan Crouch

The Mercedes EQV is the planet-saving People Carrier, a full EV that can carry up to seven folk in real Zero Emissions luxury. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 54

The Mercedes EQV brings full-battery power to the super-large MPV segment. This is the People Carrier of the future, with zero emissions and a 213 mile WLTP-rated range. There are few practical compromises with the battery installation and quality levels are way higher than you'd expect from a van-derived product. It's not inexpensive though.

Backgroundword count: 179

In a world of electrified Ferraris, Porsches and Aston Martins, you might not think the idea of an electric Mercedes V-Class MPV too significant. We disagree. It's models like this that will help drive a grass-roots change to electric driving, running families and business folk around and, as they do, underlining just why full-battery motion is now completely sustainable option for modern transport. So let's welcome warmly this model, the Mercedes EQV. It's based on the V-Class, which in case you weren't aware, is the Stuttgart brand's super large People Carrier, based almost entirely on its mid-sized Vito van. The recent emergence of an e-Vito variant made the launch of this EQV inevitable and this MPV, like its LCV counterpart, manages to make the switch to full electrification with very few practical compromises. To start with, it's probably going to be quite a rare sight, given the prices start at around £70,000, about £20,000 more than an equivalent combustion-engined V-Class. But with a decent annual mileage, even that premium could make sense for some business operators and forward-thinking families.

Driving Experienceword count: 197

Here, a 100kWh lithium-ion battery develops a 201hp total output with 362Nm of torque and can offer a claimed driving range of up to 213 miles between charges. As with most EVs, the top speed is rather limited - in this case to 98mph. Otherwise, this EQV will be much like any other V-Class to drive. Numerous engineering changes differentiate this Mercedes MPV from the Vito commercial model it's based on, alterations having been made to such things as the spring rates, support bearings, strut towers, dampers, anti-roll bars and bearings to create more car-like standards of ride and handling. Most importantly, standard 'Agility Control' adaptive suspension has been added in, a set-up able to tweak the damping to suit road conditions. It's not enough to make this feel like an S-Class luxury saloon - especially not if you're in a version of this model fitted with the largest 19-inch wheel rim size - but given what the German engineers had to work with, the supple, well-controlled quality of the ride is very commendable. And there's certainly a much lighter, airier feel than you'd get in an S-Class - or any other boardroom-level limo come to that.

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