► CAR’s Mercedes-Benz EQV review
► A luxury people carrier with an electric twist
► Styling and interior updates for 2024
The combination of space, luxury and electric power has been a winning formula for the Mercedes-Benz EQV since it arrived in 2019, as it’s filled a uniquely opulent segment of the all-electric multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) market where few other manufacturers have dared to venture. Based on the Mercedes eVito electric van, the EQV is essentially a V-Class people carrier with a big battery rather than a diesel engine, but with all the interior decadence and shoulder room carried over.
Looking to continue the EQV’s success, Mercedes-Benz has updated its electric MPV for 2024 with a series of exterior and interior tweaks. According to Merc, the EQV update is to strengthen the marque’s MPV market position in anticipation of a new, electric-only van platform – known as VAN.EA – set to arrive in 2026.
But back to the here and now, read on for our full review of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQV and find out whether it’s still the last word in electric people carrier luxury.
At a glance
Pros: Beautifully finished, bristling with tech, all the interior room in the world
Cons: Bit of a disconnected driving experience, very heavy, even heavier price tag
What’s new?
According to Mercedes, the EQV’s 2024 update brief was simple: make it even more opulent and even classier than ever. The suspension, chassis and electric power units haven’t been fettled with, but the EQV has received a refreshed exterior look with a new front grille and bumper, as well as a few rear-end touch-ups including a new chrome strip beneath the back window.
The dashboard has received the full Mercedes modernity treatment with two large 12.3-inch displays, a sleeker centre console, updated air vents and touch-sensitive buttons on the wheel. As for tech, the EQV comes fully loaded with myriad driving assistance features to help keep you safe on the road, including a new active brake assist cross-traffic function that can intervene when it detects oncoming traffic taking dangerous manoeuvres.
What about the interior?
Though it may be free of visual frills and ornamentation, the EQV’s cabin is no doubt a relaxing place to be. It’s endlessly roomy throughout, able to fit seven fully grown adults in equal space and well-finished for an all-round grown-up ambiance. The seats themselves are inviting and comfortable, offering ample support to keep you feeling fresh over long journeys, while available in either silk beige or black depending on how bright you’d like your interior to be.
As already mentioned, the 2024 EQV’s dashboard is a triumph of sleek and simple functionality. It features a nicely balanced combination of tactile buttons along with all the functions on the infotainment display.
Rather keep your display screen fingerprint-free? The EQV also comes with a multi-gesture touchpad for simple display scrolling, as well as Merc’s “Hey Mercedes” voice control system – one of the better systems on the market – for if you’d rather not use your hands altogether.
How does it drive?
Inexperienced van drivers in the market for a new MPV will be happy to hear that despite the EQV’s gargantuan size, it’s not a difficult vehicle to drive. Yes, the EQV is incredibly heavy and you sense every kilo of its near three-tonne kerb weight as you lumber and wallow over crests and speed bumps, but there are plenty of driving aids on your side to keep you safe.
As you’d expect for a vehicle just under two metres high and over five metres long, it won’t thank you for cornering at any great speeds, but the EQV does feel relaxed and mightily plush on open roads. It’ll jump and jitter over more pronounced road imperfections, but overall comfort is very good.
Power delivery from the electric motor is smooth and refined, its silent nature arguably suiting the luxurious people carrier better than the diesel engine. It won’t get up to speed anywhere near as quickly as other EVs, though with a 0-62mph time of 12.1 seconds, it’s comparable to the diesel-powered V-Class V220d.
Owing to the high, van-like seating position, visibility from the driver’s seat is excellent, giving you a great command of the road and your surroundings as you cruise along. However, things start to get a little dicier in built-up urban environments. There are ample sensors and cameras to keep you informed of the dangers around you, but the EQV’s exceptionally numb steering can leave you feeling a little diffident when attempting to guide the electric people carrier around tight corners with plenty of other traffic on the road.
What are the specs?
Mercedes has kept things simple with the latest EQV as it’s available with just one electric power unit that produces 204hp (150kW). Performance figures are, unsurprisingly, modest, with a top speed of 98mph to complement the aforementioned 12.1 second 0-62mph time, and 366Nm of torque at 300rpm.
But where you could really be left wanting is from the EQV’s range, as its quoted WLTP range is just 211 miles from a 90kWh battery, though real-world driving could put a dent as hefty as 50 miles in that depending on the conditions. Yes, it’s an EV, but for an opulent people carrier in which you feel you could cover continents, that’s a feeble stat. The EQV’s energy efficiency rating will likely fall around 2.34 miles per kilowatt hour, and it’ll take roughly 45 minutes to charge from 10-80% when hooked up to a 110kW rapid public charger.
Before you buy (trims and rivals)
The EQV is in a bit of a class of its own as a luxury electric people carrier. There are other electric MPVs on the market like the Peugeot e-Traveller and the Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric that have an abundance of space in the cabin just like the EQV, but aren’t as luxurious nor as stylish as the latter.
However, the EQV’s virtues come at a hefty price, starting at £87,995 for a base-spec Sport model while a range-topping Sport Premium Plus EQV will set you back £96,070. Yes, you read that right. Just shy of a hundred grand… for a pimped-up electric van.
It may come loaded with tech, high quality materials and a classy cabin as standard, but such an amount of change will likely leave you feeling ponderous, contemplative and probably sweating as you hand it over.
Verdict
The EQV is no doubt an impressive bit of kit. Emissions-conscious private hire transport companies will take great pleasure in the knowledge that switching to electric needn’t mean forgoing a luxurious ambiance for their passengers. So long as the EQV is around, there will be a luxury electric MPV supplementing the market. However, though electric power may enhance the luxury experience in some ways with its smooth and quiet power delivery, frequent trips to the plug may also hinder it. Not to mention that price tag…