The driving experience is a good bit different, however - in the best way. Unless you park the gas and electric versions side by side, though, odds are good you'd guess they look the same. The biggest exterior difference is a slightly different front fascia that lacks a proper grille, since electric motors don't need to breathe, and packs smaller headlights and a blacked-out trim section to bring it more in line, visually, with Mercedes's other EQ electric models. The EQB, in turn, is almost identical to the GLB, apart from the powertrain under the hood (or, in this case, not). ![]() Pairing a boxy old-school SUV vibe with the ease of entry and drivability of a car-based unibody ride - the GLB and GLA are based on the same platform as the A-Class and CLA-Class sedans - the GLB is an easy sell for anyone who desires a Benz badge but doesn't want or need the size of a bigger SUV. In the first quarter of this year, it was the carmaker's fourth most-popular model, outselling all but the C-, GLE- and GLS-Classes. Since it arrived in 2019, the GLB-Class crossover has quickly proven one of the most popular vehicles in Mercedes's American portfolio. but then again, since when have Mercedes-Benzes been known for being cheap? It's admittedly on the pricey side for what it is. That design makes it roomier and utilitarian than you might expect for a vehicle of this size. What sets the EQB apart from many other EV SUVs is its conventional design rather than try to go futuristic or unusual, as many electric cars do, this crossover looks almost identical to a popular gas-powered model. The range is the biggest weakness in real world driving, it comes in around 200 miles, which could make life difficult for anyone who needs to make regular road trips. Mercedes-Benz's compact electric crossover packs a lot of what buyers want: a traditional sport-utility shape, but with easy-to-park-easy-to-drive dimensions, an un-truck-like ride, and of course, the smooth, torque-y and gas-free ride that comes with an electric powertrain. 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 350 4Matic: What We Think the latter of which I drove for several days in order to render judgement. ![]() ![]() ![]() In Mercedes-Benz's case, their entry is the EQB-Class, which comes in three forms: the rear-wheel-drive base model EQB 250+, the mid-range all-wheel-drive EQB 300 4Matic, and the top-shelf AWD EQB 350 4Matic. From Audi to Volvo, in recent years, smaller battery-powered SUVs have sprung up like zebra mussels on the hull of a Great Lakes cargo ship. And while as a car enthusiast, I'd certainly love to see every carmaker prioritize sleek, super-efficient electric family sedans like the Hyundai Ioniq 6, the fact remains that building right-sized EV crossovers will make a bigger splash, both in terms of environmental impact and sales success.Īnd that's not just the case in the mainstream segments that's true of luxury carmakers, too. Discount full-size trucks, and these rides are the best-selling passenger vehicles in the U.S.A. Sure, it plays to what the market wants, and it makes a difference in terms of helping the environment - in theory, every Ford F-150 Lightning sold means one less gas-guzzling F-Series on the road - but these big vehicles are still giant bricks being pushed through the air at high speeds, which means their efficiency will never equal other cars with less surface area and mass.īut there are other categories where new car buyers can't get enough of the products these days compact crossovers, for one. From an environmental standpoint - which, let's face it, is the reason carmakers around the world are slowly pushing internal combustion off the edge of the table in favor of electric mobility - building giant pickup trucks and sport-utes with enormous battery packs isn't exactly a game-winning home run.
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