since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
THE joy of car ownership is often in the driving, whether it is an entry level model or a premium one. It is a decisive factor after acquiring the vehicle based on its looks, price, social features and product support in servicing and spare-parts.
Many have asked if owning a BEV (battery electric vehicle) would mean a step down in driving pleasure compared to the ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles; we have driven enough of the growing number of BEVs to determine that it isn’t so.
Granted an EV is a much heavier vehicle against an ICE counterpart but the suspension system is mostly well designed to handle the higher load to provide ride comfort and respectable driving dynamics. Moreover, with battery development going at breakneck speed to see lighter but more efficient units, suspension development would progress in tandem to maintain good dynamic performance.
We had the privilege of another BEV-ICE comparison recently when Mercedes-Benz Malaysia organised an SUV (sport utility vehicle) drive from the Klang Valley to Penang involving its wide range of models for both power options. It might be mostly highway driving but that would be relevant to many vehicle owners, especially BEV owners, in knowing how their respective vehicle perform on long drives and how to anticipate mileage range.
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is keeping the momentum going in its respective model range and that for the SUV segment has seen many new model variants being introduced this year. The latest is the EQE 500 SUV that is expected to capture the attention of the well-heeled. As it were, there is no shortage of demand for Mercedes-Benz BEV models as more buyers are hopping onto the electric power wagon.
The drive between the Klang Valley and Penang over two days followed the launch of two coupe models from the ICE SUV range; this being the GLC 300 Coupe and AMG GLE 53 Coupe in mid-November. Being imported models, these latest additions to the Mercedes SUV family command exclusivity that some wouldn’t mind paying a higher premium price for.
EQS 580 4MATIC
The Mercedes-Benz SUV drive saw a mix of ICE and BEV models; 16 vehicles in all and divided equally between the two power options. Our drive to Penang was in the EQS 580 4MATIC that easily holds its status as the flagship of the EQ SUV range. It easily has the body dimensions to rival the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire as well as the Kia Carnival. It runs on 22-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy rims shod with Cooper Crossrange 275/40 R22 tyres.
Introduced in October, the EQS 580 comes with a dual electric motor system and the power output is rated at 544PS and 858Nm. For electric power vehicles, the key note is the torque output as this is what many would feel on taking off. Torque output is immediate and the higher the torque, the quicker the initial acceleration.
Given that the EQS 580 has 858Nm that is ready to be unleashed at the touch of accelerator pedal, it was no surprise that it would accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds. It’s almost as quick as some sport cars and when you consider the vehicle weight of almost 2.9 tonnes, it’s actually breathtaking. Top speed is less dramatic at 210km/h but mostly academic for Malaysian highways.
When we got into the EQS 580, we noted that the lithium-ion battery was at 94 per cent capacity and that was good for a mileage of 474km, although the maximum mileage was stated as 498km. A quick mental calculation told us that this mileage should be good for the 330km plus drive to Penang. If fully charged, the EQS 580 has a maximum range of 615km, but it’s always recommended to charge the battery up to 80 per cent for longer battery life.
On getting in, there is this dazzling spread of dashboard screens or what Mercedes-Benz calls the MBUX Hyperscreen and that in the EQS 580 runs right across the entire dashboard.
The driver has the 12.3-inch digital instrument panel while the centre display screen is a whopping 17.7-inch unit. To complete the balance is the 12.3-inch screen for the front passenger. There is also a Head-up Display (HUD) for the driver that we found rather distracting on the road with the high-definition graphics carried over a sizeable area to distort traffic view.
As expected, with so much torque at our beck and call, the EQS 580 moved easily in urban traffic. There was no lack of forward momentum and we found out later on the highway, we could get moving very quickly when we eased on the accelerator. You would be hard put to feel its weighty status as the EQS 580 just picked and go at your whim and fancy. You could say it is ‘turbocharged’ on electric power!
The thing is that too much of a good thing also has its downside. Like an ICE vehicle, the harder you use the accelerator, the shorter the distance you could cover. There is a regenerative system to recover electrical energy for the battery when braking but that is something you do very little of on highway driving.
And like an ICE vehicle where the battery runs all the electronics on board, a BEV also does the same except that the battery that is driving all the electronics is also the same one that is powering you along. By the time we got to Gopeng, just before reaching Ipoh, our range was already halved to 214 kilometres.
We were supposed to meet up at a point to charge up if we so wish but the GPS information given didn’t quite take us there. After a bit of going round in circles and seeing the range fall further, we decided to continue driving to Penang, a distance of about 120km or so. We figured that with the 214km range available then, we should make it to our hotel in Georgetown if we drove more prudently.
Well, we were wrong. Or rather, we chose not to push our luck. Having experienced the same range anxiety in the EQC 400 during a drive to Kuantan earlier in the year, we pulled over to the Petronas fuel stop at Juru where there were two charging stations. By then, the range was down to 40km (maximum range was close to 70km) and the battery level was slightly above 10 per cent.
We had another 20km plus to go in getting to the hotel but it was 5pm then and we weren’t too sure if the EQS 580 could cover the distance, creeping along in peak hour traffic. We probably could but then we decided to pre-empt running out of electrical power by stopping to ‘fill up’.
The EQS 580 is every inch the ‘S-Class’ SUV it is intended to be. With its Electric Art equipment that includes Nappa leather upholstery and wood trims, the seven-seat EQS 580 would live grandly up to expectations. Folding the seats progressively (third row and second) would yield space of 800 to 2020 litres.
It also features an Airmatic air suspension that’s typical to the flagship models with continuously adjustable damping ADS+ as standard. At speeds of up to 80km/h, ground clearance could be raised by to 25mm. And there are the Comfort and Sport modes that would automatically lower the vehicle body by 10 and 15mm at above 110km/h to achieve better aerodynamic efficiency.
Needless to say, it also comes complete with a full range of safety and drive assistance systems in the Driving Assistance Package Plus as well as the Parking Package with 360-degree camera. Little wonder that this imported EQ 580 is priced at RM699,888 on the road without insurance.
GLC 300 4MATIC
The return drive was done in the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC; this was the CKD version that was introduced in mid-September. Carrying an attractive price of RM378,888 on the road without insurance, it is expected to add on to the more than 12,000 GLCs that were sold in Malaysia since it was introduced in 2016.
The CKD version is an AMG Line model and carries details to befit that description; AMG front apron with sporty air intakes and chrome trim element along with a ‘diffuser-look’ rear apron. It also comes with a Panoramic sliding sunroof that you merely wave at the control to open and shut!
Mercedes Malaysia says this is the sole variant that features the AMG Line interior that includes the Artico man-made leather upholstery and AMG sports pedals. Of course, the driver enjoys the nice feel of the Nappa leather-wrapped multifunction sports steering wheel. Proving all the respective information is the 12.3-inch high-resolution display screen and 11.9-inch central info display.
For a mid-range SUV model, the GLC 300 (which seats five people, including the driver) has a good luggage area of 620 litres. And the best part is the hands-free access to make loading and unloading of items hassle free. The Parking package with 360-degree camera is standard along with Active Parking Assist with Parktronic.
The 2.0-litre turbocharged engine is well endowed with an output of 190kW (258hp) at 5800rpm and 400Nm that peaks at 2000rpm and holds till 3200rpm. It’s a mild hybrid with an electric motor power-rated at 17kW (23hp) and 200Nm. Given its smaller body dimensions (1925kg) to provide good power-to-weight ratio, the GLC 300 does the 0-100km.h in a respectable 6.2 seconds and a 240km/h top speed for German autobahn driving.
When we took off from Penang, the GLC 300 came with a full tank that was good for almost 550 kilometres. With the 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic transmission, past experiences with Mercedes-Benz cars with such a transmission told us that mileage should be easily achieved, even with robust driving.
As a result of the nine-speed automatic transmission, the engine is hardly stressed while cruising on the highway. It was around 2000rpm or slightly lower at 110km/h and around 2500rpm when going at robust speeds. We had our fair share of traffic snarls and crawls along the way but hardly any rain unlike the day earlier with the EQS 580 when we ran into heavy rain for almost a third of the journey.
On reaching the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Puchong, the fuel level was at the half way mark and that was good for another 200 kilometres. Modern Mercedes-Benz cars are so frugal on fuel consumption unlike our W124 230E that we owned in the 2000s; it returned about 7.0km a litre at best on long distance runs against more than 10km a litre for the GLC 300.
The GLC 300 was right at home taking to fast sweepers as we could maintain more or less the same speed that we carried along the straight stretches. The ride was as firm as could be expected due to its autohahn breeding. The GLC 300 we drove ran on 285/40 R20 Continental EcoContact tyres that complemented the suspension system in dynamic performance, grip and stability.
Its body aerodynamics appeared to be well streamlined to reduce air turbulence at robust speeds. It was as quiet as the EQC 400 we drove to Kuantan earlier in the year and the only difference was the slight engine roar that could be heard in the GLC 300 when we put our foot down on the accelerator for some quick passing acceleration.
Battery or engine powered, the choice is yours. The strong initial acceleration that electric power provides is very addictive and we clearly enjoyed that with the EQS 580 despite its heavyweight status. BEVs are also noticeably quieter on highway drives with only mild road and wind noise that is hardly a bother although the GLC 300 didn’t fare too badly in offering a quiet ride too.
Range anxiety with BEVs could easily be overcome with good planning i.e. knowing where the charging stations are and allowing for time to ‘refill’. Going easy on the accelerator pedal would help some in covering the best distance possible, just like an engine-driven vehicle. With the luxury of choice in BEVs and engine-powered models in the Mercedes-Benz stable, picking the ‘right’ vehicle certainly isn’t an easy one.
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