E-version of the popular Mercedes’ GLB, it will have almost 420km of range on one charge and lose little practicality/space. Due in 2022 in Singapore

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UPDATE: September 2022 – We’ve driven the EQB 350 in Singapore, check out our review!

Munich, Germany  – Mercedes-Benz has revealed further details on its forthcoming small, electric seven-seat SUV, the EQB, which was first announced earlier this year. Its proper name is the Mercedes-EQ EQB, but that just sounds weird so we’ll stick to Mercedes-Benz EQB for now.

In essence, it’s a fully electric version of the brand’s very popular seven-seat SUV, the GLB, and boasts 400km of range. What really might hook Singapore consumers though, is a planned front-wheel drive version, presumably with less power/range and a smaller price tag, just as the GLB 180 is in Singapore.

Read our launch story on the GLB, our test drive review of the GLB 200 and GLB 35 AMG, and watch our video to find out why it’s been such a hit in Singapore.

Just as the GLB is the only seven-seat luxury SUV of its size – it’s still technically a segment down from the GLC/Q5/X3 midsize SUV class – so too will the EQB be.

Mercedes-Benz Singapore says the car is slatd for a 2022 launch, and it’ll be the third Mercedes-EQ SUV here: The EQC has already debuted here and we’ve tested it, while the slightly smaller electric SUV, the EQA, will launch in Singapore on September 15, 2021. 

We expect the EQB to cost at least S$200,000 with COE. If Mercedes plays it right though, like any BEV, it’s eligible for up to S$45,000 in subsidies – which is why BMW’s least expensive X3 is the electric iX3.

	Power / Torque	0-100km/h	Top speed	Efficiency	Range
EQB 300	225hp / 390Nm	8.0 seconds	160km/h	16.2kWh/100km	419km
EQB 350	288hp / 520Nm	6.2 second	160km/h	16.2kWh/100km	419km

Mercedes has announced two models, the EQB 300 and EQB 350. As mentioned both these cars are all-wheel drive ‘4Matic’ models with an electric motor on each axle, with both cars having the same 66.4kWh battery pack and quoted energy consumption, good for a WLTP range of 419km. The car’s maximum fast charge rate is 100kw, which gives 80 percent in just over half an hour. Regular AC charging should take around six hours.

As mentioned, there is a plan for a less expensive front-wheel drive only model, which will probably be the most popular version in Singapore eventually. Mercedes also says it has plans for a long-range model with a larger battery. 

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Going fully electric, the EQB sticks to a now familiar playbook: A lithium ion battery pack in the floor of the car, styling and cues unique to Mercedes-EQ. The latter includes lights that blend into the covered grille section, copper-coloured highlights, with a connected taillight-bar segment. 

Like the regular GLB, the car will have a standard Electric Art Line trim with 18-inch wheels, as well as a sportier AMG Line trim choice with larger 20-inch wheels and a more aggro body kit. Shown here is the limited Edition 1 model with the AMG kit. As usual, trim/line options that land in Singapore may be different. 

The interior looks largely the same with dual 10.25-inch screens, the central one is touch-equipped with MBUX, the latest infotainment system from Mercedes, which also features voice control. 

The GLB is offered in a five- or seven-seat option, though the latter is standard for Singapore, and the EQB should be no different. Mercedes seems to have done a great job with the packaging of the battery, which is located centrally under the floor, as the EQB matches the GLB in almost all dimensions, though there is a slight reduction in cargo space. 

For example, the boot space of the seven-seat model is 495-litres, expandable to 1,155-litres, compared to 570-1,680-litres on the GLB. The EQB keeps the GLB’s very useful second row, with fully adjustable backrest angles and are able to move fore and aft up to 140mm for better comfort and cargo flexibility.

Headroom has been reduced by around 20mm – for example front headroom drops from 1,069mm to 1,035mm, and the third-row can now accommodate persons of up to 1.65-metres tall, down from 1.68-metres in the GLB. But since the tall, boxy GLB already has very good headroom, as noted in our review, it shouldn’t be a huge problem. 

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