Mercedes-Benz EQV review

The V-Class lends itself well to the electric life. The EQV isn’t a particularly sharp drive and acceleration is blunted, but in an EV you tend to lean towards eco driving anyway so that you can eke the most range out of your battery. Said battery is a 90kWh unit and Merc reckons on a WLTP range of 211 miles (or 213 miles if you go for the entry-level Sport trim).

Is it comfortable?

The EQV’s ride is soft and pillowy, providing a plush drive for passengers, which is useful given that most of these things will be used as airport transfer shuttles for posh hotels. But of course, that does come with a side dish of body roll and bounce, which means a tentative approach to corners and gingerly making your way across roundabouts. 

Surely it’s not that quick anyway?

You’d be correct with that statement. Thanks to 201bhp and 270lb ft of torque, the converted van will do 0–62mph in 12.1 seconds. Not exactly Porsche Taycan Turbo S speeds. Although to say that launches in this thing are unnecessary would be one of the understatements of the century.

But it’s not bad to drive? 

Not really given its inherent limitations. Paddles behind the steering wheel let you flick between four levels of regen, from pure coasting to nose prints on the steering wheel. When we originally drove the EQV we found that when the mechanical brakes were engaged (after the first portion of pedal travel, which is all regen) they were extremely snatchy, but it would seem as though Mercedes has fixed that particular problem – at least for cars in the UK.

Behind the wheel you can understand why people go for such high-riding beasts – you have an imperious view of the road ahead matched only by other van drivers. There are downsides to the size of the EQV though: it doesn’t really fit in normal parking spaces and you have to leave a load of space behind it to make sure the boot can open.

It can also be a bit of a squeeze getting in and out of multi-storey car parks. But then if you’re in this much need of a seven-seater then you’ve no doubt already made peace with your life choices.