When it comes to handling, neither braking nor steering are remarkable enough to inspire any epic paeans or autocross imitations. They're simply standard-issue mid-lux CUV stuff. A few annoyances include the weird fisheye side mirrors that produce more of a funhouse effect at the edge than any extra usable visibility, a less-than-Herculean HVAC system, a piddling and non-adjustable 5.1 inches of ground clearance, and a Germanic insistence on following conventions that results in the one-pedal driving mode being named "D Minus Minus"—which, it should be noted, is too aggressive in its bite.

But the biggest warning sign might be my experience with charging. It was a cold spring day in Oslo, with pouring rain and temperatures hovering in the low 40s. I hopped into an EQC with about 50 percent battery and was instructed to make my way to a nearby public charger to test it out. Unfortunately, the 20-minute journey wasn't long enough for the battery's preconditioning system to heat up and reach a temperature sufficient for fast charging. I ended up plugged in for 30 minutes to go from 44 percent to 70-ish. It's physics, as Kelz says—and the car's Achilles heel in America, where EV buyers looking for convenient public charging above all would still be better served in a Tesla.

The Future Awaits

More than anything else, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC is a bridge to...somewhere. The working plan is to grow the EQ name and apply it to 10 all-electric models that are due out over the next decade—kind of like how Audi started with the original Audi Quattro and eventually broke out the nameplate to brand their entire all-wheel-drive lineup. But before we get there, Daimler is trying to avoid the logistical headaches encountered by companies like Tesla by training up their dealer techs and lining up parts availability for maintenance. Ideally, every Mercedes dealer in the U.S. will be certified to service the car by the time it rolls onto our shores next year.

That's the EQC in a nutshell: it's the future, but it's not futuristic. It's an electric car that you can get in and feel the secure backing of over a century of engineering experience. In many ways, from its evolutionary design to its so-so range, the EQC is a small step for Mercedes. But if they really get it right, especially on the service side, it just might end up as one giant leap for electric cars.

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