Mercedes has announced pricing and specifications for the all-electric EQC SUV. It will be the German firm’s first purely electric model, and will act as a rival for the Tesla Model X, Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron. The first limited edition EQCs will reach UK dealerships in July, followed by the launch of the wider range in late 2019, with prices starting from £65,640. The Mercedes EQC line-up comprises four trim levels and two special edition variants. The range opens with the EQC 400 4MATIC Sport, which comes as standard with 19-inch alloy wheels, active parking assist, a reversing camera and LED headlights. Inside, buyers get Mercedes’s latest MBUX infotainment system, customisable ambient lighting and heated front seats. • Mercedes EQC ride review The mid-range Mercedes EQC AMG Line starts at £67,635 and adds a set of 20-inch AMG alloy wheels, a reworked “twin-blade” radiator grille and a redesigned front bumper with chromed air intakes and black trim. Interior additions include a pair of leather-trimmed AMG sports seats and new running boards. 30 AMG Line Premium models start from £72,280 and come with an electric sliding roof, premium Burmester surround sound system, support for wireless smartphone charging and Mercedes’s “Energising” package, which claims to improve the driver’s well-being on long distance journeys by automatically adjusting the cabin’s temperature and lighting.

Range-topping AMG Line Premium Plus models get all the above equipment, as well as a head-up display, memory seats and a 360-degree camera. Mercedes’s MBUX interior assistant is also included, which adds voice and gesture control for both the driver and the front passenger. Prices start from £74,530. Mercedes will also produce a launch edition model of the EQC during its first year of production, called the Edition 1. Priced at £74,440, it’s based on the Sport trim level, but adds an electric sliding roof, Burmester sound system, wireless smartphone charger and Mercedes’s augmented-reality navigation, which overlays images from the car’s camera with direction arrows, street names and house numbers. 30 A limited-run variant called the Edition 1886 will be available from July, prior to the release of the EQC’s complete range. Limited to just 100 units, and priced at £79,260, it also adds a host of additional equipment to the base model EQC, with a 360-degree camera, memory seats, a head-up display and a set of 20-inch alloy wheels. Mercedes EQC: design and platform Revealed at this year's Paris Motor Show, the EQC is a 4.7-metre-long, five-seat SUV. It’s slightly lengthier than the I-Pace, but its wheelbase is around 11cm shorter than the Jag’s, at 2,873mm. The EQC does not get its own bespoke electric platform unlike many of its rivals. Instead, the EQC sits on a heavily modified version of the Mercedes GLC platform.

The design of the EQC is arguably more conventional than that of the Model X and the I-Pace, although there are still more than enough design touches to highlight its alternative powertrain. • Best SUVs on sale A grille has been kept at the front end, but it has a solid black section that runs between the headlight units, along the lower edge of the bumper. This panel also has a line of optical fibre at the top, which is designed to emit light, that joins the daytime running lights. The EQC’s side profile is similar to that of the firm’s current small family SUV, the GLC, especially around the C-pillar, and the slab-bladed alloy wheels are another hint at the car’s eco-focus. The rear end mixes some cues from recent conventional models, such as the A-Class, with a tail-light design that runs across the hatchback panel. The boot capacity of the EQC will be around 500 litres, or about 70 litres less than the Jaguar I-Pace’s. Mercedes also says the car can tow up to 1,800kg, which is 700kg less than the similarly-sized GLC. Mercedes EQC: performance and range The Mercedes EQC is powered by a pair of asynchronous electric motors (one for each axle), producing a combined output of 402bhp and 765Nm of torque. Power output stands at 402bhp and 765Nm of torque which, thanks to its four-wheel-drive system, is enough to give the 2,425kg SUV a 0–62 mph time of 5.1 seconds and a limited top speed of 112mph.