The Mercedes-Benz EQC is all new for the 2020 model year.
Pros Plush cabin, refined handling, costs less than some competitors.
Cons Some rivals offer quicker acceleration, shorter driving range than some competing models, infotainment system's touchpad comes with a learning curve.
Pros All-electric powertrain Familiar and handsome styling Impressive performance Spacious interior Customizable regen
Cons Is 200 miles enough range? May be too conservative for some Too late?
The first Mercedes-Benz EV is deliberately free of revolutionary tendencies, but for many of its SUV customers it could be an introduction to a new world of motoring.The first Mercedes-Benz fully electric vehicle (EV) to be sold in Australia has arrived. It's called the EQC and is targeted at the Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model X, and imminent Audi e-tron.
Pros Quiet, wafting driving experience Loaded with cabin tech Outstanding safety credentials Understated design a genuine point of difference
Cons Moderate driving range Back seats and boot nothing special Front suspension can get crashy Supply appears to be quite limited
Not only is the MX-30 an all-new model for Mazda, it marks the first time the Japanese automaker has experimented with an all-electric powertrain. It's similarly sized to the current CX-3 and the upcoming CX-30 crossovers, but borrows the MX nomenclature of the MX-5 Miata, giving us hope that it will be a performance-oriented option in the electric-SUV marketplace.
Another day, another electric vehicle. This time around it's from Mazda, and it blends all the hallmarks of a sporty city SUV with a fully-electric heart. The MX-30 debuts Mazda's pure-electric e-SkyActiv platform, along with a number of new interior technologies likely to filter through the rest of the Japanese brand's line-up in due course. The all-electric MX-30 is part of Mazda's plan to offer an e-SkyActiv (hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fully-electric) vehicle in each of its model lines by 2030. That includes everything from the Mazda 2 through to the dual-cab BT-50 replacement.
Mazda could have played it safe with this one but it didn't. Instead, it went bold. Rugged, in fact. All the more impressive is the fact that the all-new 2021 Mazda MX-30 is the Japanese automaker's first-ever all-electric vehicle. Going bold is something GM, for example, never would have done. Just look at the Chevrolet Bolt. The new MX-30, by contrast, has unique styling inside and out that may not be to everyone's liking. Mazda has been repositioning itself over the past few years as a more premium brand overall, and the MX-30's slightly more rugged look is not what everyone expected. But it also serves as the ideal gateway model for the brand as it takes its first step towards all-out electrification. The question is whether the MX-30 can successfully challenge the likes of the popular Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, and even the upcoming BMW iX3.
