Mercedes EQC review: interior, dashboard & infotainment
The Mercedes EQC has a striking interior focused on an impressive infotainment system, plus generous standard equipment
The EQC is as comfortable to sit in as it is to drive. While the rose-gold coloured vents look a bit chintzy, the simple but otherwise classy looking dashboard feels like you’d expect it to in such an expensive car. It's suitably posh, not least the slightly overwhelmingly hi-tech infotainment touchscreen, which can also be controlled from a touchpad in the centre console.
The entry-level Sport model was dropped in 2022, with the range now comprising AMG Line, plus AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus. Keyless entry and go, LED headlights and a reversing camera are standard, which is unusually generous for Mercedes, although you’ll need to fork out an extra £4,000-odd and step up to AMG Line Premium spec to get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Mercedes EQC dashboard
The EQC’s dashboard is a striking-looking but minimalist affair that focuses on a huge single-piece screen running from behind the steering wheel to beyond the middle of the dashboard. It houses the touchscreen infotainment system, as well as the driver’s customisable digital readouts.
The rose-gold vents will perhaps be a bit too ‘Beckham’ for some, but otherwise the simple row of switches mounted on a gloss-black surround, and the way the central vents create a classy, architectural-looking overhang is very appealing. It all feels great and is easy to use – excepting the occasionally over-complicated infotainment system.
Equipment, options & accessories
Previously available in entry-level Sport spec, as of mid-2022 the Mercedes EQC comes only in fashionable AMG Line trim – with the option to upgrade to AMG Line Premium or AMG Line Premium Plus. This means standard equipment is pretty generous, with all cars getting 20-inch wheels, LED lights and that twin-screen infotainment system.
The EQC also comes with leather trim, heated and power-adjustable seats with adjustable lumbar support, a reversing camera, keyless entry and go, which is impressively well equipped by premium SUV standards. Prices start from just under £75,000 – around £7k more than the cheapest Audi Q8 e-tron, despite that car’s bigger battery and longer range.
Upgrading to AMG Line Premium will set you back an additional £4,645, bringing luxuries like larger 21-inch wheels, and a sliding electric sunroof, plus Merc’s Air Balance system, which not only filters the interior air but also adds a fragrance of your choice. Premium also adds the essential Smartphone Integration system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – a £299 option on the most basic cars.
AMG Line Premium Plus is another £2,250 and switches the silver wheels for black ones, plus 360-degree parking cameras, a head-up display, 12-way electrically-adjustable memory seats and gesture control for the infotainment system. These cars are pricey, but certainly aren’t lacking in high-end features or quality trim.
Infotainment, apps & sat nav
Its range might not be competitive anymore, but the EQC’s can still hold its own against newer rivals like the BMW iX and Audi Q8 e-tron when it comes to on-board tech. All EQCs get the huge 10.25-inch touchscreen and similarly-sized adjustable digital driver’s readout, plus a touchpad that's usefully more intuitive than that used by older Lexus models. We still found using the Merc's touchscreen easier, despite requiring a bit of a stretch to reach it, while the two small touchpads on the steering wheel are also a lot easier to use than they sound.
Every model gets sat nav, USB, Bluetooth, audio streaming and DAB radio.. If you step up to AMG Line Premium, you even get voice control of the system and a real-time camera-view of the road ahead, with arrows overlaid on the lanes or junctions for a clearer understanding of where you’re going.
All-in, it’s a seriously impressive system, but one that takes time to get used to given the sheer complexity of the features on offer. It’s also worth noting that the newer Mercedes EQE SUV now boasts the German maker’s flashier next-generation Hyperscreen setup; this makes the EQC’s arrangement feel a little old-fashioned in comparison. The EQE is a much more expensive car in the first place, however.
