[Quattro44]

Paul Woodman and Tiff Needell compared the EQC and e-tron. In a surprising twist they don't pick either SUV as the winner.

Tiff says he'd rather have an I-Pace for lesser price and Paul picks the Honda e because the SUVs are too big for him.

 

[omegafiler]

Tiff definitely had more negative things to say about the Audi, as of the two, he favored the MB, and Paul went for Audi. But yeah, both would have gone with something different for their personal EV.

As usual, there were many valid points. Most of which is typically a non-issue for an actual owner as you'd eventually adapt to any design characteristics and even the most unintuitive interface would become familiar soon enough.

Obviously I went for Audi E-Tron, but the MB EQC EV isn't even available in the US quite yet. Although if it's anything like other MB's I've been in, the interior quality is surprisingly cheap. Not sure if it's just the ones actually built here or if most people are distracted by all of the shiny stuff. But push on any surface and there is so much loud plastic creaking. Rattles and squeaks are common. And the piano black, as though it weren't annoying enough, has got to be the most scratch-prone material I've ever seen.

I did consider the I-Pace, but there were way too many quality issues, not much of a selection to choose from, and what was in inventory was simply overpriced. Plus, I'm really not a fan of having so many separate check-box features as it makes it quite difficult to find one that has everything you're looking for.

 

[azlkk]

I haven't seen or sat in a EQC, but if it's based on a GLC then I would have to say that the Audi is on a whole different class level. I find our E-Tron's fit and finish, as well as features to be about 95% of our Merc E-class coupe at a slightly lower price even before the discounts.

And as for the I-Pace, I liked the performance but couldn't bond with the user interface or "superior" Jaguar quality and reliability.

 

[MauriceMonroe]

Obviously I went for Audi E-Tron, but the MB EQC EV isn't even available in the US quite yet. Although if it's anything like other MB's I've been in, the interior quality is surprisingly cheap.

Interior and exterior too. The fact that the EQC only has the adaptive suspension on the rear axle, unlike the full adaptive suspension of the eTron, kinda is a half-assed attempt by MB. One of the reasons I stopped considering the EQC when looking at potential luxury EV's to purchase. If they cheaped out on that (which it should be standard - front and rear adaptive suspension at the price point they are asking), I wonder what else they maybe cut corners on, and expect consumer to pay full price for.

 

[etronukowner]

"The fact that the EQC only has the adaptive suspension on the rear axle, unlike the full adaptive suspension of the eTron, kinda is a half-assed attempt by MB"

I hope the line " half-assed attempt by MB" was intended because its only "Half the car" > the rear.

 

[Quattro]

I did briefly considered the EQC while researching on which car to get. Read from a review that it has considerable body roll. On top of that the bland design and the generally cheap interior across MB line as omegafiler mentioned basically sealed the deal for me

 

[Lumas]

Thanks for the post Quattro44! Cool video. I have to agree. Seems when pros and cons are compared, range and drive equal out. Truly similar luxury EV options. But it really does come down to personal style and taste.

Just going to say it... MB's body styling/design just feels behind the times and a bit old fashioned on the EQC. Maybe even a bit gaudy for my taste. Where Audi (IMO) has always had that understated, "forward thinking" style. The EQC lost me when they exhibited the Burmester speaker coverings in the vid. And as for software user interface, I never liked MB's UI when I rented MB on work trips. Audi may not have the best software UI on the market, but since 2012, my judgement is that it's certainly has come a long way.

Woodman and Needell made such a stink about the "hole in the middle console." I admit, I didn't understand it when we first test drove the e-tron. And now coming up on a year after owning our e-tron, we feel like the center console design choices were done beautifully (for a utilitarian design). Just the other day, we were commenting on the fact that every inch of space in the center console was thoughtfully placed. And since I've always hated cup holders, beverages just seem to disappear in the center console when in use. So we may not love the center console, but we've grown quite fond of it.

I do wish that one-pedal driving was an option on the e-tron, but I get it. Audi may be trying to gradually ease petrol users into EVs. I know that if I went straight into one pedal driving, I don't think I would have found it as enjoyable.

 

[JNealCox]

I am impressed with how configurable the Etron is. Maybe in future versions they will include a Setting option that will allow you to select either "paddle shifters" or "one-pedal driving".

 

[GrahamS]

Yes I miss that. My other EV (iPace) comes very close to one-pedal with regen set to high.