EQB and Model Y test drives

This weekend I test-drove two cars that have been around in other markets for a while but which were only launched in Australia this month - a Mercedes EQB and a Tesla Model Y. On the road (after registration fees, taxes, stamp duty, etc), the EQB is about A$103,000 and the MY is about A$77,000. Both prices are for the basic 2WD models - the EQB 250 and the MY RWD (the MY Long Range isn't available here - it's basic or Performance).

I did the Model Y first. You may all remember that I really didn't like the Model 3. I understand why people like it, but it was not for me: I didn't like the driving position, and I didn't like the way the interior looked and felt.

I was test-driving the Model Y mostly to rule it out, just in case. Last time I did that was with a BMW X3: I didn't expect to like it, but I ended up buying one. Given that, I thought I should make sure that the Model Y was what I thought it was, and make sure I didn't like it.

I was wrong. I know it's just a taller Model 3, but it felt completely different. There's so much more headroom and so much more glass that the interior design and materials, even though they're basically the same, felt nice. I liked it. I liked the driving position. I could see the central screen much more easily than in the M3: I have no idea why. I loved how much light there was: I don't know what the deal is elsewhere, but here all MYs have glass rooves, and between that and the deep windows it felt really airy.

One of the reasons I want an SUV is that I'm driving the very old in-laws around a lot, and it would be hard for them to get in and out of a sedan. The rear of the MY was really excellent for this. It's very easy to get in and out: the seats are at a good height, and the doors open very wide. The other thing I really liked was how much space there was under the front seats. In most cars, even if you have good kneeroom in the back, there isn't enough footroom, but in this you could slide your feet right under the front seat and stretch out. That will make a huge difference to the kids or the in-laws on longer journeys.

The other thing about the SUV is that I do need a lot of luggage space. My wife does a lot of buying and selling of antiques and stuff. The M3 just would not have worked for me because of this. The boot (trunk) in the MY was enormous. There's a massive extra section under the false floor too. And a huge frunk.

I've read a lot about the ride being too stiff in the MY. It was firm, but it was not terrible, and the car I was testing was on optional 20" wheels. I drove it on some pretty crap roads, and it was OK. I'm going to go back and try to drive a car on 19s: I've heard the ride is better on them.

On the road, it was very quiet - the double glazing clearly makes a difference. (I haven't had double glazing on a car since my old CL600.) It was comfortable, and easy to place because visibility was so good. The lack of a 360-degree camera was a bit annoying when I was parking, but the sensors - the first I've ever seen with a reading in centimetres (inches in America, I assume) to the nearest obstacle - were good enough.

The M3 I tested last year was from the US. All MYs sold in Australia will be from Shanghai (as, I think, are most M3s now), so this was a Chinese one. I know there was the illusion I've mentioned of things looking better because of increased space and light, but there was more to it than that: it was noticeably better screwed together on the inside, and panel gaps were a lot straighter on the outside.

I still find the screen a bit bewildering, and I would much prefer proper switches and knobs for ventilation and entertainment. But I think I could probably get used to it, especially if I got an after-market HUD.

All in all, I was very impressed. The one potential issue is price-related. I really like a light-coloured interior. This costs an extra A$1900, which is fine. But the New South Wales Government gives an exemption from $3,000 stamp duty for purchases of EVs under a certain threshold. I think the $1900 interior option may take it over that threshold, which would then make it a five grand option, which is a bit much. I'll have to check.

Then we went to test the EQB.

I tested the EQB because I thought it was probably going to be what I wanted. I test drove the EQA last year and liked it, but it was too small. I thought the EQB would do the job nicely. I've had a lot of Mercs and I've always liked them. And the seven seats would be an advantage, given the whole two-kids-and-two-in-laws thing: it would be useful if six of us could travel together.

But.... I didn't really like it.

Don't get me wrong. It was fine. But it didn't feel all that special inside. The not-leather was a lot nicer than the not-leather in the Tesla. (Side note - when did the word "vegan" come to mean "not"?) The switches were more solid. (Also, there were switches.) Visibility was great, because it's basically a van with windows. But it didn't feel as light and cheerful inside as the Tesla. Getting into it didn't feel like as much of an occasion as in the Tesla.

The driving seat was comfortable (but adjustment was manual! In 2022! In a A$100,000+ car!). But the middle-row seats were hard and unsupportive: it felt like sitting on a garden bench. The middle-row seats were also too low, or the floor was too high: your knees were a long way above your hips. And the rear doors didn't open all that wide: I think the in-laws would find getting in and out quite hard.

The boot - with the third row of seats folded down - should be massive, because the car looks like a van. It's big, but nowhere near as big as the MY. There is no frunk: I have no idea why.

The screens were clear and easy to use, and I liked the switches. I liked having an instrument cluster in front of me (my opinion of what happened in the meetings where they decided not to install a driver's display in the Tesla also begins with "cluster", but I digress).

It was nice. But it was not nice enough. It definitely wasn't A$26,000 nicer than a Model Y. While the seven seats would be practical, as my wife said, 26 grand buys a lot of Uber trips for times all six of us go out together.

----

So the Merc is a hard no.

But the Model Y.... I don't know. I might.

If VAG were going to sell the Enyaq, ID.4 or Q4 E-tron here any time soon, I'd probably go for one of them. But they're almost certainly not coming in the next 12 months. If I were more likely to win the buyer-application lottery for the Ioniq 5 than I am to win the actual lottery, and if Hyundai allowed test drives of the Ioniq 5 in Australia, I'd seriously consider that. If the iX3 or eGV70 were a little cheaper, I'd consider them, but I just don't see the value proposition. If the BYD Sea Lion were closer to being ready, I'd consider waiting for it.

The Model Y has some shortcomings: I don't love the not-leather and I don't love the lack of switches or instruments. But it is fundamentally a very good car, and it's cheap. And the waiting list is only about four to six months.

So I may go over to the dark side. I'm going to have to have a good think.

 

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it!

What colour is it? I know it sounds like a silly question, but they do have some great colours: I particularly like the rose gold and the very dark blue.

 

That photo came out pretty spectacular. It looks like a motor-show shoot or something with the way the lighting flared. Wait, are you JJ Abrams?

Anyway, a beige interior is a fine choice. It'll be much lighter and more pleasant than the black.

 

There's someone down at the end of my road with an Urus. It might be good in a drag race, but this one is possibly the slowest way to get across Sydney.

We still have rather stricter marijuana laws than in Colorado. And this black Urus has "420" as its licence plate. I've seen it stopped by the police more than I've seen it moving along the road.