[AKP]

Hi there,

I am trying to decide between two models of the EQC. The dealership has allocated a EQC 400 4MATIC 2021 (which pre-dates the 4MATIC Sport) but has also found an EQC400 4MATIC Sport 2022 version we can buy.

We are trying to decide which car to buy.

From what I can see, these are the key differences between the two cars:

2021 car (inclusions)

• Climatised front seats
• MBUX Augmented Reality for navigation
• MBUX High
• Burmester Surround Sound
• Remote Services Plus
• Charge Cable - Domestic Charging 8m
• Wireless Charging for Mobile Devices
• Safety vests for driver and passengers
• Technical Modifications
• AEJ 20/2 (not sure what this is)

2022 car (inclusions)

• Heated front seats
• MBUX Multimedia System
• Midline sound system
• Aluminium running boards
• Remote and Extended charging services Plus
• Model Year
• Fluorescent vest for driver

I understand that the 2021 car has more features and a higher specification than the 2022 car, but the 2022 has the Sport badge and I'm concerned about resale value.

Can anyone assist on which car would be better to buy? And why?

 

[Parkwood]

The running boards would be the no no for me. i had an EQC as a test drive for a couple of days and after the first couple of times of getting in and out of the car I decided I would not be ordering them ( here in France they are a standalone option on the only line available). I am 163cm tall my partner 168 and we both found we could not step out or in without hitting our calves on the wretched things. so bruising likely but given I live in west France which is damp on occasions🤣 mud all over clothing. Many reviewers also complained about them. If you are tall and long legged they maybe less of an issue.

 

[AKP]

Thanks. My preference was also no running boards, but I’m being swayed by the fact this car is a 2022 model and a SPORT over just the EQC400 4MATIC in the 2021 model.

 

[Parkwood]

We only have the AMG line here in France so not sure what the other diffs are. Burmester is good I would go for the best specked and O suspect maybe the higher specced maybe more sought after than just a badge name🤷‍♀️

 

[dBC]

Climatised seats - I had these forced on me by choice of car and have now grown to love them. I'm in SEQ and use them all the time. They significantly improve comfort on hot days.

MBUX Augmented Reality - I think mine was one of the last to be made with that feature before the great chip shortage. It's kinda' cute, but I sill prefer google maps so tend not to see it much.

MBUX High - from memory I think that's the gesture stuff. Lighting up the passenger area when you reach over there at night is really useful and classy. Likewise when you move your hand towards the centre screen it briefly adds some more touch screen options when it sees you coming. The other gesture stuff I tend not to bother with - like raising / lowering your hand to do various things. It also adds the ability to play videos but only while you're stationary.

Burmester Surround Sound is superb - "like being in the cinema" was a comment from a passenger on a recent roadtrip.

Wireless charging works great and is fast, but since I mostly plug my phone in for AndroidAuto (not available over Bluetooth) it's not super critical.

Running Boards - I too had read reports of bruised shins and didn't want them, but had them forced on me by choice of car. I'm 183cm tall and have never had any bruised shins or any other issue with them. They look great and they improve aerodynamics / range. When I see one without them, they look like they're missing something. I even ran into one EQC owner at a charging station who said he had them added later (at great expense) because he didn't like the nude look without them.

I shared your concerns about build date - but a year earlier. I held out for a 2021 build date rather than take one of their in stock 2020 builds. As it happens, I think I got lucky with my March 2021 build date. I think that was the last of the fully equipped ones before they started removing options due to chip shortages. Hard to predict whether in the long term, your resale will be penalised more by the year, or by the missing features.

 

[Dar]

Hi there. I understand Sport badge in Australia is a recent idea just to show, in a word, the car has extra equipment over the entry model. Since the 2021 seems to have more equipment, personally I would choose the car with genuinely more equipment not just a badge. In UK, "Sport" denotes the entry model by the way!

 

[AKP]

Climatised seats - I had these forced on me by choice of car and have now grown to love them. I'm in SEQ and use them all the time. They significantly improve comfort on hot days.

MBUX Augmented Reality - I think mine was one of the last to be made with that feature before the great chip shortage. It's kinda' cute, but I sill prefer google maps so tend not to see it much.

MBUX High - from memory I think that's the gesture stuff. Lighting up the passenger area when you reach over there at night is really useful and classy. Likewise when you move your hand towards the centre screen it briefly adds some more touch screen options when it sees you coming. The other gesture stuff I tend not to bother with - like raising / lowering your hand to do various things. It also adds the ability to play videos but only while you're stationary.

Burmester Surround Sound is superb - "like being in the cinema" was a comment from a passenger on a recent roadtrip.

Wireless charging works great and is fast, but since I mostly plug my phone in for AndroidAuto (not available over Bluetooth) it's not super critical.

Running Boards - I too had read reports of bruised shins and didn't want them, but had them forced on me by choice of car. I'm 183cm tall and have never had any bruised shins or any other issue with them. They look great and they improve aerodynamics / range. When I see one without them, they look like they're missing something. I even ran into one EQC owner at a charging station who said he had them added later (at great expense) because he didn't like the nude look without them.

I shared your concerns about build date - but a year earlier. I held out for a 2021 build date rather than take one of their in stock 2020 builds. As it happens, I think I got lucky with my March 2021 build date. I think that was the last of the fully equipped ones before they started removing options due to chip shortages. Hard to predict whether in the long term, your resale will be penalised more by the year, or by the missing features.

Interesting. I’m all about the technology in a car so these features are definitely of interest, but I still cannot work out if buying a 2021 model over a 2022 SPORT model is a disadvantaging factor or it won’t matter in the long run.

 

[AKP]

Hi there. I understand Sport badge in Australia is a recent idea just to show, in a word, the car has extra equipment over the entry model. Since the 2021 seems to have more equipment, personally I would choose the car with genuinely more equipment not just a badge. In UK, "Sport" denotes the entry model by the way!

Hi, that’s correct. From what I understand, Mercedes’ introduced the SPORT version in the last 6-12 months in order to have an entry model. However all the cars produced before this introduction had the higher specification, especially some of the features you now can’t get with the chip shortage.

I’m keen to hear why you would choose the 2021 model over the 2022. Are the features in it that much better? Do you think they make a difference to the experience of the car? (I’m big on this point after having a Tesla and loving it’s features). And lastly, do you think choosing the 2021 model over the 2022 model (with the better badge) would affect resale value?

 

[Dar]

Are the features in it that much better?

They can be, depending on the individual; as an example, some luxury car buyers in a hot climate might only accept climatised seats option, as dBC has grown to love. In the future items that were once options might be standard, like wireless charging is a nicer experience for me and is standard in many recent model cars.

Do you think they make a difference to the experience of the car? (I’m big on this point after having a Tesla and loving it’s features).

They can; as an example, especially with frequent travel stops, I prefer not plugging in and out an awkward wire, so wireless charging makes for a much nicer experience personally. I also have a usb aftermarket dongle to connect to google maps, spotify, podcasts, custom apps, youtube and other apps on my phone wirelessly. This is a nice feature and gives more apps than Tesla's more integrated system. (Mercedes should focus on software development for other apps to securely integrate with their car more, using a web interface to be platform independent)

And lastly, do you think choosing the 2021 model over the 2022 model (with the better badge) would affect resale value?

Possibly 2021 might be a help as Parkwood suspects. Canny buyers will know that the 2020/2021 models were unusually high spec. The extra specs will help the car stand out too. And some buyers will only want cars with a higher spec item that they really liked in their previous car. And even with a financial hit, personally I would buy the car I want, not a car that other people (think they) want.