#i just had to spent $200 on my car because they towed it without warning | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

platinumshawnn · 6 years

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don’t look | Jack Lowden

Request: If you need more requests, I’ve got an idea :) I just went to a European style Christmas Market that a friend of mine put on. And I think it would be way cute for a story of Jack and his girlfriend at a Xmas market together and it being all fluffy and romantic. And like, she sees a necklace or something she likes and Jack has to be all sneaky buying it for her so her present is ruined. That’s a lot of detail. I don’t know if you prefer more specific detailed requests, or more open ended ones. But that’s my idea, I’d love to read something like that. Do what you’d like with it :)

Word count: 2,033

@lexilulove

Jack loved Christmas for the most part and he usually looked forward to it every year as the months drew closer and closer to it. That being up until mid-November swung around and the Christmas panic went into full swing with the backed up traffic and congested malls of people who cut in front of him in line and had that rabid look in their eyes that suggested they were more than ready to pounce at any moment, unpredictable, ready to wrestle you over that last toy car that every kid under 12 wanted (yes, this was actually a thing -- he’d gotten shoved the year before just as he was reaching for the last weird electronic animal toy he’d been searching wide and far for for his niece’s sake and had spent the entire drive home grumbling and rubbing his elbow after knocking into a nearby shelf -- his girlfriend thought it was funny on the other hand, trying not to laugh too hard as she iced his elbow). Maybe he exaggerated a bit how bad it got whenever he returned from his outtings, as his girlfriend never failed to point it out four years in a row, but it just made everything stressful and he dreaded shopping. No matter how hard he tried to argue against (Y/N), trying to procrastinate, insisting, “Maybe if we just wait until Christmas Eve, it would be best -- you know, everything will be on sale. We can buy new lights for the tree and that little...google home thing you wanna get your parents will be on sale, it’ll save us some.”

She in turn had just quit reminding him that it would only be more stressful doing it all in one night the night before and he wouldn’t like it any better, as a lot of other people did the same thing, and everything would be picked through and their choices would be scarce; now just giving him warning looks that shut him up halfway through his sentence, sighing as she tossed him his scarf.

He had tried it again this year, but it didn’t work obviously as he was currently stuck in traffic on the main strip while pedestrians dove in between cars, fleeing bundled up blurs and each and every one of them drowning in shopping bags as they left malls; Jack had cursed and had to lean on his horn more times in twenty minutes than he ever had since getting his license and he was already annoyed and they hadn’t even gotten into the stores yet. It wasn’t going well already. His girlfriend though seemed unfazed by Jack’s road rage as she was looking at a piece of paper she had brought along with the names of those they were shopping for with ideas they had come up with together on what they figured they should get for each person -- the list felt like it went on for eternity and was way too long and some of the people on it he felt were unnecessary but again, when he mentioned that they could cut a few people off, he got the look again every time.

“You gotta turn left up here.” She piped up without even looking away from the list, thick glasses ridden down on her nose and being pushed up with one gloved finger. Jack glanced over and frowned, looking between her and the road.

“For what?”

She lifted her head for a minute, silent for a second and waiting to see if he would remember, but failed to click into it as he only raised an eyebrow, “The market. Remember? That’s where that hand made blanket your mom liked was.” She stated, her tone tired as this was the third time reminding him that day.

“Can’t we just go to the mall and get her a blanket from there?” He asked, trying to reason and avoid any other trips that would keep them out any longer than they had to be. “I mean they have tha’ lil’ quilt shop near the food court, I bet they’d have something like it there.”

“No, Jack, we already discussed this.” (Y/N) stated, looking down at their list again.

“Look, she won’t care, it would be quicker. Less traffic-” He suddenly slammed on the break, sending her jolting forward against her seat belt as he cursed, slamming on his horn again at a couple that ran in front of the car; not even looking back at the vehicle. “Fuck sake! Fuckin’ watch and open your goddamn eyes!” He snapped as if they could hear him, while the girl in the passengers seat let out a deep breath, hand retracting from the dashboard where it had flung to to catch herself. It was only then that he let off on the horn.

“Do you want me to drive home?” She asked, her voice soft and higher than usual. He turned his head to look at her and frowned, “I think I should drive home, yeah.”

“I’ll be fine, I’ll drive, these people just-.”

“I’ll drive home.” She stated, interrupting him and sitting back, unclenching the list from her fist. “I’m driving.” She repeated under her breath.

He had developed seasonal road rage too.

“Where’s that blanket again?” Jack asked from his girlfriend’s left as he stood back while she eyed one of the many tents that contained a variety of Christmas themed treats; his hands shoved in his pockets as he waited after she had insisted on checking it out for these cookies she had become obsessed with the year before. It took her a moment before she replied.

“It should be around the corner.” She stated, though her voice was distant, too focused on scanning the shelves with wide, desperate eyes. “Oh, there’s also this little antique toy shop I want to check out. They have this board game my sister and I played as kids and I figure her kids might like it...” She said, her hand reaching up to the top shelf as she let out an ‘oh’, spotting her desired snack but struggling to get it as her hand accidentally bumped it out of reach.

Before she could complain, Jack reached over her and grabbed it down for her, memories flooding back of her crying in the middle of a supermarket when she had done something similar just three months earlier -- a rough day at work and her hormones a little weird up due to being on her period, she had driven to the market without a word and teary eyed, sniffling and crying when she couldn’t reach. She had apologized two days later, embarrassed and her voice quiet.

She turned and smiled up at him, pecking his cheek, “Thank you.” He hummed in response, restless and wanting to get going already. She, though, was peppy and content, practically bouncing up to the register with her cookies in hand with him following in tow, probably scowling the entire time as she paid and gathered the bag with a ‘thanks, merry Christmas’ before she grabbed his hand and began to drag him along.

“Are you sure we can’t-.” He began to say but earning a snort.

“Not a chance, now shut up. We’re here already.” She said, leaning into his side as they walked, following a stream of shoppers that were all headed the same direction; feeling suddenly claustrophobic as he sharply inhaled and huffed.

She lead them, he followed and it felt like hours before she much less found the blanket and paid; all smiles and ‘merry Christmas’s as they went in and out of every booth, the blonde forcing small smiles from behind her with each time he was acknowledged, her hands filled with bags of things they hadn’t even come for by the time they were on the way out. He just wanted to leave and yes, he was being difficult and grumpy, but he just wanted to go home and spend the rest of the day in bed, with hot chocolate and snuggling (as she had promised, as long as he went) while watching Christmas movies -- he’d been elbowed more than enough times and ran into, had his feet stepped on, he was just tired and had quit complaining almost an hour ago because it obviously wasn’t getting him home any faster.

They were just about out the door when she let out an “oh!” and stopped abruptly, inwardly groaning as he slowly spun to look to where she was leaning over a jewelry case, eyes wide. “What?” He sighed.

She remained quiet and had set a couple bags down, taking her right glove off with her teeth before her fingers gently brushed the case with her fingertips, in a trance. He came up behind her and stood on her right, looking over her shoulder at a gold necklace that had a small dove on the end of it, glistening and beautiful as he looked over at her while she focused so intently on it. “It looks like that necklace my grandma gave me when I was seventeen,” She murmured, still looking at her as she spoke and took the mitt from her hand.

“The one you lost, right? The one you used to always wear it when we met, didn’t you?” He asked for confirmation.

“Yeah...” She nodded, inhaling deeply. “That one. My grandpa got it for her before he left for war, she absolutely loved it.”

He stood upright and let her be, allowing her a moment and glancing up when the shop owner slowly came over to eye her; noticing she was evidently eyeing something and eager to try and sell her into buying the necklace. The shopkeeper, an middle aged man, looked to Jack and exchanged a smile. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” He asked, looking at Jack and the girl who snapped out of her trance and looked up, glancing at her boyfriend before she smiled slightly.

“It is, yeah.” She agreed.

He raised his eyebrows and nodded at it, “Were you looking to buy it?” He questioned, waiting as she stuttered and began to shake her head, letting out a soft laugh and back up a bit. “I’m willing to give you it for 120, usually 200 but...it’s clearly sort of special, huh?” He bargained, smiling slightly.

“Oh no, no...we...should get going. We already got more than we needed.” And even with her words, it was obvious in her eyes that she was really considering it; tempted and deflated as she forced a small smile. “Thank you though. Jack?” She said, nodding and shoving the glove in her pocket and picking up her bags again while turning to leave. Jack hesitated, glancing back at the case as she stopped just outside the doors.

“I’m just gonna go- pee, you can head back to the car. I’ll be right out.” He stuttered, taking the keys from his pocket and passing them to her after taking a few steps towards her and pressing a kiss to her cheek. She was reluctant and evidently not believing him much as she gave him a weird look, but regardless, she nodded.

He waited until she began to leave and was out of sight that he turned to the shopkeeper who still hung nearby, waiting for him as he obviously knew his plan, smiling at the blonde. “You-.” He began to say just as Jack looked at him and nodded.

“I’ll take it.”

She was back to staring at her list when he returned to the car, cramming the bag into his pocket as he jogged across the parking lot and just narrowly missed being hit by an approaching truck and being honked at. She didn’t even look up at the sound, only looking over when he got into the passengers seat, trying to completely hide the bag in his pocket from view as she glanced down at the bit that hung out. “What-.” She began to say but he cleared his throat.

“Hey now, don’t be nosy, don’t look.” He quietly commented, earning a crooked smile. “Focus, we got shopping to do. Are we ready to go?”

“Yeah,” She said, softly. “We’re good to go.”

#jack lowden imagine #jack lowden #dunkirk boys #dunkirk imagine #my writing

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steveramsdale · 5 years

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The “Rhymy Blog” Blog

The “ Rhymy Blog” Blog

This blog will contain an absolute first and a treat. You will hear Mairi’s voice. That’s right. You’ll have to hold on until the end, but you’ll get there. You could, of course, scroll right on down there now. I would, if I were you. You won’t know the context, but you won’t have to read the rest of blog. It’s another first as well because it’s a poem. Good things come to those who wait.

But first - I have some clearing up to do. Last week’s blog, as you know, was finished and published in a great hurry. You just don’t really know why. I will tell you. I had to go somewhere. I had to finish some business from Friday which I was unable to tell you about as it would be a long story and I had to go somewhere urgently. So, I will tell you about Friday (last Friday) today and then you’ll know why I had to go somewhere.

Fortunately, this week has been a typically, uneventful week. Therefore, having last week to tell you about means I can blog.

On Wednesday last week (I didn’t tell you about this, either, but it completes the story) we went, fairly early, to Sergili which is a huge car bazaar. There are new and old cars for sale but there are hundreds of car parts shops and stalls. We wanted to get ‘proper’ seat belts for the van. As we wandered around, my phone rang and it was Yuri, the master. He told me to come to his garage. When we arrived, he took us to the electrician and, it transpired, we could take the van. He told us there were one or two things to work on – such as the wipers only having one speed – but, after a visit to a wheel alignment place (this involved sitting in a mechanic’s workshop for about 45 minutes), we finally had the van.

When we drove away from there it was about time for some food. We went to the new shopping centre I told you about a few weeks ago. Mairi was not particularly impressed with the selection of shops but we had some nice noodles.

We then went to get new tyres. Following a recommendation, we went to a place which was on the way home, sort of. For a very reasonable price, we replaced all of the tyres and they put the best one on to the spare for us. And then, with one wrong turn, we went home.

Some of the guys at NBU – where we live – have be asking regularly about the van for all of the weeks it has been with Yuri, so, when I turned up at the gate, they were interested to have a closer look. We had to stop just inside the gate for an inspection. The security guard even wanted to drive up and down the road. We were finally home!

I had promised our friend who had helped us with the purchase and talking to Yuri, that we would take her out somewhere once it was all done, so we decided we would take a trip on Friday. With another colleague and friend, we decided we would drive to a city called Shymkent, just across the border in Kazakhstan. I spent Thursday doing a bit more tidying inside and then went to a car cleaning place down the road. They did a great job on the outside and took off another layer of dirt on the inside, in the front. So we were all set for the trip.

We picked up Viktoriya first, then went to fill the tank before picking up Kate. I had thought that this was the best order but I don’t think it was. However, we were then on the road, spirits were high and the chatter flowed. There seemed to be a set of red traffic lights every 50 metres but, before to long were reached the border. Just before the actual Uzbek border, there was a barrier across the road. I had to take my passport in to a little booth where a police man wrote my details in a log book. Then we went to the actual border. My passengers went to the border control for people on foot and then I was summoned there, too. So we all got through there with no problem. I then drove the car to the car-checking point. It turned out that I should not have gone to the other border control but that error was easily fixed. After about 15 minutes, my vehicle and its contents had been checked and we drove about 200 metres to the Kazakh border. A very similar process was followed here and, without any mistakes we were allowed in to Kazakhstan.

Finally it seemed that the actual road-trip could begin. We all settled for the 120km drive to the city. We soon reached a motorway with a pretty good surface and settled in to our cruising speed. However, here the fun ends! Without warning hot water suddenly shot out from under the dashboard and steam covered the windscreen. I could see enough to pull over to the hard shoulder and we all got out. Despite not be an expert; I knew that something was wrong. I thought that the radiator must have ‘broken’. We looked at the engine, which revealed nothing obvious. I took off the front grill to discover that the radiator was cold. This was very strange. None of us had any data connection. I tried calling Yuri who, coincidently I knew was in Kazakhstan, but he did not answer. After a few minutes, a young man stopped to see if we needed help. He was either a mechanic or he knew a lot about engines. He told us that the problem was with the heater. He disconnected the pipes and tried to seal them with the few resources available. Kate and Viktoriya were, obviously, the translator but they said he was not a fluent Russian speaker. He would not take any money but recommended that we should find somewhere for better repairs. We decided that turning around was the best option – I really wanted some sort of recovery vehicle but we had no way of contacting anybody. We had about three litres of water so we added this to the cooling system and set off looking for a chance to u-turn.

After a couple of km, we could and so headed back the way we had come. After a very short time we could all smell that we were over-heating and so I stopped again. We could see that water was still coming out of the pipes the man had disconnected. Soon a people-carrier stopped. The driver produced a tow-rope. He was clearly a taxi driver with a full vehicle. His passengers complained so he left. Then two more men stopped and also had a good look at everything, both leaning over the engine with lit cigarettes in their mouths and the engine running. They could offer no further help other than about three litres of water and the empty bottle. While they were there, the taxi driver came back but soon left again. This whole thing was getting frustrating. We could see buildings not to far away so we decided to drive there slowly and get water and to then drive/wait/refill with water/repeat back to the border or to find more help in that process. This is what we did. We had to change money as we had no tengi, we bought some water and got some tap water. So, with the water tank filled again, we set off.

After another 5km or so, we stopped at a road-side café. There were some sinks outside the toilets so we refilled the water bottles. We also decided we should eat as it was past lunchtime anyway, we needed to let the engine cool and we didn’t know if we would get the chance again. I don’t really have time to tell you that I ordered plov. Will the other finished eating, I went to refill the water and I tried to improve the seal on the pipe I could see hanging down. I was not very successful.

We made one more water stop and then were able to reach the border. Every time we stopped, somebody would point to the water leaking from under the front of the van. At the border I chatted to some men who were very interested in it. We were told we could go through the Kazakh border. Kate and Viktoriya had gone to a little bazaar next to the gates and we could not contact them but decided they would realise where we had gone and we would see them at some point, so we drove to the gate and were aloud through. It did not take too long to get through the Kazakh side again. The foot passengers again went their way and I went to the same man who had let me in. At the check point the man asked for a document I didn’t have. He said I should have been given it on entry. He took me back in and the matter was discussed. It seems that they decided that as I had not been given it they would not bother about it!

All was going well. Re-united, again we drove towards the Uzbek border, 200 metres or so away. We joined a queue of around 20 vehicles. Kate and Viktoriya came to the van and we recommended that they walk across the border and get a taxi the 15km back to Tashkent. They insisted that they would stay with us in case we needed translation and because we were in this together. I wonder if they regretted that decision at any point! There were two line of vehicles – cars on the left and trucks and lorries on the right. They were alternating who was let through but the process, it emerged, was unbelievably slow. They were letting three cars at a time through the gate or three or four lorries. The gates would then shut for 40 – 60 minutes. I counted that we were the twelfth car at one point. A number of times we told our friends that they could/should go but they would not. I even said that Mairi should go with them, she absolutely would not. And so the wait continued. Three cars – a void. Some trucks. A void. Three cars. There was a woman selling somca car to car. There were people climbing through the fence separating the two sides of the road. The road was a bridge. One young woman walking across threw some rubbish – food wrapping – in to the river. Another young woman was waiting on the bridge. A young man joined her with shopping bags. She opened the packaging on some bed sheets and looked at them. An older woman (the mother of one over them) joined them. The young woman put the bedding in her bag and the older woman threw the packaging in to the river.

After about four hours, we were in the ‘next three cars’ group. There had been a little drama when a people carrier that had been in the lorry lane arrived at the front of that line. People objected. He was sent to the back. This will have added another three or four hours to his day!

Finally, the gate opened. Car one went through. Car two went through. I drove – car three – the guard held up his hand, stopped me and closed the gate. I was a little disappointed. I even went to argue with him! He would not look at or speak to me.

We waited again. Of course, the gate eventually opened and we again joined a queue. This time we were not leaving Uzbekistan but entering. So the bureaucracy was turned up to ‘Soviet’ on the bureaucracy meter. I had to go from window to window to show passports, get pieces of paper, take the paper to another window to get it stamped, go to a different room to get the next piece of paper for someone else to look at and stamp and finally go back to the original window for everything to be looked at again. There was a form to be filled in, of course. All of this was done with Uzbek men who have never heard of ‘a queue’ and push, reach over and generally try to get in front of everybody else. At last it was time to check the car. This was done fairly quickly (if taken apart from the entire process). We could load up and drive back in to the country. Of course, the man at the last gate asked to see our passports. May be he didn’t know what all the other people working there were doing!

If you cast your mind back to our arrival at the border in the morning (it was now almost mid-night), you will remember the road block and the little hut. We again pulled up there. A car was coming through the other way. It went passed and the police man closed the gate. He then looked at me, expecting me to get out with my passport. I am not sure how my expression looked to him - I did not feel pleased – but he opened the gate again and waved me through!

At the first likely-looking spot I stopped. I was not happy about leaving the van and suggested I sleep there and sort things out in the morning. Mairi would not hear of this. We summoned a taxi and all headed back to Tashkent.

This brings us to last Saturday morning and the unfinished blog. I woke up early and got a taxi back to the van. I had got a rescue service number and arranged to be rescued home. This was fairly easy – sending a map of my location using my phone. During this process I though I had lost my passport, to put the hat on the whole thing. I had not. I had handed it to Mairi after one of the 400 people who needed to see it had looked at it.

On Sunday, the same recovery vehicle picked me up and took me back to Yuri who, after much looking and chuntering and testing decided that I may have damaged the head or head gasket. A fairly big job. So, I am again with out a vehicle. I bought the van in January, I have driven it fewer than 10 times and have yet to drive myself to work! The 5,000-mile drive home looks like a trip to Mars at the moment!

As I told you, this actual blog week we largely uneventful. One important thing that happened was a plov lesson. Another lovely friend and colleague took us to Chorsu bazaar. Mairi wanted to buy an Uzbek jacket and knew we could get a better deal with a local friend helping negotiate. She also took to to all of the stalls we needed to visit to buy plov ingredients. She then brought us home and showed me her family plov recipe. We then ate the meal, together, with bread and salad. That cheered me up no end after my murder of the van.

I have to include one ‘funny thing kids say’ feature before you hear from Mairi. Like lots of schools, this year we introduced a ‘Lockdown’ procedure. This is a drill for if there is an intruder. We all have to go in to a room, lock the door and hide. We have had two practices. On Thursday, one of my girls asked if we would be having another Lockdown drill. I said that I didn’t know, teachers were not always told if there would be a drill so it seemed like the real thing. She went on to tell me that it was her “favourite” of the drills! I did not know students ranked the drills by preference.

So what is Mairi’s contribution? It’s a poem. This was written in the queue. I hope you enjoy it. let us know if you would like a regular poetry section in the blog. I don’t think it rhymes, the blog title is misleading.

Bye for now.

At the border

Time has no meaning

It goes at its own pace

Which Is Slow

At the border

Pedestrians move in minutes

And vehicles in hours

Endlessssssssssss...........

Hoursssssssssssss..........

At the border

Reality isn’t

Hope is dashed

Home seems

A long forgotten promise

At the border

The men in green

Hold all the power

And we

Can do nothing

But wait........

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eddiejpoplar · 5 years

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REVIEW: Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 – From Las Vegas To Red Rock Canyon

Article and review by InsideEVs

Cruising down the strip in Las Vegas in the Mercedes EQC 400, it’s very possible to completely forget you’re in an electric car. The lights, outside music and inevitable slow crawl in Vegas strip traffic can remove some of the most enjoyable features of driving electric; that being the instant torque of the electric motor, the quiet cabin and smooth vibration-less acceleration.

So I was definitely pleased when Mercedes informed me we’d be leaving the lights and action of the Vegas strip, and venturing out to Red Rock Canyon for my EQC ride-along. Better yet, we were leaving before dawn, therefore, cruising around the winding canyon roads just as the sun rose.

Yes, I said ride-along, as Mercedes isn’t allowing any EQC press drives just yet, the sole exception being Jay Leno last week, but hey, he is Jay Leno. Luckily though, the driver was Mercedes engineer, Bastian Schult, who knows how to drive, and was more than willing to prove that. When urged, he even pushed the EQC to the point of slightly drifting around a few of the tight curves the canyon provided.

Perhaps aided by the morning dew on the road, but yes, you can drift in an EQC. In hindsight, I really wish I had a drone recording us as we carved up the winding roads of Red Rock at dawn. Schult was enjoying himself a little too much for the other Mercedes representative sitting in the back seat, who, more than once had to say, “OK, that’s enough of that,” before Schult eased off the accelerator and slowed down.

What was learned

Not a dedicated EV platform

The EQC is not a dedicated-platform EV. It shares many components with the C-Class and GLC line. It’s going to be manufactured on the same line as the C-Class and GLC in Daimler’s plant in Bremen, Germany. Mercedes told us that by sharing the production line and components, they could easilly increase or decrease EQC production as needed to meet market demand. Europe will be first to get the EQC, with the launch planned for June 2019. The US will have to wait 7 or 8 months longer, until early 2020.

We believe the fact that the EQC doesn’t have a dedicated platform is the reason why there isn’t any storage space under the hood, and also probably part of the reason why the EQC weighs in at a porky 5,346 lbs. We were also told that the next few vehicles coming from the EQ line will be larger than the EQC, and have dedicated platforms, and be made at Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant. In all, there will be 10 all-electric vehicles from Mercedes by 2022.

Range

As for range, Mercedes has been quoting 400 km, which is based on the European WLTP range test. Shult has been driving the EQC for a while now, and knows exctly what it’s capable of. He told us of a recent trip when they drove the vehicle (normal driving not hypermiling) 228 miles and had 7% battery left. He added that we’d have to wait for the official EPA range rating, but that he expects it to be about 220 miles. That seems about right if you do the math based on the 400 km WLTP rating (by the way, the “400” in the EQC 400 name, is based on the 400 km WLTP rating). On other EVs, we’ve noted that the EPA rating has been roughly 10% – 15% lower than the WLTP, and 220 is 12% lower than the 249 mi (400 km) the EQC was rated. For what it’s worth, the car estimated that it had 230 miles of range when we started out in the morning, fully charged.

Charging

The EQC is equipped with a 32-amp onboard charger, good for AC charging up to 7.4 kW. The car will come with a 120-volt portable EVSE in the US, and Mercedes will offer Level 2 charging options for purchase. As for DC Fast charging, the EQC will accept up to 110 kW, allowing the vehicle to charge from 10% to 80% in about 40 minutes. I asked why Mercedes didn’t match the Audi e-tron and provide 150 kW charging, and was told that they believe 110 kW works fine for the 80 kWh battery. If the battery was larger, then they would have possibly allowed a higher charging rate. It was further explained that Mercedes believes 10%-80% in 40 minutes is “quite good” for a 200+ mile EV in today’s market.

Driving Modes

There are four driving modes, plus an Individual customized setting. The four standard modes are: Comfort, Sport, Eco and Max Range. The car always defaults to Comfort upon startup. In Sport mode the car offers the most dynamic performance, with more power available off the line and more direct steering response. In Eco the car offers less power and is more efficient, and in Max Range, the vehicle will deliver the maximum possible range. Our Mercedes rep warned us that it’s not fun driving in Max Range, but it will get the driver most range available. Individual mode allows the driver to personalize certain driving characteristics to their liking.

Mercedes describes the driving modes as follows:

COMFORT: Default setting; accelerator pedal characteristic supports a comfortable driving style, but also automatically becomes more dynamic depending on the driving style.

ECO: Driving program focused on high efficiency and low consumption.

MAX RANGE: Intelligent driving program that can help the driver achieve the maximum possible range.

SPORT: Driving program focused on the best response for the highest driving performance.

INDIVIDUAL: Allows the driver to customize each individual parameter separately.

Regenerative Braking

The EQC has five different levels of regenerative braking. The most interesting is the default setting, called Auto. In this mode regenerative braking is constantly adjusting based on topography, traffic, stereo cameras, and radar data, to intelligently set the strength of regeneration. Mercedes believes most drivers will appreciate how well this mode works, and use it for the majority of their driving. For those who want stronger or weaker regeneration, there are paddles on the left and right side of the steering wheel, just like Hyundai has on the Kona Electric.

The left paddle strengthens the amount of regen, and the right one lessens it. One pull of the right paddle from the default Auto mode puts the car in “sailing” mode. We were told this is basically the same as freewheel coasting. The other extreme is One-Pedal mode which is activated by two pulls from the left paddle. In D mode the vehicle mimics a conventional ICE with an automatic transmission. Below is how Mercedes describes the 5 regenerative braking modes:

D Auto (recuperation via ECO Assist to suit the situation)

D + (coasting)

D (low recuperation)

D – (medium recuperation)

D – – (high recuperation). This makes one-pedal driving possible, because in most situations the recuperative deceleration is enough not to require operation of the brake pedal.

Performance & Quiet Cabin

The EQC has two asynchronous 150-kW motors that deliver a total of 408 hp and 564 lb-ft of torque. That’s good enough to propel the heavy EQC for 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds. As mentioned above, our driver really gave us a good idea of how well the electric crossover can perform when pushed, and it was definitely impressive. Hopefully, we’ll get the opportunity to drive an EQC ourselves closer to the European launch. Even though the two motors both produce 150 kW of power, they aren’t created equal. The motor in the front has only 5 windings, and is more efficient than the rear motor. The front motor will do most of the work by itself unless more power is needed. When that happens, the rear motor, that has 7 windings and is less efficient, is called upon to join in.

The cabin is extremely quiet, and is perhaps the quietest EV I’ve ever driven in, that says a lot. Mercedes spent a lot of time eliminating as much noise as possible, and it’s still not exactly where they want it to be. We were told this vehicle didn’t have the glass for the side windows that the production version will, which will be milimeters longer to close even the slightest gap that currently allows some outside noise in.

Battery & Thermal Management

The EQC has an 80 kWh battery, which we found out during the drive is the usable capacity, not the total. The pack, the power electronics and drive motors are all liquid-cooled, and the vehicle also employs a heat-pump.

The EQC is equipped with the latest generation of a lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery serving as the energy source for both electric motors. The battery consists of 384 cells and is located in the vehicle floor, between the two axles. The battery system is modular in design, consisting of two modules with 48 cells each and four with 72 cells each. The powerful high-voltage battery has a nominal voltage of approx. 350 V and a nominal capacity of approx. 218 Ah, for an energy content of 80 kWh (according to NEDC/WLTP).

The integral overall cooling concept of the EQC, consisting of a heat pump function and two electric PTC heater boosters, not only includes the power electronics, the electric motor and the rotor, but also the battery. The entire battery system is liquid-cooled. At low temperatures a battery heater ensures outstanding performance and efficiency. – Mercedes

Conclusion

There’s a lot to like about the EQC. Personally, I like the exterior design, and I really like the interior, for both comfort and user experience. The Mercedes MBUX infotainment system is easy to navigate and intuitive. The Voice controls didn’t work very well, but I was assured that was because this was a pre-production vehicle and not made for the US market, which caused some connectivity issues.

The EQC has plenty of power and performed surprisingly well for a heavy crossover. Ride quality is what you’d expect from a Mercedes, as bumps and road irregularities disappear without notice under the vehicle. However, when called upon, the EQC can handle corners at speeds that most owners will never push it to. The cabin was exquisitely quiet and perhaps the quietest EV to date. There is plenty of cargo space behind the rear seats, (I forgot to confirm if the rear seats fold flat) and it can tow a respectable 3,968 lbs.

On the negative side, I think Mercedes dropped a ball on charging rates. In my opinion, large battery EVs like the EQC should have level 2 charging at 40-amps or 48-amps, like the Audi e-tron and Model 3, respectively. The 32-amp onboard charger will take about 11-12 hours to fully charge the EQC from empty. A 40-amp charger would cut that down to about 9 hours, and charging at 48-amps would be about 7.5 hours. However, the 110 kW DC fast rate is probably an even bigger fumble. Granted, there aren’t many cars that can charge at more than 110 kW today, but there will be in 2020 when the EQC launches in the US, and there will be quite a few charging stations that can deliver 150+ kW, courtesy of Electrify America.

While other manufacturers quoting DC fast recharging times often say, “Up to 80% in 30 minute,” Mercedes has to say “10-80% in 40 minutes.” We realize that might not be a big deal for many Mercedes buyers, especially those new to EVs. However, experienced EV owners understand how the extra 10 or 15 minute wait at a DC Fast charge station can be at the very least, annoying. The Audi e-tron, for example, is larger, has a bigger battery, can charge at 150 kW. Plus, the BMW iX3, another EQC competitor launching in 2020, will also support 150 kW charging. Mercedes should have offered the same 150 kW charge rate as the competition in our opinion.

That brings us to the price. Mercedes hasn’t yet announced pricing, so it’s difficult to really say how we feel about the EQC. If Mercedes can manage to keep the price at or under $75,000 we think it’s a good buy relative to the competition. The larger Audi e-tron lists at $79,500 and the smaller Jaguar I-Pace starts at $69,500. Both of which have larger batteries, but very similar ranges and standard features. Tesla dropping the Model X 75D was a belated Christmas present to Mercedes, as well as to Audi and Jaguar, because the least expensive Model X is now the 100D, which starts at $97,000.

That really opens up the market for the three European competitors (plus the BMW iX3 in 2020) to gain back some of the ground that Tesla had taken from them. Well, at least until the Model Y becomes available.

The article REVIEW: Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 – From Las Vegas To Red Rock Canyon appeared first on BMW BLOG

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