The van plan! 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQV people mover launches in Australia as price and specs detailed

Mercedes-Benz Australia has launched the new EQV electric people mover, with the luxury van available to order from dealerships from today.

The newest member of the EQ family, the Mercedes-Benz EQV nwill effectively become the new V-Class though in just one variant, priced to start from $155,338 before on-road costs.

The EQV comes with a 90kWh battery providing a range of up to 418km on the strict WLTP cycle, and with its single front-mounted electric motor - the EQV is front-wheel drive - producing 150kW and 365Nm.

With DC charging up to 110kW, the EQV can be charged from 10 per cent to 80 per cent battery in as little as 45 minutes, while an 11kW AC charger, like the Mercedes-Benz Wallbox, charges the EQV from flat to full over the course of about 10 hours.

The EQV can be had as either a six-seater, with four individual armchairs in the rear, or a seven-seater with a third-row bench.

Luxury elements like its seating arrangement, electric sliding doors, as well as power-adjustable front seats with lumbar support and seat heating, and Mercedes’ Airmatic air suspension as standard all add to the level of comfort a luxury van should offer at a level above the likes of the Mercedes-Benz eVito, which is based on the Vito commercial van.

Up front, the Mercedes MBUX multimedia system is accessible through a 10.25-inch touchscreen, or by saying “hey, Mercedes”, while owners can also use the Mercedes app to operate features like pre-entry climate control and monitor charging progress.

The EQV has four drive modes to adjust deceleration and energy recuperation, ranging from ‘D’ (heaviest deceleration) to ‘D++’ (lightest deceleration) and ‘DAuto’ which uses radar to adjust deceleration based on traffic conditions.

The safety suite for the EQV includes a fairly extensive list of features such as autonomous emergency braking, active cruise control, a surround-view parking camera with guidelines as well as park assist, lane-keep assist, ‘Highbeam Assist Plus’, and even crosswind assist.

Mercedes also includes with the EQV a complimentary Chargefox subscription which supplies “unlimited charging at all Chargefox ultra-rapid stations and participating fast charging stations around Australia”.

The Mercedes-Benz EQV is covered by the brand’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for private use, or five years/250,000km for commercial use, with eight years or 160,000 km for the battery pack.