Turns out that the future is further away and out of reach than we care to admit. For the average person, the future is slaving away on stagnant wages that flat-lined 40-years ago. So who is able to afford the Mercedes EQC electric SUV which starts off at £65,000? The boss/company that you are working hard for. I am never going to afford a Mercedes EQC 4Matic for I am a poverty-stricken motoring journalist.

But I am going to tell you it’s brilliant and so will many other motoring journalists worth their weight in the low wages their professional opinions will convey to the greater public. Or at least that’s what their boss will instruct them to do.

Anyway, The Mercedes EQC 4Matic is the first fully-electric vehicle from Mercedes-Benz’s new EQ brand. It is powered by an 80 kWh lithium-ion battery which has a range of 259 miles (WLTP) and an output of 408 hp and 765 Nm of torque. It can travel from 0 to 62 mph in 5.1 seconds and has a top speed of 111 mph.

That’s all we need to say because everything you can get in the latest Mercedes (equipment and optional extras) will be shoehorned into the EQC.

EQC Sport, AMG Line, AMG Line Premium, AMG Line Premium Plus, EQC Edition 1 trims are offered at greater and greater expense. So much so that the top of the range EQC Edition 1886 will set you back £80k.

For all the technology and equipment stuffed into the entry-level Mercedes EQC 4Matic and beyond there is an “elephant in the room” optional extra that is missing. Self-driving technology.

In that regard Tesla is still way ahead of the game.

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