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Mercedes-Benz EQC 4x4² Parties in the Wild With Portal Axles and “Lampspeakers”

While many people usually associate the German premium brand with absolute comfort and serenity first and foremost, the three-pointed star automaker has a habit of shining on quite a different variety of wheeled vehicles. You can have a Mercedes hauling tons of stuff, or you can have its AMG division enhance its performance characteristics to supercar level. Or, you could even have it engage in all sorts of rock crawling adventures. Now with an electric drive, as well.
Mercedes-Benz EQC 4x4² concept 29 photos
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
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For the time being, the EQC 4x4² will remain a concept. But we shouldn’t be surprised in the near future if the company starts offering off-road-prone versions of its upcoming electric models, possibly to the tune of one day rivaling with the legendary G-Wagen capabilities.

After all, the company clearly states the EQC 4x4² was developed on a “drivable technology platform,” the basis being the EQC 400 4MATIC. Sure, other than overall styling and the fully electric powertrain, the two vehicles have a rather completely different focus point.

This one-off has been created by a special team at Mercedes-Benz, supervised by Jürgen Eberle – the development engineer responsible previously for the equally crazy E 400 All-Terrain 4x4² the company created back in 2017. And, just like with the other 4x4² model from the brand, there’s deep emphasis on enhancing off-road capabilities.

Plain obvious modifications include the new ride height – which jumped from 140 to 293 mm (5.51 to 11.53 inches). Fun fact – it's 58 mm (2.28 in.) higher than a stock G-Class. As a direct consequence, fording depth has been increased to 40 cm (15.74 in.), while approach and departure angles now stand at 31.8 and 33 degrees front and back, respectively.

The automaker doesn’t even compare them directly to the standard EQC (they’re 20.6 / 20 degrees, for the record), and instead again references the G, which has the same value of 28 degrees for both. And, thanks to the use of multi-link portal axles, the suspension is actually employing the exact same mounting points as the regular EV.

Looking all serious and rather bland in the “matt metallic gun-metal grey car film,” the EQC 4x4² is saved in the looks department by the widebody-style black wheel arches and an interesting innovation. Mercedes’ team has come up with something they call “lampspeakers” - effectively turning the headlights into external speakers.

Still, we should cast aside any thoughts of wilderness parties – and not only because it’s a one-off project. The team is using the lampspeakers solely for the legally required EV external noise generator (Acoustic Vehicle Alert System, AVAS).

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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