My not so fledgling EV journey – Part 1

I’ve been wanting to write for the longest time. A lot has happened between whenever it was this blog was updated last and now. What comes to mind (of course I’m influenced by recency bias) was that I bought an EV back in January 2025. So here goes.

I’ve been having a look at the Mercedes-Benz E-Class for the longest time. Having researched on EVs and being fascinated with the technology, I was torn. The E-Class’ design appealed to me and duh, it’s a Mercedes-Benz. Obviously without the means to acquire both (at least not in one go) I had to decide. Since I’ve been ogling the Merc, I decided to give it a try. The EV can wait. If it’s meant to be I’ll buy it in future.

I went to the Jalan Ipoh Mercedes-Benz showroom in late 2024 intending to have a look at the E-Class. There were 2 models, the E200 and the E350e, the plug-in hybrid version. I wasn’t considering the E350e as it was out of my affordability range so I was left with the lower spec E200. When I looked at the spec that mattered I didn’t have my hopes up. 204 hp and 320 Nm of torque. I was then driving the VW Arteon R-Line with 280 hp and 350 Nm of torque. So you’d understand my apprehension towards the E200. But hey, it’s a Merc.

Predictably the test drive was disappointing. The car felt draggy on power delivery. Merc was stingy with legroom at the back too. Long limbed Haiqal wouldn’t appreciate it for sure. So that adventure came to an anti-climactic, abrupt stop. While I made my way out of the showroom, I saw the Mercedes-Benz EQE EV.

Then it struck me. Why not get a Merc and EV at the same time? Satisfy the beast in one go. Doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all. EV technology with Merc build quality. So I asked to test drive the EQE. Although this was not my first time driving an EV, I was pleasantly surprised at the power delivery. At 292 hp, it was smooth. I really didn’t need 550 hp like other EVs. The road tax alone will exceed RM1,000. The torque was 550 Nm to boot so that’s a big plus. To be absolutely fair, the software wasn’t the best and is miles away from Tesla, the standard bearer where software is concerned. But being a Merc, the comfort and build quality are top notch.

The decision to go ahead with the purchase was swift, which was strange because I was leaning towards Tesla considering the advanced software and scalability if I were to buy an EV. I guess the prospect of getting a Merc and an EV at the same time was too tempting.

I paid the booking for the car and went back to do a bit more research and came up with questions for the sales advisor, mostly technical ones. To her credit she made a proper effort to engage people within Mercedes-Benz to address my queries. Having said that I feel Mercedes-Benz Malaysia should have people who are properly well-versed with EV technology and the EQ models’ capabilities and specifications as some of my more detailed questions weren’t answered to my satisfaction. After a few days I went back to the showroom to explore the capabilities of the Merc software and entertainment system.

To keep the suspense (for who I don’t know. Don’t think I have that big of an audience) I’ll write more on this in Part 2. Till then!