Mercedes-Benz EQV facelift unveiled, electric VAN.EA platform to debut in 2026

Mercedes-Benz has just given its people carriers – the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQV, V-Class, and the V-Class Marco Polo camper MPV a facelift. Alongside the luxury MPVs, the German carmaker’s commercial vans – the Mercedes-Benz Vito and eVito have been given an update as well.

In Malaysia, the Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer is offered in a single variant with a price tag of RM342,036 (OTR, without insurance). Compared to the Vito Tourer we currently have, the facelifted EQV sports a refreshed front fascia design with updated headlights and grille designs.

The grille is also fitted with an LED light band to enhance its looks. Its bumper has also been tweaked to look sportier than before, helping it blend into the overall design better.

Other standard exterior features fitted onto the Mercedes-Benz include the Adaptive Multibeam LED headlights with Highbeam Assist Plus. Round the back, the EQV facelift can be seen sporting a similar LED rear lights design, but with darkened contours.

It has also gotten a much larger rear window, which features a new chrome strip and Mercedes-Benz lettering just below it. The EQV facelift’s rear bumper has gotten a slightly sportier treatment too.

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As for alloy wheels choices, 17-, 18-, and 19-inch wheel sizes are available, alongside five new paint colours for customers to choose from. The alloys still feature a similar design motif as before, but now come with thicker spokes which should aid with the MPV’s aerodynamics.

The Malaysian-spec Mercedes-Benz Vito Tourer is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine, mated to the brand’s 9G-Tronic automatic transmission. This results in a total of 211 hp and 350 Nm of torque for the 10-seater MPV, which sports a 3-2-3 rear seat configuration.

Powering the Mercedes-Benz EQV, on the other hand, is a front-mounted electric motor, which makes 204 hp (metric) and 365 Nm torque. Thanks to a 100 kWh lithium-ion battery, the EQV is capable of reaching a rated top speed of 160 km/h.

When the Mercedes-Benz EQV runs out of juice, it can be charged at a rate of up to 11 kW of AC charging, which can juice up the EQV from flat to full in 10 hours. When faster charging is needed, the EQV can also support up to 110 kW of DC charging, which can charge the MPV from 10 to 80% in approximately 45 minutes.

Inside, the Mercedes-Benz EQV facelift features a much more modern interior design compared to the Malaysian-spec Vito Tourer. You now get two much more modern-looking 12.3-inch widescreen displays, which consist of a fully digital instrument panel and a touchscreen central display.

The facelifted EQV also sports a new-generation steering wheel design which comes with capacitive hands-off recognition and heated functions. At the centre, gone are the old central air vents design found in the outgoing model, replaced by slimmer and more elegant-looking ones, which are now positioned slightly lower to accommodate the new floating screen. The air conditioning controls are also completely redesigned, featuring a much more mature and cleaner design.

There is also dimmed rear lighting for nighttime driving, as well as a 64-colour ambient lighting system for a luxurious interior experience. Mercedes-Benz has included the electronic parking brake (EPB) as standard for all EQVs equipped with an automatic transmission.

At the rear, the Mercedes-Benz EQV comes with the electric Easy-pack tailgate, as well as the Tempmatic air conditioning system. And as a Mercedes-Benz model, the EQV gets the latest generation Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) system too.

Safety-wise, the Mercedes-Benz EQV is equipped with a myriad of safety features. This includes standard features such as attention assist, active brake assist with cross-traffic function, blind spot assist, active lane keeping assist, intelligent speed assist and park package, cruise control, as well as headlamp assist with rain sensor.

The German luxury people carrier is also equipped with the brand’s driving assistance package, which includes active distance assist distronic, active steering assist, and active speed limit assist. The parking package, on the other hand, comes with active parking assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and pedestrian emergency braking with drive-away assist.

Mercedes-Benz mentioned that it will be building its future people carriers and commercial vans using its EV-specific VAN.EA platform. The platform will be utilised for its models from 2026 onwards, which will include the next-gen EQV.

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