Mercedes-Benz EQA

The Mercedes-Benz EQA is the brands small electric SUV offering & like it’s larger sibling, the EQC, it’s based on an existing Mercedes model, in this case the GLA.

How much ?

The all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQA costs from £44,495 on-the-road for the entry-level EQA 250 Sport. 

Electric range, battery & charging

The EQA 250 we were testing, comes with a range of up to 263 miles (WLTP) from its 66.5 kWh battery. It features an 11 kW AC on-board charger & a 100 kW DC on-board charger & features a CCS-2 connector (Combined Charging System, compatible with AC & DC). You also get a five metre charging cable for domestic plug socket & a five metre charging cable for home wall box, we recommend Rolec; http://www.rolecserv.com/home-charging  & public charging stations. Customers benefit from a one year rapid charging package from IONITY & a 3 year subscription to Mercedes me Charge.

Battery & engine choices

There powertrains are offered, all with the same 66.5kWh battery. EQA 250 uses a single motor serving the front wheel & offers 190PS. The EQA 300 comes with AWD & uses two motors, so increases the power to 228PS. The EQA 350 also uses two motors & is AWD but comes with 292PS.

Design

The exterior & interior of the EQA is shared in the main, with with the GLA. To distinguish it from the ICE car, you get a gloss black panel at the front instead of a radiator grille & a full width LED light bar. There’s also a single light across the rear as well.

Interior

You’d be hard pressed to find a higher quality cabin than the one in the EQA. Finished in gloss black & silver, the dash is the standout. All of the surfaces you can see & this that you can’t are covered in top quality plastic with some soft touch surfaces complementing these. You also get the wonderful Mercedes-Benz dual screen across the dash & MB’s excellent twin 10″ digital display infotainment system. The five silver circular air vents carried over from the A Class are also a highlight. 

Infotainment

The central touchscreen display is intuitive & makes selecting the correct menu easy. There’s also a touchpad on the centre console, plus additional controls within the steering wheel, allowing you to select the menu you’re after without taking your eyes of the road. The highlight is the ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice-control feature, on Premium Plus models,  which allows passengers to adjust the cabin temperature, change the mood lighting or set the SatNav, without moving their hands.

Models, prices & Specs

Entry level Sport is followed by AMG Line, Premium & finally AMG Line Premium Plus. EQA 250 Sport models come as standard with cruise control, a Mirror package, a Parking package with reversing camera, LED headlights with Adaptive High beam Assist, a Seat Comfort package with electro pneumatic four-way lumbar support for front seats, which are also heated. You also get  THERMOTRONIC automatic climate control, 18″ alloys, smartphone integration including Android Auto & Apple CarPlay & ambient lighting with a choice of 64 colours. 

AMG from £45,995, adds AMG Line body styling, 20″ alloys, sports seats in ARTICO man-made leather & DINAMICA microfibre, door sills illuminated with ‘EQA’ lettering,  galvanised shift paddles, aluminium trim, pedals & ‘AMG’ floor mats.

Premium trim adds £3000 to the costs & features 19″ AMG five twin spoke alloys,  an electric panoramic sunroof, a Keyless-Go Comfort package, wireless charging & an advanced sound system. 

Range-topping Premium Line Plus costs from £51,995 & further increases the goodies with a Parking package & 360° camera, electrically adjustable damping suspension with speed-sensitive steering, a Burmester Surround Sound System, electrically adjustable front seats with memory function, a head-up display & MBUX Interior Assistant with gesture control.

Practicality

This is where the EQA loses out to model’s such the ID.3. & ID.4 which are built on a battery platform, rather than standard cars. The boot only offer’s 340 litres of space & the interior is cosy, rather than spacious. There’s really only room on board for four. However, the EQA offers a good sized glove box, under armrest storage, twin centre cup holders, spacious door pockets & in the rear, a fold down arrest complete with two pop-out drinks holders. You also get two bags to store your charging cables.

On the road

The EQA could be the quietest & smoothest small electric car we’ve driven. In town it glides along silently & on the motorway, with 375Nm’s of torque it will accelerate from 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds. Top speed is 99mph.

The battery weight gives the car a sturdy feel & it grips the road exceptionally well. If you throw it into a bend, there’s virtually no body roll & its most definitely one of the more engaging EV’s we’ve driven.

All models claim a range of 263 miles, but when we charged our 250 to full, the range displayed just 189 miles. You can utilise the cars regenerative braking & I guess utilising this will add about 20% more to this, so 220 miles seems about right. Talking of regen, it’s simple to use. By pulling on the steering wheel mounted paddles, you can select the strength of your regen, from the heaviest D- -, through D-, D & D+. Drive in D- – & you’ll conserve more battery energy. You also get four driving modes; Individual, Sport, Comfort or Eco. And again, stick to Eco & the battery will last longer.

Pros

Beautifully built, incredibly comfortable, very well equipped. It’s premium priced for a reason. You cannot compare the quality of the EQA to a Volkswagen ID. They are streets apart.

Cons

Expensive, battery range 20% lower than claimed, conventional looking & a little cramped in the cab.

 

Conclusion

What the EQA offers then is plenty of what Premium SUV customers expect; comfort, decent performance & above all quality. As an electric car it’s at home both in the city & on the motorway. Any existing Mercedes SUV customers would be very happy with an EQA. And, from a company car perspective, it’s definitely worth looking at. If you can live with the 220 mile range,  the 1% BIK means that an EQA can be had for as little as £8 per month. Bonkers !

A Kai Havertz 4.5/5

Model tested.