Mercedes-EQ EQA 250 Tested: Much Needed Success
Mercedes-Benz, or to be correct: Mercedes-EQ hasn't been particularly present or successful in the EV arms race. Where Audi and BMW are making quick progress, the Stuttgart-based brand needs their EQA to succeed in order not to fall further behind. So did they succeed in making a premium small-sized crossover EV?
Let's shine a little light on the big German three here before we start this review. Let's begin with BMW: they seemed to be well ahead of the others back when they launched their i3 in 2013. After that car things became terribly quiet for years, only to pick up momentum this year with their iX3, iX, and i4 even. Audi launched the e-Tron Quattro in 2018, a sales hit ever since it hit the market, their fast charging technologies made them the king of the hill. After that car, there were years of calm until their e-Tron GT and e-Tron Q4 (an ID.4 rebranded and partly redeveloped) were announced. Since 2019 Mercedes-Benz only had their EQC 400 (I'm deliberately leaving out the electric SLS here) with little technological advantage to take part in this battle for EV dominance. But it seems that they're finally picking up momentum this year. There's a new naming strategy (something the other two haven't managed), the EQC has been updated to bring it closer to what Audi and their fast charging can do, and there's plenty of models lining up ready to hit the road or be launched. And that's where the car of this review comes into play: the Mercedes-EQ EQA 250 is the first EQ model after the EQC. But it's just the first of many, with the EQS and EQB hitting the road soon, and four other EVs that are nearing the end of development. Mercedes-EQ is about to launch a massive offensive and their second round fired is actually a car you might already know. To be correct and not upset the people from Stuttgart: it shares its platform with the GLA, yet most parts have been redeveloped.
Heavyweight
As the EQA is essentially a GLA, the dimensions haven't altered. Nor has the usability of the cabin, nor has the overall build quality. All these things are as premium as one is used to for Mercedes derivatives. But does it still add up if you stick a 79.8 kWh battery underneath it (66.5 useable for range), and slap a 190 hp, 370 Nm electric engine onto the front axle? Well, the fact that the sum now adds up to be the heaviest of all siblings doesn't help there. Now weighing in at 2 metric tonnes, the EQA 250 needed a lot of love from mechanics to make it handle correctly. And I can tell you that they most certainly managed to keep it at a premium level, despite all that torque working on the front wheels despite that weight pushing about. More on that later, as I'm not done with the fact train just yet.
With petrol and diesel-powered cars, the world was easier, as sketching a general image of a car was done with a few details. Common folk and petrol head would nod and that was it. With EVs, a lot more comes into play when want to draw the outline. Charge speed, battery capacity, they don't sketch an image in the mind all too easily just yet. So when I say that CCS charging speed runs from 10% to 60% at 100 kW and then gradually drops during the last 40 percent, most people stare at me in confusion. Telling them you can charge 150 kilometers in 15 minutes does work a bit better. Tell them they can get between 300 and 400 km on a charge in the EQA and they start nodding. Communicating key features of EVs isn't something brands have mastered just yet, nor have I. But the EQA 250 can charge quick enough if needed and the battery is big enough to keep you charged for days during normal use. Got space for a wall box at home? The 11 kW charger speed will easily give you a full battery overnight.
So how does it all feel?
Like I said earlier, the Mercedes-EQ EQA 250 is basically a GLA. So unsurprisingly it feels the same in many ways. My test car was equipped with the AMG line inside and out, which makes quite the difference in terms of aesthetics and overall perception of value-for-money. Opted without, the EQA simply doesn't look as premium. What genuinely was a surprise is that the EQA is more practical than the EQC 400, having more space for passengers in the front and back. So with the 280 hp EQA 350 due soon, the EQC 400 should start to worry. Especially when you take the far lower consumption into consideration. In this car, I averaged around 8 kWh less per 100 kilometers than I did in the EQC. Overall I ended up at around 18 kWh/100 km in the baby EQ.
Driving the EQA 250 at city speeds adds to the premium feel of the whole. The cabin is immensely quiet, with nothing making too much noise. Not even the climate control did during the hot summer days I had the car. In the city, the adjustable recuperation levels, which are controlled by paddles on the wheel, work like charm and allow for one-pedal driving. There's even an automated level mode for recuperation, yet that didn't work as well as I hoped. It didn't respond it the indicator, so when you neared an interception it didn't start recuperating on its own. Driving the highway or 80 km/h roads is a bliss too, especially when aided by the driving system Mercedes offers in line with the rest of their gamma.
As Mercedes-EQ has kept many of the controls similar, the EQA 250 also has driving modes. Eco, Comfort, and Sport all work the same, yet now using EV ingredients. Eco gives the most range, Comfort is the most neutral experience and Sport isn't something you really want to use in non-top-tier models. Why? Because the torque of the EQA is instantly released, causing the car to push tremendously into its rear springs. Something that's hopefully different in AWD versions of the EQA.
Enough volume
With more than decent quality throughout, the EQA 250 is a much-needed car in the EV-arms race for Mercedes-EQ. It holds to what the company's key values are and in that respect makes it a recipe for success. Not differentiating the EQA too much from the GLA seems like a smart choice. It feels like a Mercedes from the moment you get it. Owners will undoubtedly feel like they've made the right choice buying this car, Mercedes-EQ will undoubtedly be happy that they're finally expanding their portfolio. Compare it to the EQC and the difference are huge, it is obvious the brand is capable of quickly learning from their mistakes and that promises good things to come for future updates and future models. The only real danger here is the price tag. Well equipped, this EQA 250 will set you back nearly 70k (BE). Not far off from that EQC I mentioned earlier, a far quicker car.
