What's all this about?
This is it, then. After all the teasing and waiting, the next all-electric Mercedes 'EQ' model has finally officially arrived to follow on from the EQC. The all-electric analogue of the GLA, you're looking at the new EQA.
OK, let's get down to brass tacks. What's the range on it?
Ooh, you don't hang about, do you? Fine. Mercedes will kick off with a front-wheel-drive model called the EQA 250. This slaps a 140kW (190hp) electric motor on the leading axle, this being a propulsion unit which can also generate 375Nm of torque. It is connected to a 66.5kWh lithium-ion battery and 11kW onboard AC charger, providing the EQA 250 with a WLTP-ratified range of 265 miles on a single charge. Expect electrical consumption of 15.7kWh/62.5 miles, 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 99mph (oh, so close!). You'll be able to drop 80 per cent of charge into the EQA's battery pack in just 30 minutes on a DC rapid charger running at 100kW, while a wallbox or AC public point will need a reasonable five-and-three-quarter hours to replenish the car to 80 per cent, so it all sounds good - except, perhaps, for a kerb weight of (wait for it, now)... 2,040kg. Whumph!
Crikey, that's portly! Is that it for performance?
It is for the EQA 250, but Mercedes has promised further derivatives with all-wheel drive (presumably, through the deployment of motors on both axles, giving more power and performance too) and also a version that'll go beyond 311 miles on a charge. If you're wondering why that figure has been specified, it's because 311 miles is 500km in Mercedes' preferred distance metric of, er, metric.
You're numerically confusing me now. Please stop? What about the styling?
It's quite GLA-heavy. This isn't a massive surprise, because if you peer intently at the EQC for long enough then you'll see lots of design cues from the GLC source material shining through. But, like the EQC, the EQA gets various electric-specific hallmarks from Mercedes, such as a 'Black Panel' grille at the front bisected by an LED bar which connects the headlights. At the back, a revised tailgate has another full-width LED light-strip, plus a bigger and repositioned three-pointed star emblem. Expect all EQAs to roll on at least 18-inch alloys and to come with LED headlamps with an Adaptive Highbeam Assist function, plus the MBUX infotainment-and-nav system and a reversing camera too.
Other news in the cabin is that there's slightly less head- and legroom in the back of the EQA than there is in an equivalent GLA, mainly because the battery pack of the EV model has to go under the rear bench. The boot's smaller, too, rating 340-1,320 litres on the EQA compared to 435-1,430 litres for a GLA. However, Mercedes has kept the battery pack's size down, focusing instead on the efficiency of the EQA's form to maximise its range from the 66.5kWh capacity. To that end, there's a smooth and almost completely enclosed underbody beneath the Mercedes EV's shell, the wheels are aerodynamically optimised and the cooling-air control system is closed as well. Mercedes also fits the EQA with a heat pump to make warming the passenger cabin more efficient in colder weather, further reducing drains on the battery.
Matt Robinson - 20 Jan 2020