Meet our new long-term EV, the Mercedes-Benz EQA 250

Thursday, 9 December 2021

• MERCEDES-BENZ EQA 250

• Base price: $85,500 (As tested: $93,800)

• Powertrain and range: Permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor and 66.5 kWh battery, 140kW/375Nm, FWD, 426km range (WLTP).

• How far we’ve gone: 95km.

• Power consumption: 26.5kWh/100km (WLTP claim: 17.7kWh/100km combined)

• What have we done lately? Picked it up, driven it home, gone to the supermarket.

• What we like: Much better interior than the A-Class it is based on, app connectivity is a must with an EV, pre-conditioning is my new favourite thing…

• What we don’t like: Messy under bonnet presentation not up to usual Mercedes-Benz standard, I have yet to find a driving position I like…

Following on from our sad farewell to Don, the charming little MG ZS EV that won us over as our last long-term test car, we are jumping straight into our next long-termer, and it’s another all-electric small SUV.

But that’s almost where the similarities end, as we are going from the absolute entry point for a new EV in New Zealand right up to the top end, at least as far as all-electric small SUVs go – at $85,500 the Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 is more than double the retail price of an MG ZS EV.

But is it twice the car? Well, that’s what we aim to find out over the next few months.

**READ MORE:

* Long-term test: MG ZS EV

* Head to head: the three cheapest EVs in New Zealand

* First Drive Review: Mercedes-Benz EQA 250

* Mercedes-Benz achieves EV price-parity with new EQA

**

Like the MG, the EQA hasn’t been developed from the ground up as an EV, rather Mercedes has repurposed the GLA small SUV (itself based on the same platform as the A-Class hatch) to take the electric powertrain, much in the way it used the GLC’s platform for the larger EQA EV.

This means the EQA shares a few of the MG’s differences from a purpose-built EV platform, mainly the lack of a ‘frunk’, as the space up front under the bonnet is taken up by the electric motor and other related bits and pieces.

Does this matter? While to some people this is an unforgivable sin in an EV, personally I… don’t really care. I still never think to actually use a frunk on a car that has one, so I don’t personally miss it. Really, it’s only another place I will forget I have put something in…

But the other thing I immediately noticed that the EQA shares with the ZS EV that does bug me is the fact that you really do feel like you are sitting on it, rather than in it, with a tall and upright seating position and quite flat, broad seats.

This is something that they share because they are both essentially small hatches desperately trying to convince you they are SUVs, rather than it being an EV thing, however.

But that really is where the similarities end, as the Mercedes-Benz certainly does do its best to convince you it is worth more than twice the MG, with a superb interior and huge amounts of standard kit, including things like twin 10.25-inch screens that dominate the dash, active cruise control with “route-based speed adaptation” that uses the GPS to automatically slow the car for corners, keyless entry and start, a electric tailgate, wireless phone charging, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, 64-colour interior ambient lighting, Mercedes’ full suite of driver assists and much, much more.

Of course, our tester goes even further by being fitted with three optional packages: the $2900 ‘Vision Package’, the $2950 ‘AMG Line Sports Package’ and the $2500 ‘MBUX Innovation Package’ that bring even more kit, but bump the as-tested price up to a hefty $93,800.

The Vision Package adds a grunty Burmester surround sound audio system, a panoramic sunroof and a 360-degree camera, while MBUX Innovation Package adds a heads-up display and an advanced ‘interior assistant’ that adds gesture controls.

The AMG Line Sports Package adds the most, with AMG-specific gloss-black and chrome highlighted grille, front apron and rear diffuser and 20-inch alloy wheels on the outside, as well as topstitching highlights on the dash and beltline, very cool backlit trim, chrome air vents, Artico (artificial leather) and microfibre upholstery, sports seats, a nappa leather sports steering wheel, brushed stainless steel AMG pedals and AMG floor mats on the inside.

So just another overpriced EV attempting to disguise the fact with trinkets?

Well, no. As we have pointed out before, the ICE equivalent in the GLA line up – the GLA 250 – is actually slightly more expensive, starting at $88, 318 before options, but is AWD compared to the EQA’s FWD layout. Meaning that a theoretical FWD GLA 250 would be about the same price as the EQA.

But then that leaves you with the idea of spending around $90k on a small SUV, which is a whole different story, and something I am sure I will form an opinion on the value of over the next few months as well.

As it stands right now, however, there is one aspect to the EQA that I would now never want to live without in an EV, and it is something that the MG sorely lacked – full app connectivity and, with that, the glory of preconditioning.

Higher end – well, higher than the MG – EV owners will know what this is, and how wonderful it is, but basically, the standard Mercedes-Me Connect system allows you to connect your phone directly to the car and control a number of its features remotely.

Of most note as temperatures rise, is the preconditioning function which allows the driver to remotely start up the climate control system and cool (or heat in winter) the car before they get into it. You can also set a time you want to leave by the and the car will be nicely at the temperature you desire when you open it.

Preconditioning certainly isn’t new – I have known about such things for years, and used them before – but living with it through a hot summer is going to be utterly delightful. So there’s a head start for the EQA right away…

In terms of electrical details, the EQA packs a 66.5 kWh battery with a WLTP-tested range of up to 426km, meaning that my charging habits will no doubt change after living with Don’s more modest 263km (both WLTP and what turned out to be its real world range as well).

I was surprised by how easy it was to adapt to living with an EV and the demands of charging it, as opposed to simply putting petrol in it, particularly since I have no easy way to charge at home, so it will be very interesting to see what effect having an extra 100km-plus to play with will have on the habits I developed in regard to topping up the smaller ranged MG whenever possible.

But for the moment I am just looking forward to making the most of preconditioning as we head into summer…