Mercedes-Benz launches the EQA250 as the electric-vehicle stablemate to its entry-level SUV, the GLA-class.
- The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQA is an electric derivative of the GLA that Daimler is unveiling today.
- In Europe, the EQA will offer 187 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque and is priced at the equivalent of $57,750.
- The EQA may or may not come to the U.S., depending on how Mercedes’s EV plans shake out, and if it does it is expected to bring a more powerful motor with as much as 280 horsepower.
Mercedes-Benz has just unveiled the EQA, a member of a diverse family of Mercedes EQ electric vehicles. It’s just one of a full lineup that will be rolling out this year and next. Each is based on a conventional internal-combustion-engined Mercedes, from A-class to G-wagen, spearheaded by the EQC, a derivative of the GLC. The EQ family will grow with further models, such as the GLB-based EQB, followed by futuristic stand-alone models including the EQE and the EQS.
The EQA, as a compact-crossover EV, may be a harbinger of Mercedes’s electric future, but actually, it looks rather clean and conventional. Stylistically, it is a GLA, but without any of the pseudo-sporty clutter, with a sweeping front end and horizontal light bar that is mirrored on its tail. Why can’t every GLA look like the EQA?
In Europe, the EQA250 will launch with a front-mounted asynchronous motor that makes 187 horsepower and, more important, 277 pound-feet of torque that’s available from step-off. That’s a bit more than the GLA250, which is rated at 258 pound-feet but makes a superior 221 horsepower.
Sadly, the EQA250 can’t hold a candle to the GLA250 when it comes to acceleration. According to Mercedes numbers, it takes about two seconds longer to reach the 60-mph mark, and it is governed at 100 mph in the interest of range, while the Europe-market GLA250 will carry on to 149 mph.
When asked about plans to bring an EQA to the U.S., a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson told Car and Driver, “At this point the EQA is still being considered for the U.S. market.” If the EQA does come here, it could be fitted with a more powerful drivetrain. Mercedes has suggested there’ll be an EQA with all-wheel drive and around 280 horsepower. That sounds like fun to us; we do appreciate the instant torque of an EV, and a twin-motor EQA could be a serious performer.
The 66.5-kWh batteries provide for a remarkable range of more than 300 miles in the European cycle, which, admittedly, tends to favor electrics. We believe that a range of 200 to 250 miles is realistic. Unfortunately, that range comes at a cost: The compact EQA250 weighs more than a six-cylinder, mild-hybrid S-class, which incidentally features all-wheel drive and has far better towing capacity.
Inside, the EQA remains a close sibling of the GLA, and that’s a good thing since it is fitted with one of the most advanced user interfaces on the market. While we mourn the loss of the Mercedes twist-and-push-button input system of yore, there are plenty of other ways to enter the desired commands, including an ever improving voice control system.
For the EQA, Mercedes-Benz has tweaked the color and material selections, with optional rose gold applications and blue fabrics. Elegant and futuristic, the new look is sure to win over some customers that are on the fence about choosing an electric.
The EQA will be built in both Germany and China. In Europe, the price of the EQA250 is only slightly higher than the GLA250’s, and that gap is more than offset by the subsidies and incentives granted by the government. Similar measures will be most welcome if, going forward,EVs are to make any progress on the U.S. market.