Colleagues from auto motor und sport magazine drove the new Mercedes EQA for the first time, still slightly camouflaged before tomorrow’s world premiere. Here are the first impressions about Mwercedes EQA 250.
Just one day before the world premiere of the Mercedes EQA, colleagues from the motor and sports car drove the Mercedes EQA 250 version with 140 kW and here are the first impressions.
The car is still camouflaged in the area of headlights and taillights but certainly under the camouflage are the light strips from the bigger brother EQC.
The test began at the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart. You can make yourself comfortable in the electrically adjustable front seat whose adjustments are in the traditional place, on the door panel. The driver sits quite high because the ground clearance of 20 cm is higher than the only 14.3 cm from the conventional model.
Basically, we are sitting on a 60 kWh battery that led to the elevation of the floor because the Mercedes EQA is built on the same MFAII platform from the compact models and not on a dedicated electric platform. Therefore, it is produced on the same production line in Rastatt.
And the dashboard is familiar being practically the same from A-Class with the two 10.25 inch screens, the voice control that reacts to the Hey Mercedes command, the multifunctional steering wheel with touchpads and round vents.
Thanks to the standard heat pump, the interior heats up quickly. There is even a smartphone app that allows you to preheat the interior.
In the reat you sit comfortably but the cutouts of the rear doors are narrow and you stay with your legs bent on the bench. The rear bench is positioned quite low and the backrest is split 40/20/40% standard. The trunk volume is large and under the floor there is a compartment for charging cables.
No noise is heard at start-up. Mercedes EQA starts quickly thanks to the 140 kW engine and high torque that drives the front wheels. Depending on the driving mode (Eco, Normal or Sport), EQA reacts more or less spontaneously to the acceleration controls but even in Sport mode, the acceleration is progressive and not brutal.
As with the former electric B-Class, the paddles are not used to change gears but to activate different degrees of braking energy recovery. Thus, there are five degrees of energy recovery when braking from a strong braking to one in which the braking is very weak. At the first driving test there we appreciate the very good soundproofing and the adaptive suspension offered optionally which absorbs very efficient the iregularities from the road.
Due to the large windows and the panoramic roof, the visibility is very good in all directions. As a member of the EQ range, the Mercedes EQA is smart. Navigation calculates the routes taking into account the stops for charging, topography, weather, traffic situation but also driving style. In the city tour in which the test consisted, however, we do not have to worry about the range announced at 420 km WLTP in mixed cycle.
But what if we want to drive 650 km to Hamburg? Then the navigation system suggests a 30-minute break for charging. Mercedes EQA 250 can be charged to a DC station with up to 100 kw at 80% capacity. The Mercedes Me Charging Card allows charging from 450,000 AC and DC charging points in 31 countries. And everything comes on one bill.
From February 4, Mercedes EQA can be ordered online and from this spring is physically available at dealers. Auto motor und sport estimates a starting price of 48,000 euros from which you can deduct eco bonuses that reach up to almost 10,000 euros in some countries. So, less than 40,000 euro for an SUV with over 400 km range is not too bad.
[…] Credit: Original article published by MercedesBlog News. […]