The Mercedes EQA is currently the brand’s best-selling car in Norway. So far this year, more than 550 vehicles have been registered, according to the Information Council for Road Traffic (OFV).
Admittedly, this is 20 percent less than at the same time last year, and well behind the fierce competitors BMW iX1 (908 registrations) and Audi Q4 e-tron (1,034 registrations).
: Mercedes EQA 250 hr quite a few buttons, including on the steering wheel. It is not so stupid in an age where many car manufacturers remove like this. Photo: Håkon Sæbø / Finansavisen
Not four-wheel drive
While the Audi Q4 e-tron is available with rear-wheel drive, OFV’s figures show that well over 900 of the registered cars have four-wheel drive. The BMW iX1 is only available with all-wheel drive, so it is perhaps a bit doubtful that the new Mercedes EQA 250 will be particularly successful in Norway.
Unfortunately, it only pulls on the front wheels.
What is exciting about this car, however, is the price in combination with the range you get.
The car starts at NOK 471,900 and the test car demonstrates that a usable EQA does not need to cost more than NOK 600,000. With the eye-catching metallic color “Rose gold”, electric seats, heated steering wheel and the largest displays of 10.25 inches each, you will not feel stingy behind the wheel here. It also has a black roof covering, but the sunroof is not checked.
The price Mercedes is asking is 538,390 including taxes and the range is 495 WLTP kilometers before equipment, which for the test car ends up at 486 WLTP kilometers. With gentle driving at slightly low speeds and without elements of steep slopes, you may want to approach such figures, given that it is driven in summer.
The three air nozzles have elegant details and can be moved with precision. These elements remind you that you are sitting in a German car. Photo: Håkon Sæbø / Finansavisen
Good with buttons
It is also easy to find your way behind the wheel. The steering has a comfortable weight that gives a feeling of quality.
The interior is well built and the two screens light up with a sharpness you catch yourself liking. It appears suitably modern in here, but also relatively conservative.
The Mercedes EQA has more physical buttons than the competition, where the BMW sticks out as they don’t even have physical buttons for the air conditioning.
Electric seats have become the norm on Chinese cars. Good to see that Mercedes is keeping up. Photo: Håkon Sæbø / Finansavisen
Solid moment
When you speed off on the summer road, you hardly think about the fact that this car claws its way forward with the front wheels alone. The new electric motor, which helps make the EQA 250 so efficient, produces 190 horsepower and twists out 385 Nm. 0 to 100 should take 8.6 seconds – numbers you will hardly doubt when you sit behind the levers. The torque in particular makes the car appear more than nimble enough, considering that a small Mercedes like this is unlikely to be bought by people who are particularly interested in cars.
If you push the car harder, you feel that the EQA 250 actually copes quite well, before you reach a limit where the car understeers. A little before that, however, you feel that the front wheels are struggling to plant their forces on the ground, but this is driving most EQA owners probably do not do.
Not exactly fast
100 kW fast charging is also nothing to brag about these days. The aforementioned BMW iX1 is at 130 kW, while the Audi Q4 e-tron has a charging power of 135 kW. Interestingly, a VW ID.3 boasts 170 kW and the Kia EV6 a hefty 239 kW, so Mercedes should pick up the pace if they are going to be able to compete.
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It must also be mentioned that these numbers, like the range estimate, are something you see in a best-case scenario. Cold weather, steep climbs (for example to the cabin) and driving patterns in general will undoubtedly affect the range negatively. When winter finally creeps up, the charging speed will also decrease.
The Mercedes EQA 250 looks reasonable, but is hardly a car for enthusiasts. Photo: Håkon Sæbø / Finansavisen
A lot of car for the money
The Mercedes EQA 250 is not the camper you can always rely on in deep snow. For that, the models with four-wheel drive will be better suited. However, if you are going to cruise on the motorway and wander around the city, the car will be a good fit. A somewhat surprising positive feature is the good space in the back seat, considering the car’s exterior dimensions. It’s not business class, but good enough that EQA should also be able to make an impact as a taxi.
Given that you are not a car enthusiast and particularly interested in sharp driving characteristics, the 250 variant will suit you. You get a star in the grill and (on paper anyway) good range for around NOK 550,000, which must be said to be quite a lot of car for the money. With rising interest rates and more difficult times, maybe it’s not so stupid?
KEY INFO Mercedes EQA 250
Driveline: One engine, front wheel drive
HK/kW/Nm: 190/140/385
0-100 km/t: 8.9 seconds
Top speed: 160 km/h
Range (WLTP): 495 km
Range (WLTP), this car: 486 km
Battery capacity, net: 66.5 kWh
Maximal loading effect: 100 kW
Net weight without driver: 2,075 kg
L/B/H: 446/183/162 cm
Consumption: 15.8 kWh/100 km
Luggage compartment: 340/1,320 litres
Tackle: 75 kg
Trailer weight: 750 kg
Price: This model: DKK 471,900
Price: This model with equipment: NOK 538,390
We like this:
InteriorMultimedia screensTorque
We don’t like this:
The stereoThe trunkThe appearance
Design: Practical and occasionally elegant inside, but not particularly pretty on the outside.
Driving environment: The seats are good, as you would expect in a Mercedes. Operation with buttons is good.
Driving characteristics: The Mercedes EQA 250 is by no means fierce, but the steering is firm and good.
Performance: It shouldn’t be accused of being fast, but the electric motor has solid torque.
Space: There is an upright sitting position at the front and there is surprisingly good space at the back.
Great value for money: Little extra equipment often means that the car feels awkward, but that is not the case this time.
Score: 7/10 The Mercedes EQA 250 with front-wheel drive is no cabin racer, but comfortable and nimble in the city.
This article was first published in Finansavisen Motor.
2023-07-15 19:12:22
#Cheap #Mercedes #verdict
