The 2021 Mercedes EQA Is The Start Of Mercedes' New EV Rollout
Automakers keep marching towards an electric future and Mercedes-Benz has joined in lock-step with the first of its new electric range that we reported on months ago. Mercedes unveiled the EQA 250 Wednesday morning, and as is often the case, the American market will not get this compact crossover but will have to wait for another of its larger siblings.
The EQA, which is basically a fully-electric GLA, will have a range of 486 kilometers, or around 300 miles. That rating is based on the old NEDC standard which can be, let's say, optimistic, and that 300-mile rating is for the entry-level FWD EQA model. Mercedes claims that AWD variants will follow and the carmaker estimates these will have a range of more than 500 kilometers, or about 310 miles using the newer WLTP standard. Why two standards, MB?
In any case, this is the first of the models we will see:
The EQA's list price starts at under 40 grand ... in Euros. It lists at €39,950, which converts to a little over $48,300 USD, not that it's particularly relevant to us. The EQA will go on sale this year in Europe, but there's still no word on whether it will come to the U.S.
Is it really too much to ask carmakers that they bring sensibly-sized, affordable EVs to the States? Aren't any of them willing to take on Tesla's Model 3? Meanwhile, EVs like the Renault Zoe or the MG ZS EV are moving off lots in Europe, but we have to wait for the bigger (read: expensive) EVs.
The EQA's price isn't exactly a bargain, but it's not all that out-of-line when considering the cost of any new Benz and it seems like we are finally starting to see some parity between ICE and EV models. It seems that, as electric lineups expand, EV models will outgrow that awkward phase during which their upfront costs made them less appealing to buyers.
And, I think Mercedes has read the room well with the EQA. Small crossovers sell. After the dud of the larger EQC, the EQA is, more or less, an appropriate second step for the German carmaker, and a tentative one in terms of change. The new EQA looks very similar to its ICE siblings, and it doesn't feel like the kind of EV that demands you acknowledge its green accolades by adopting radical design language or overt EV cues. Sure, it can veer in that direction in places, but overall this crossover looks like your average 'Merc.
I particularly like its copper-tone wheels (MB calls them rosé gold) that'd feel right at home on ICE and EV cars alike. The wheels look a little gaudy in static shots where the EQA is latent and still. But when in motion, the tones in the wheels blend nicely and make the car look like it's spooling up, like there's power to be wrung from that whiz-bang drivetrain.
Still, it's unreal that Mercedes hasn't said that this thing will come Stateside.