First drive: 2021 Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 prototype

Inside, there’s a lightly reworked interior from the GLA, albeit with EQ-themed instrument and infotainment graphics. It’s high-quality in here and offers a comfortable driving position, with all the modern conveniences and safety features one could wish for in any class of car.

If there is any caveat, it’s the rear-seat accommodation, due to that raised rear floor. There’s no loss of overall leg room compared with the GLA, but because the rear bench is set comparatively low, your knees end up quite high. There’s also a transmission-tunnel-like ridge running down the cabin’s centre.

It’s a similar story with the boot, so the EQA fails to deliver the same impressive 481-litre capacity as the GLA. However, it does at least retain the 40:20:40-split folding rear seats, enabling longer items to be stowed.

The prototype driven here is an EQA 250 – the model that Mercedes will rely on for at least the first year of sales. Its ZF-produced 188bhp asynchronous electric motor is mounted up front, where it drives the front wheels through a fixed-ratio gearbox. Other derivatives are set to follow, including a performance-focused model from AMG with two motors and thus four-wheel drive.

There’s a familiar process to setting this new electric crossover into motion, because you find the same starter-button and column-mounted gear lever found in just about all automatic Mercedes cars. The electric driveline isn’t as silent as it is in the larger Mercedes-Benz EQC SUV; there’s a subdued whirr on start-up and a high-pitch whine as you set off, but it’s immediately calmer and quieter than any of the GLA’s engines.

Once underway, the EQA initially feels quite brisk. There’s terrific response and a seamless nature to the operation of its motor on a loaded throttle. At around 60mph, the accelerative potency begins to diminish, owing to a combination of increasing rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag, but it remains punchy enough for authoritative overtaking and swift progress.

Mercedes hasn’t issued any official performance claims for the EQA just yet, but I would be surprised if it didn’t dip below the 7.0sec for the run to 62mph. Despite its obvious weight and comparatively modest reserves, it always feels strong and willing.

However, arguably more impressive than the instant performance of the drivetrain is its energy regeneration system, which is controlled via steering wheel-mounted paddles. Depending on the driving conditions, you can choose between four different modes to alter the braking characteristics when you step off the accelerator pedal.

In the most aggressive setting, D--, the EQA pulls up quite abruptly as the regeneration system harvests kinetic energy and stows it in the battery, while in the most hands-off setting, D+, it coasts without any perceptible braking to take advantage of its momentum. The former proves quite handy in city driving, where you rarely need to press the brakes yourself, except when coming to a complete stop. The latter, on the other hand, is best suited at cruising speeds, allowing the EQA to roll on uninterrupted for extraordinary distances.

Its nippy character and ability to pull up smartly of its own accord make the EQA well suited to urban driving. That said, because it retains the same steering geometry as the GLA, the EV fails to offer quite the same sense of manoeuvrability as some of its rivals, and its turning circle is more than a metre wider than that of the ID 3.

Out of town, Mercedes’ efforts to make the EQA more aerodynamically efficient than the GLA have paid dividends. There is some slight wind buffeting around the door mirrors at motorway speeds, although the overriding sound in this prototype is the distant roar of its 19in winter tyres. As you would expect, refinement is clearly a strong suit.

Yet for most people, it will be the range that proves just as important. Mercedes says the EQA will be capable of more than 249 miles on a single charge, although it isn’t going into any detail just yet. To put this into perspective, early ID 3 models fitted with a 77kWh battery have a range of up to 341 miles. Rumours abound of a long-range EQA capable of more than 300 miles, but it isn’t likely to be part of the launch line-up. The lack of information extends to charging performance. We know the EQA will support both 11kW AC and 100kW DC charging, but there’s no specific information on timings yet.

As for dynamism, with its raised ride height and standard front-wheel drive, expectations of the EQA’s sporting traits should be checked. The suspension uses the same combination of MacPherson struts up front and multi-link arrangement at the rear as the GLA, only adapted to cope with the increased mass brought on by the EQA’s battery. The springs and adaptive dampers have been retuned and the anti-roll bars beefed up. As a result, the EQA grips gamely when pushed hard, hiding its weight well with precise steering, fluid changes of direction and nicely controlled body movements. Overall, it’s reassuringly surefooted but lacks the immediacy of lower-slung rivals.

As for ride comfort, the latest generation of electric cars have progressed in this area, and the EQA is a shining example. Despite its considerable weight, this chassis displays excellent compliance in Comfort mode. Perhaps it isn’t quite as smooth-riding as the GLA over broken bitumen at lower speeds, but vertical body movements are quickly and softly quelled over long-wave intrusions at higher speeds, giving the EQA an appealing calm nature. To preserve this quality, my advice would be to avoid the larger wheel sizes when specifying your EQA.