Mercedes-Benz EQA review

It is eerily quiet. Even for an electric car. At very low speed you can just hear the external pedestrian-warning hum, but from about 20mph to 40mph it's hard to discern what is contributing to the murmur. 

Motor and gear whine aren't really a thing here; beyond 40 the tyres make a gentle intrusion and on the motorway there's wind rustle. A bit. But nothing that would even require turning the radio up beyond a whisper. It all adds up to a car that feels more grown up and premium than its size would suggest. And goes some way to justifying the lofty price.

HOW NIPPY IS IT?

Performance leans to the gentle side too. Getting to 62mph takes 8.9 seconds in the best-selling front-wheel drive version, but that's front-loaded around the 10-50 region. An overly smart departure will find wheelspin particularly in damp conditions, and beyond 60 things tail off. It has a 99mph top speed and doesn't feel it wants to go see what that feels like.

That's a limited top speed, by the way. It was chosen just because if you pelt down the autobahn faster than that, time gained driving fast will be lost to extra charging. Speed kills range in any EV.

IS THE EQA COMFORTABLE?

The low-speed ride is a bit on the knobbly side. Still, you're not all that conscious of the bumps because you don't hear them. It's a quiet suspension if not an absorbent one.

The EQA has a multi-link rear axle (the A-Class with low-power ICE and the PHEVs get a torsion beam) and my do you feel the improvement in general comportment. Not just ride refinement, but steering accuracy too.

The EQA feels heavy, sure – it's more than two tonnes. But it has a deliberate and progressive set of cornering moves. It lets you know what it's doing, and reacts to power as well as steering. Push for a time-saving dash across a roundabout and you’ll be greeted with a rather embarrassing amount of tyre squeal (and of course, no engine to drown that out).

The test car had adaptive dampers, and in their normal setting they do all the adapting that's needed. They come only as part of an options pack that takes you £7,500 over base. 

No need, we think. The chief test engineer admitted the 'sport' setting is just there to prove you've got the adaptive system, and that no-one will use it much. It adds little to life in the bends and frankly you’re better off just setting the screens to the attractive ‘Sport’ dials and leaving the dynamics alone. 

WHAT ABOUT RE-GEN BRAKING? GOOD, OR WOODEN?

The blended braking systems works well. The pedal is progressive, allows plenty of regeneration before smoothly bringing in friction. It manages to feel the same when the battery's depleted or full – when regen is obviously impossible.

You can also select the force of lift-off regeneration styles by a pair of wheel paddles. As in a few rivals it also has an 'auto' regeneration setting. This lets the car sail, unless the radar says the vehicle you're following is slowing, or a speed limit is near. It works well provided you don't mind apparently inconsistent (but actually usually predictable) behaviour.