The Mercedes EQA baby electric SUV is only 18 months old and still isn’t available in North America, but the R&D team is busy finessing a facelifted version. We spotted the updated EQA undergoing hot weather testing in June, and now the development crew has moved north to subject the smallest car in the EQ line to some cold weather challenges. The EQA isn’t based on a dedicated EV platform, unlike the EQE and EQS sedan and SUV models. Instead, it rides on an adapted version of the same architecture found in the combustion-powered GLA. The metal bodywork in both versions is identical, but the electric crossover is marked out by its smooth EQ grille and horizontal strip of lights running across the trunk lid.
This pre-production car’s fairly
substantial front disguise doesn’t tell us exactly what Mercedes has in store
for the grille, but one possibility is that it plans to add the star-motif
design seen on some electric MB concepts, and since made available as an option
on cars like the EQS flagship sedan. Changes at the back will be limited to a
new design of the taillight clusters, though the physical dimensions of the
lamp units won’t change. The prototype in our summer spy shots only had its
grille covered and retained the rear end of the current car. But this latest
test machine has a fuller front disguise and a bikini across the back telling
us that the rear lights below are the final designs.
Also visible on the back of this car are
“EQA350” and “4Matic” badges revealing that it’s running the most powerful
drivetrain combination available in the baby SUV lineup. The current range
kicks off with a 185 hp, single-motor, front-wheel drive EQA250, then
moves up to a version of the same with a bigger battery, badged EQA250+. Buyers
looking for more performance and the security of all-wheel drive also have the
option of the 222 hp EQA300 or 284 hp EQA350.
We’re expecting this facelifted car to
appear in Europe during 2023 for the 2024 model year, but there’s still no
solid guarantee that it will come to North America.
