EQA releasing in June, for $85,500

 Mercedes’ baby electric aiming for models popular with Kiwis

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MERCEDES’ second all-electric car, the EQA 250 compact crossover, will launch in New Zealand in June for $85,500 – a price comparable with the petrol model it derives as well as three key established sub-$100,000 electrics: The Hyundai Kona EV, Kia Niro and Tesla Model 3.

Benz says the smaller sister model to its $142,000 EQC model, which is the current holder of the New Zealand Car of the Year, is expected to create a new entry point to Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle ownership here, “as the latest addition to the popular and increasingly diverse compact passenger vehicle family.” 

It says the model, which apes the EQC in being on a platform shared with a fossil-fuelled car – in this instance, the GLA (whereas EQC is off the GLC underpinning) - should fill a particularly sweet spot.

Globally, SUVs account for one in every three Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles sold, compact models comprise one-in-four. It also notes that customer interest in the Mercedes-Benz EQ brand and its expanding portfolio of all-electric and mild hybrid models is at an all-time high around the world.

With a driving range of up to 480km, as measured under Australian Design Rules, the EQA 250 will  adequately cover not just the daily commute for most customers, but adds the flexibility to plan extra-urban road trips and weekends away, the brand suggests.

The EQA 250 can be recharged at home via a Mercedes-Benz wallbox or standard 240-volt wall plug, while the growing network of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers adds the option of fast top-ups on the go.

The EQA 250 is powered by an asynchronous electric motor at the front axle with a rated output of 140kW and 375Nm, via a single-speed spur gear set. The transmission ratio and gear wheels have been configured for the requirements of the front-wheel drive system.

Beneath the floor as part of the integral vehicle structure is a ‘double-decker’ 420-volt lithium-ion battery with five modules and 200 cells, creating usable energy content of 66.5 kWh and combined electrical consumption of 16.2 kWh per 100km. The battery is part of an intelligent thermal management system, which can be cooled or heated as required via a coolant-fed plate underneath the battery, ensuring it can be kept within optimal temperature range for operation and charging.

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Via the Type 2 CCS plug and supplied charging cables (one for a domestic socket, with an eight metre cable; the other a five metre fixture for public charging stations), the EQA can achieve from 10-80 percent charge on the wallbox in around four hours and 15 minutes (AC connection with at least 11 kW), and from 10-80 percent charge with a rapid charger in 30 minutes (DC connection with a 100kW supply).

The car steps away from the GLA styling in much the same way that the EQC easily differentiates from an GLC.

 Styling signatures include a black panel grille, divided into two by a louvre, highlighting the central star that is a hallmark of the brand. A horizontal fibre-optic strip connects the daytime running lights of the full-LED headlights, ensuring a high level of recognisability both in daylight and at night. Blue colour highlights within the headlight reinforce the signature EQ appearance. The front wing features a badge in high-gloss black with EQA lettering in blue. 

The rear end also includes characteristic EQ features. The LED tail lights merge seamlessly into the tapered LED light strip, underlining the impression of width in the rear view of the EQA.

Additionally, the EQA is distinguished by front and rear aprons in chrome, while the roof rails and waistline and window-line trim strips are polished aluminium.

The EQA has adjustable damping suspension with multi-link rear, a direct steer system and Dynamic Select driving mode selection, and rides on 19-inch AMG 5-twin spoke light-alloy wheels.

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It achieves the MBUX infotainment system, including voice control (‘Hey Mercedes’) and 10.25-inch centre touchscreen that is the hub for functions such as navigation, media playback, telephony and vehicle functionality. A second 10.25-inch screen forms a customisable digital instrument cluster for the driver.

Other convenience functions include keyless entry and start, a powered tailgate with handsfree access, smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto, plus wireless charging for selected mobile devices, heated and electrically adjustable front seats with memory function, automatic climate control including remotely actuated pre-entry climate control, Artico artificial leather upholstery and a leather multi-function sports steering wheel, and a DAB+ digital radio tuner.

The standard safety fitment includes active distance assist cruise control with automatic restart, route-based speed adaptation, and a range of active assists including steering, braking, lane keeping and blind-spot monitoring. Traffic sign assist and a parking package including parking assist and reversing camera, feature. It has nine airbags.

For a limited time, the EQA 250 can be specified with an exclusive Edition 1 package, which costs an additional $7300.

This includes a comprehensive selection of additional features and distinctive interior and exterior cosmetic enhancements. The brand has not said how many Edition 1 cars are designated for NZ.

Key highlights of the package include 20-inch AMG multi-spoke light-alloy wheels finished exclusively in matt copper, an AMG Line exterior trim and further gloss-black details, Neva grey leather and blue upholstery, backlit trim elements, blue stitching for the door panels and centre console, air vents in silver chrome and energy blue, sports multifunction steering wheel with flat bottom and perforated grips, AMG pedals, illuminated door sill panels, Edition 1 floor mats, and a unique vehicle key with copper-coloured surround.

 

 

S-Class schmoozes in

Plenty of luxury and tech, lots of extras too – but just one engine choice for now.

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SO much tech and so much additional kit to box tick – but when it comes to powertrains, the decision is dead easy: Though more will turn up in time, there’s just the one at launch.

So it goes with the seventh-generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, available from next week in S450 4MATIC and long-wheelbase S450 L 4MATIC formats, with a common six-cylinder petrol, pricing starting from $215,000.

This is the car touted as the world’s most advanced and, though not every technology developed for it packs into the ‘base’ (yes, wrong word, but …) format – and, indeed, some is not yet available for this part of the world – the car in kick-off form has pretty decent specification.

New Zealand piggy-backing on Australia’s choice has proven a good idea. Our neighbour has gone big on signing up for comforts and assists that have been extras in the European spec.

What we miss out on, though, is the full gambit of semi-autonomous gadgets. While the Australasian-spec cars have adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane centering assist, lane change assist, evasive steering assist, and a traffic-sign assist system that reads speed signs and adjusts the adaptive cruise control system accordingly, the ability - soon to show in the German-market car – to drive itself with the driver's hands off the steering wheels on at up to 60kmh is not featuring. Our laws seem to allow it but Australian legislation does not. And since our neighbour has done the choosing …

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Still, plenty of other gee-gaws to impress. Both cars achieve a 12.3-inch 3D digital instrument cluster (with eye tracking) and a 12.8-inch OLED infotainment touchscreen running Mercedes' latest MBUX operating system, the MBUX Interior Assistant and the "Hey Mercedes" voice assistant.

The car’s satellite navigation system is a new step-up; in addition to projecting live traffic it has a predictive functionality. The head-up display with support for an augmented-reality function which can virtually project navigation directions on the road up to 10 metres ahead.

Other standard features include air suspension, power-closing doors, dual-zone automatic climate control, ambient LED interior lighting, puddle light projection, keyless entry and push-button start, flush retractable door handles, a 360-degree camera and semi-autonomous Active Parking Assist.

There's also an electric glass panoramic sunroof (with sliding and tilting functionality), a power-operated rear sunblind, electrically-adjustable front seats with heating and cooling, memory functionality for the steering column, a fingerprint scanner, a hands-free power boot lid, heated power-folding exterior mirrors, rear privacy glass, and insulated acoustic glass for the front side windows.

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 It runs a 15-speaker, 710-watt Burmester 3D surround sound system, with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto of course, wireless smartphone charging and support for the Mercedes Me Connect smartphone app.

You want more? Even though it has LED headlights, Benz locally perceives one popular cost-extra enhancement will be a special feature the brand made a big noise about during last year’s international launch: Adaptive Digital Light LED headlights. These are capable of projecting warnings onto the road with a range 150 metres greater than that of the standard LED units, thanks to 2.6 million 'pixels.' Also possibly set to be popular, for those who park in tight places, is the enhanced rear-wheel steering (with an angle of up to 10 degrees). The 'active' ambient interior lighting and the Energising package also tend to get ticked on other high-end products.

The long-wheelbase model (with 110mm extra length) achieves extras of power-adjustable rear seats with memory, automatic rear climate control and forward-facing airbags in the backs of the front seats but can also be ordered in with a pair of 11.6-inch entertainment touchscreens.

Both models derive power from a turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six, sending 270kW and 500Nm to the road through a nine-speed automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel-drive, for a 5.1-second 0-100kmh sprint time.

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The engine is assisted by a 48-volt mild-hybrid electrical system, which can supply an additional 16kW/250Nm boost for short periods under hard acceleration, and enables combined fuel economy ratings of 8.2L/100km and 8.4L/100km for the S450 and S450L respectively.

 A higher-grade S580L variant is expected to be offered later down the road, pairing a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 with a 48-volt system for a total of 370kW and 700Nm, and it’s expected head office will hear a New Zealand pitch for the plug-in hybrid edition, with 100kms’ pure electric running.

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C seen – Mercedes new-gen compact exec unveiled

The make’s smallest rear-drive passenger road car goes big on S-Class tech.

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WHAT derivatives are coming, when do they arrive and, of course, how much will they cost?

Sorry, it’s premature asking those questions yet in respect to the all-new 'W206' Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The car’s official international uncovering has only occurred today, so Mercedes’ New Zealand distributor says answers to any questions in respect to the local lineup will have to wait until much closer to the car’s release here. Which will occur late this year.

For now, then, it’s all big picture stuff – and that, alone, is quite a story in itself.

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Suffice to say, the German company's latest compact executive car, so far revealed in mainstream sedan and wagon formats (as per tradition – the coupe, convertible, crossover and AMG editions of everything will follow in due course) is pukka premium in more than just presentation, pedigree and pricing.

This fifth generation family also channels much of the look and technological content of the make’s flagship S-Class uber-sedan and has an entirely electrified range of drivetrains from the get-go.

Yes, it’s bigger. The wheelbase has gone up 25mm to 2865mm in total on both body styles, resulting in a sedan that is 65mm longer (4751mm) than its four-door forebear and a wagon that's 49mm longer (also 4751mm).

The car’s 10mm wider in the body and 13mm wider across the mirrors, while their track widths have increased, too. Both shapes are slightly lower than the previous versions, with reward in improved drag coefficients (0.24 sedan, 0.27 wagon).

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The general shape is sort of C-generic but it’s quite different to what we get now, with a swoopy air abetted by short overhangs, a long wheelbase and a cab-rearward design.

All models roll on alloy wheels of between 17 and 19 inches in diameter. The radiator grille design varies depending on the trim grade. Base cars have a large three-pointed star and louvre details, higher-spec editions – including AMG Line models – achieve a star-design chrome pattern. The headlamps are all new as are the tail-lights. Three new colours - Spectral Blue, High-Tech Silver and Opalite White – join the C's colour palette.

The dimensional changes reward occupants. Both seat rows have more headroom, legroom, elbow-room and shoulder-room. The wagon gains 30 litres more luggage space; there’s 490 litres capacity with all seats in play and 1510 litres with everything folded. The sedan’s boot retains the same 455 litres’ capacity as the current car.

But roominess will be less of a focus than the tech. This C-Class enters the heavily digital age with its boots on … there’s a a TFT instrument cluster (minimum 10.25 inches across the diagonal, with the option to upgrade to a 12.3-inch unit) and a large infotainment screen reclining on the centre stack, this being at least 9.5 inches, or 11.9 as an option.

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The dashboard design lends to an aviation theme; Benz has split it into two tiers for a wing-like formation, and the rounded air vents are said to be reminiscent of jet engines. Various leather, leatherette, wood and metal upholstery/trim choices are available, a colour head-up display is an optional extra and the connectivity of the car is boosted with several software packages plus over-the-air technical updates.

Under the bonnet? As expected, four-cylinder, mild-hybrid turbocharged drivetrains pervade; performance pep is important, but this is Benz driving into an eco future. An integrated starter-generator (ISG), running off a 48-volt electrical system, is a standard ingredient to provide 'gliding' when off the throttle, power-assistance under acceleration and energy recovery too, all to save some fuel. There's also Mercedes' EQ Boost, which adds 15kW power and 200Nm.

NZ will presumably only have eyes for the petrols, which start with a 1.5-litre in the C180, this engine making 126kW and 250Nm from the engine, plus the EQ Boost involvement, which can do 0-100kmh in 8.6 seconds.

The C200 also uses a 1.5-litre engine and it has 152kW/300Nm before EQ Boost, resulting in a 0-100kmh time of 7.3 seconds. The C300 is a 2.0-litre unit with the same EQ Boost function, adding to the engine's 192kW and 400Nm for a six second 0-100kmh run and 250kmh top speed.

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Fuel economy and emissions counts figures will be shared once the cars’ WLTP homologation is completed.

If mild hybrid doesn’t seem good enough, don’t worry. Mercedes also has a plug-in hybrid model in the pipeline. This pairs a 95kW electric motor to a 152kW 2.0-litre petrol engine for system outputs of 233kW and 550Nm, along with up to 100km of all-electric driving range, courtesy of a 25.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack, at 100kmh, or higher.

The nine-speed automatic gearbox is carried over, but now calibrated to work with the ISG. Everything is rear-drive, of course, but  4Matic all-wheel drive is an option on some models in some markets.

The chassis is a development of the current underpinning, but with a new four-link front axle and a multilink rear end that's mounted to a subframe form a suspension set-up that is said to provide a good blend of agility, comfort and fun. Optional adjustable damping, a Sport specification and even air suspension on the rear axle of the plug-in hybrids will all be offered, as will rear-wheel steering.

There’s a massive array of advanced driver assist safety systems and it achieves the schmanzy digital light headlamp technology from the S-Class, in which the light from three powerful LEDs in each cluster is refracted and directed by 1.3 million micro-mirrors, resulting in a resolution of 2.6 million pixels per vehicle.

 

EQA on fast boat to NZ

Mercedes’ second electric car has been unveiled – and it’s coming here soon.

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 KIWIS keen to express their electric car enthusiasm from behind a three-pointed star won’t have too long to wait for the EQA unveiled to the world overnight.

Mercedes Benz New Zealand says it expects the wholly battery-compelled small sports utility will be here in mid-2021, with a front-drive, single motor EQA 250 derivative leading the introduction.  

The Auckland-based operation says information about pricing and specification of what will stand as the first compact premium electric crossover on the market will become available closer to the car’s release.

Effectively an all-electric version of the GLA small SUV – it’s based on a modified version of the platform currently used by that car and the A Class - the introductory edition presents with a single electric motor located on the front axle and feeding from a 66.5kWh battery pack.

The powertrain develops 140kW of power and 375Nm of torque and promises 426km range on the New Zealand-recognised WLTP scale (or 486km on the outmoded NEDC rating). 

The maker vouches a 0-100kmh sprint time of 8.9 seconds and cites an electronically-limited top speed of 160kmh.

The slightly slovenly step-off seems a repercussion of the podgy kerb weight, an unavoidable with battery inclusion.

At 2040kg the model weighs some 555kg more than a front-drive, petrol-powered GLA 200, which runs a 120kW/250Nm 1.3-litre turbo petrol and achieves the legal open road limit from a standing start in 8.6 seconds. 

The EQA line-up is set to expand with a twin-motor, all-wheel drive variant that will much snappier: Some are saying 0-100kmh in five seconds. The company has told media in Europe it’ll generate “more than 200kW” and also have 500Nm of torque.

Meantime, Benz says the EQA 250 will take 30 minutes to reach 80 percent capacity using a 100kW fast-charging station.

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EQA is the second full electric for Mercedes here, following the much larger $142,900 EQC that holds status as the 2020 New Zealand car of the year, as awarded by the New Zealand motoring Writers’ Guild, and is the first of six new EQ-branded electric vehicles to arrive before the end of 2022.

EQC also shares DNA with a combustion-engined model, the GLE sports utility, but that convenience isn’t a long-term pitch; other incoming Benz electrics are going to be on a bespoke platform.

Mercedes assures that using the GLA/A-Class underpinning for EQA has not required any particular compromise. It says adapting the chassis to make space for an electric motor and a battery pack under the vehicle’s floor was straightforward, as it was always designed for an electric application.

The GLA’s platform was, however, extensively strengthened to support the added weight of the battery pack. Also, new under-floor cross members were implemented under the floor and the car achieves a guard for the front of the battery pack to prevent it from being punctured in the event of an accident.

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In an effort to squeeze the maximum possible amount of range out of the car’s battery pack, Mercedes’s engineers paid particular attention to the EQA’s shape when it was on the drawing board.

Hence, while it obviously has strong familial association with the GLA and A-Class, the electric model’s association with EQC is probably equally if not more patent. As with the larger model, the lines have been softened and the  frontal area has been made as smooth as possible, to improve the aero. This is also why the car’s underside is also completely enclosed by an undertray. The end result is a drag coefficient of just 0.28Cd.

Mercedes’ next electric models seem set to be the EQB, a seven-seater sports utility, and the EQS, a high-end all-electric luxury alternate the marque’s traditional flagship, the S-class. Mercedes recently showed off a full-width digital dashboard, it calls the hyperscreen, that will go into the EQS.

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E-Class update brings more smarts

The facelifted line arrives next month, with an enticing AMG sedan continuing as pack leader.

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REST assured, it’s still endowed with ample horsepower and athleticism, still among the fastest sports sedans on the market.

 

So, when Mercedes-AMG attests that the biggest change arriving with the mid-life update for the E 63 AMG super-sedan is ‘enhanced everyday comfort’, you needn’t worry: A less edgy ride quality is the only outcome. Otherwise it’s still very much on pole as a performance icon.

The new $239,900 edition, above, heads up a revised E-Class lineup that includes five other derivatives, all with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol in various states of tune.

These range from the E200 sedan and Coupe with 145kW/320Nm that respectively set you back $106,600 and $108,500, the 220kW/400Nm E350 in $137,900 Coupe and $149,000 Cabriolet formats, plus the E 300e sedan, in which the engine pairs with electric assist. The (155 kW/350 Nm) engine is supplemented by a plug-in electric motor (90 kW/440 Nm) via the same nine-speed auto as in all the other variants. Total system output is 235 kW/700Nm. With the onboard battery topped up using the standard Type 2 charging cable, a combined cycle fuel economy figure of 2.2 litres per 100 km (ADR) is possible, Mercedes Benz NZ claims. This is a $146,100 car.

It’s a strong lineup, but Benz buyer trend tends to gravitate toward the strongest performer, so the arrival of AMG’s foil for the BMW M5 that has also recently revised will be eagerly anticipated, not least because Benz has made clear that the high-performance products it has now will certainly be the last to run this 4.0-litre twin turbo V8.

The New Zealand distributor isn’t wasting the opportunity to see this car out in style; as with the previous generation, it has opted only for the more powerful S trim of the E63, and only in a sedan body.

Power for the AMG S remains unchanged at 450kW/850Nm, sent through a nine-speed multi-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system.

The updated car is identified by it achieving a larger centre air intake on the front bumper, an AMG grille with vertical louvres and reshaped LED headlights. A wind-splitter and new, more functional air intakes up front add styling and also “significantly reduce lift” at the front of the car, according to Mercedes-AMG.

The standard 20-inch wheels are wider on the front of the revised E63 S, accommodated by wheel arches measuring 27mm wider than the outgoing model.

A revised rear bumper and diffuser, tail light and tailpipe trim design refreshes the rear end.

New colour offerings including graphite grey metallic, high-tech silver metallic and brilliant blue magno are available for the exterior of the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E63 S.

Inside, the AMG-specific Nappa leather-upholstered sports seats receive integrated head restraints, with the dashboard and door trim sections also finished in grey Nappa leather.

Across all updated E-Class models is Mercedes-Benz’s MBUX infotainment system, which features on dual 12.25-inch screens, with one acting as the instrument cluster and the other as the infotainment control.

The MBUX interface comes equipped with advanced voice control Mercedes claims can understand “nearly all sentences” related to infotainment and vehicle operation.

Each model in the range is equipped with a new, comprehensively digitalised generation of steering wheel, integrating an array of controllers – plus, for the first time in a Mercedes-Benz, “hands-on detection” is enabled via sensor mats integrated into the steering wheel rim.

Another new feature is MBUX Interior Assistant, which is standard on the E63 and optionally available on other models (excluding Cabriolets) as part of an innovation package. This allows actuation of some cabin functions by intuitively detecting hand movements from either the driver or passenger using a camera in the overhead console. For example, a hand gesture toward the centre touchscreen can change the media display or highlight individual elements. Or, a reading lamp can be switched on by extending a hand towards the interior mirror.

An Augmented Reality display is able to be specified for the first time; it’s a feature of the Vision Package and Innovation Package, again optional on all but the E63. Augmented Reality intuitively overlays navigational signals and key driving assistance information directly onto a forward camera view displayed on the central navigation screen.