2023 Mercedes-Benz EQA facelift spied on
The Mercedes-Benz EQA SUV is one of Australia’s best-selling electric vehicles (EVs), and the German automaker is now looking to give it an update.
Photographers captured this facelifted Mercedes-Benz EQA prototype ahead of a possible 2023 debut.
This follows the same photographers who captured a prototype of the related GLA in the updated form a few days earlier.
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There is only a small amount of camouflage on the grille of the spied EQA prototype, suggesting that the facelift will only include minor changes.
Included credit: CarExpert
The grille of the current EQA is largely a gloss black hexagonal plate interrupted by two horizontal lines and a Mercedes-Benz emblem the size of a dinner plate.
The update may come with a new set of alloy wheels. The EQA is currently available with 19- and 20-inch alloy wheels.
We have yet to see the interior in the updated EQA, so it remains to be seen if there will be any changes to the infotainment system.
The EQA has a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system running the MBUX operating system.
Included credit: CarExpert
This dual 10.25-inch screen is expected to be retained in the updated model but will run a newer version of MBUX.
It’s unclear if Mercedes-Benz will update powertrain outputs for this facelifted model.
Launched locally at the end of 2021, the Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 is powered by a single front-mounted electric motor that produces 140 kW of power and 375 Nm of torque.
It is mated to a 66.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a claimed range of 480 km per the local ADR test cycle.
Included credit: CarExpert
The Mercedes-Benz EQA 350 4Matic, expected “soon”, is powered by a twin-engine electric setup with 215 kW and 520 Nm.
It is also mated to a 66.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a claimed range of up to 432 km.
A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz Australia recently said the company did not have a precise date for the launch of the EQA 350 4Matic. However, more details are expected to be available very soon.
The EQA 350 is about six months behind schedule after Mercedes-Benz originally planned for an introduction in late 2021. High global demand and ongoing problems with components and supplies have undoubtedly contributed to the delay.
Included credit: CarExpert
The EQA and the accompanying GLA are based on the MFA2 platform that underpins the A-Class, CLA, B-Class, GLB, and EQB.
Mercedes-Benz will introduce a new compact MMA platform in 2024 that will replace MFA2 and the new Mercedes-Benz operating system (MB.OS).
It may be the last Mercedes-Benz platform to be introduced with the option of internal combustion power; from 2025, the company has said all new media will be electric-only.
Included credit: CarExpert
Mercedes-Benz has previously announced that it will go fully electric by 2030, where market conditions allow.
Until May 2022, Mercedes-Benz sold a total of 415 EQA models. It was sold by the Tesla Model 3 (4481 sales), beating the Polestar 2 (361 sales), Kia EV6 (233 sales), and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (219 sales).
The EQA will also compete against the hotly contested Tesla Model Y once it goes on sale locally, as well as the best-selling Volvo XC40 Recharge and the incoming BMW iX1.
