Mercedes-Benz EQA review

It is properly quiet. 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. The tyres make only a gentle intrusion, the suspension thuds are subdued, and on the motorway there's little wind rustle.

Performance leans to the gentle side too. Getting to 62mph takes 8.6 seconds in the 250+ but that's front-loaded around the 10-50mph region. An overly smart departure from rest will alert the traction control, and beyond 60 things tail off. It has a 99mph top speed and doesn't want to go see what that feels like.

Is it 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. On country roads the stiff-set anti-roll bars mean it rocks from side to side a lot.

The suspension is sophisticated enough that the car isn't actually deflected off course by bumps, but because you're being rocked and pitched around, you might be turning the steering wheel in ways you don't intend.

Grip is pretty good, but you probably won't deploy it all unless it's slippery, because the steering lacks feedback. Also, while it's low-geared at the straightahead (good for stable motorway running) the rack speeds up oddly after as you apply some lock into a corner. Still, you get used to it. 

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 the AMG Line Premium Plus pack options pack. 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 worsens that lateral rocking issue.

Gotcha. How’s the regen?

The blended braking system 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 impossible).

You can also select the force of lift-off regeneration styles – coast, medium, strong – by a pair of wheel paddles. The fourth setting is the 'auto' regeneration setting. This lets the car coast 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.