Mercedes-Benz EQA350 4Matic here Q4

MERCEDES-BENZ Australia Pacific has confirmed the second member of its upcoming EQA family will arrive Down Under in the fourth quarter of this year in the form of the potent 350 4Matic.

With the first examples of the entry-level EQA250 due in local showrooms next month, the 350 4Matic will not only add more power to the equation but all-wheel-drive as well, along with a more generous specification level, the finer details of which will be revealed closer to its local launch.

Using the same 66.5kWh battery pack at the EQA250, the 350 4Matic ups the ante considerably in terms of power and performance, developing 215kW and 520Nm from its dual-motor set-up.

Despite the axles each having their own motor, the front or rear bias of the system can be evaluated and altered up to 100 times a second in the name of maintaining maximising traction in all driving conditions, just like a traditional all-wheel drive system.

The extra grunt and added traction inevitably improves acceleration times with 0-100km/h dealt with in six seconds flat – almost 3.0 seconds faster than the EQA250 (8.9s).

While the performance factor may have been dialled up, the twin-motor set-up has also resulted in a reduced range of up to 432km (WLTP) for the 350 4Matic compared to the base-model’s “up to” 480km figure.

Due to it using the same battery, all of the EQA250’s charging capabilities have been carried over to the higher-grade including the 100kW maximum DC charging capacity and 30-minute charge time from 10-80 per cent.

Global equipment highlights meanwhile reportedly include LED high-performance headlamps with adaptive high-beam assist, easy-pack powered tailgate, 18-inch alloy wheels, 64-colour ambient lighting, luxury seats with four-way adjustable lumbar support, a reverse camera, leather-wrapped multifunction sports steering wheel and the signature MBUX infotainment system.

While the 350 4Matic is guaranteed to make it Down Under, question marks are still hovering about the less potent 300 4Matic – debuted at the same time – being offered here.

Sporting all of the same standard equipment highlights as the 350, the 300 is the same package just with reduced outputs to help bridge the gap down to the front-drive 250.

Again using a 66.5kWh battery, the EQA300 4Matic develops 168kW/390Nm and can cover between 400-426km on a single charge.

In their native Germany, the 300 and 350 4Matics carry starting price tags of €53,538 ($A83,125) and €56,216 ($A87,281) plus on-road costs respectively.

The local pricing and specification details for the Aussie-bound EAQ350 4Matics will inevitably be confirmed closer to its launch, however given $76,800 starting price of the 250, we would expect the directly converted price above to be close to the local figure.

Mercedes has sold 10,285 new vehicles in Australia so far this year ending April, marking a 26.2 per cent improvement on the 8150 units chalked up this time last year.