Mercedes GLA-Class Review

German premium car makers are going down market in the hunt for greater sales and, spurred by the huge success of cars like the Nissan Qashqai, entering market sectors they once would have ignored.

Mercedes-Benz missed the small SUV/Crossover market in the UK because its C-Class based GLK model was never available in right hand drive to fight against the Audi Q3 or BMW X1.

Based on the new A-Class and CLA saloon, the GLA puts that right with a wide model range that even includes an AMG performance version that challenges the Porsche Macan.

How fast your GLA heaves itself down the road depends whether you went for a 134 or 168bhp turbo diesel, the 208bhp turbocharged petrol or the hilarious 355bhp AMG 2-litre petrol.

All except the entry 200 CDI are available with 4Matic four-wheel-drive. The 200 CDI comes with a six-speed manual gearbox or dual-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission.

All other models get the 7G-DCTautomatic transmission.

The 208bhp GLA 250 has strong torque, but most buyers will go diesel. The 2143cc in the 220CDI is feeling its age but is no sluggard with 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds and a top speed of 134mph.

The engine is vocal when accelerating, but smoother and quieter when cruising.

Left in Drive the gearbox is okay but throttle response is dull and sometimes it struggles to decide which gear to use. Select sport and it’s not keen to change down and if you manually over-ride it still seems sleepy.

The manual gearbox is a much sweeter bit of kit.

The 332lb ft of the turbocharged AMG’s engine powers the GLA to 62mph in just 4.8 seconds so it’s hard to keep the grin off your face. Top speed is limited to 155mph. 

Most models come with a comfort suspension set-up but our AMG test car had sports suspension which lowers the car by 15mm.

An off-road system can raise the ride height from 170mm to 204mm for tackling farm tracks.

On a quiet and bendy road the GLA 45 AMG is great fun with an enjoyable combination of turbo power and grip.

The icing on the cake was the £470 extra sports exhaust whose growls and bangs made the GLA live up to its ‘Night package’ image of 20in alloy wheels, roof rails, belt line strips and door mirrors in high gloss black.

The 4Matic system starts sending power to the rear wheels as well as the front if it detects a speed difference between the front and rear wheels.

It responds so quickly it can counter the car starting to slide either at the front or the back. If that isn’t enough the stability control system cuts in.

It sounds brilliant, but a keen driver would still enjoy a Ford Kuga or Mazda’s CX-5 more.

Less sporty GLAs have softer suspension and wallow a bit which makes them less entertaining to hustle but relaxing long distance cruisers.

That’s not to say the GLA doesn’t handle well, because while a BMW X1 is slightly better, the Mercedes has the measure of the Audi Q3.

Drive your GLA in a relaxed manner and it is excellent as mileage muncher, especially the versions on the standard 18in diameter wheels with higher profile – more rubber between the wheel and the road – tyres.

The SE variant’s comfort suspension helps here too. If you have been in an A-Class you will notice how much smoother the GLA rides and how it smothers bumps better.

Low speed ride is relatively stiff as usual with SUVs so watch out for those potholes.

It's quiet and comfortable at motorway speeds – apart from some diesel grumble at times - and the cabin a lovely place to spend your time with quality materials and a five air vent dominated dashboard which always reminds me of some sports boats.

The 2-litre petrol in the GLA 250 is much more refined.

The controls have a pleasant, positive action and general finish is very good. The large front seats were equally impressive.

Wind and road noise is mainly subdued thanks to good cabin insulation but some tyre patterns were louder on different surfaces. 

You don’t sit that high compared to some SUVs so the visibility ahead isn’t as good as in cars like the Porsche Macan or Audi Q3.

Different sized drivers were all able to find a satisfactory driving position though one female wished to be able to sit higher. The seat cushion is quite narrow.

The steering wheel has a good, fat rim and helps deliver consistent response with just the right amount of effort and the two-tone dash board has a quality appearance which is enhanced by the centrally mounted information screen for audio, communications, satellite navigation and vehicle information including fuel consumption.

The screen is non touch. It is operated using a rotary control on the centre console.

Other functions can be accessed and scrolled through using controls on the spokes of the steering wheel. It sounds complicated but you soon get used to it.

The driver’s assistance package for £1,495 provides automatic cruise control, lane keeping assistance and automatic anticipatory safety systems to minimise collisions.

A premium communications package (£1,795) includes Harmon Kardon Logic 7 sound system, intelligent lighting system and panoramic sliding sunroof.

Front and rear AMG spoilers and other aerodynamic tweaks added £1,530. 

The GLA’s styling makes it look so imposing, especially in black, it’s hard to believe it is based on the A-Class and is actually narrower and not much longer.

The reality dawns when you put people in the car. The front seats are large and comfortable and you can just fit two adults in the rear. Foot space is limited. That said, the rear seats of the Range Rover Evoque aren’t that spacious either.

You can fold and split the rear seat backs 70/30 and on some models adjust the angle of the seat back for more passenger or boot space.

Boot volume is 421 litres. This can be increased to 1,235 litres by folding the rear seats but the capacity is less than an Audi Q3.

Lift up the boot floor and there’s a folding storage box for muddy items and a repair kit, not a spare wheel. Not very encouraging if you were about to drive 800 miles to a ski resort…

There are good size door bins and plenty of cubby holes. 

Mercedes GLAs cost from £26,265 for the 200 CDI to £44,510 for the 45 AMG; but the test car topped £53,000 including optional extras.

Full consumption is very much down to your right foot. Go gentle on the throttle and the official combined consumption for the AMG is 37.7mpg, but take advantage of that four-wheel drive traction with power transferred to the back wheels to catapult you out of corners and the result was 15.1mpg to 16.8mpg.

The 220CDI makes more sense then. Brief drives, which are never totally satisfactory, suggest 40 to 45mpg compared to the lab test rating of 55.4mpg.

Carbon dioxide emissions vary from 119g/km for the 200CDI to 175g/km for the AMG which means no first year tax for the 200 and then £30 a year and £290 and then £205 for the AMG.

Thanks to the prestige name and Mercedes reclaiming slowly its reputation for quality second hand values look strong and it’s still depreciation that costs you the most.

Manufacturers are keener to improve this because it allows them to offer lower PCP deals.

SE specification is well equipped but options tend to come in packs which aren’t so keenly priced.

When it comes to reliability the Far Eastern makes are still the ones to beat and that’s only one of the reasons the sales busting Nissan Quashqai is the crossover to beat.

Visible quality is certainly good with the GLA and Mercedes has improved in reliability since the dark days of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Mercedes overall scored well in the latest JD Power customer satisfaction survey. It finished fifth overall, ahead of Land Rover, but perhaps that’s no surprise. It was behind Lexus and Jaguar but beat Volvo.

Owners rate quality highly but reliability surveys still show Mercedes in the bottom third of manufacturers. Much of the GLA’s componentry and engines are borrowed from existing models which should help reliability. 

The GLA scored the maximum five stars in the independent Euro NCAP crash safety tests with 96% for adult occupant protection; 88% for child protection and 67% for pedestrians.

Standard safety equipment includes seven airbags including one for the driver's knees and a fatigue system which monitors when the driver is getting tired and advises a stop.

A driver assistance package, £1,495 extra on the test car warns of vehicles in the driver’s blind-spot and warns about lane departures if not indicated.

Adaptive cruise control can keep the car a pre-decided distance from the vehicle in front.

An alarm and engine immobiliser are standard.

Predictable handling should help avoid an accident but a ‘pre-safe’ system can automatically tighten seat belts if it detects a collision is imminent and also automatically apply the brakes below certain speeds if the driver is not reacting.