It’ll come as no surprise that Sport Utility Vehicles have become big business at Mercedes-Benz, comprising about 60% of their total volume in the United States. While Mercedes has had various entries in the segment dating back to the original Geländewagen of 1979 (not officially sold here until 2002), the ML series of 1998 and the GL series starting in 2007 showed that Mercedes was taking this burgeoning market seriously. From those beginnings, there are now a total of six model ranges (G, GLS, GLE, GLC, GLB, GLA) in the lineup with various iterations of each and most are well into having multiple generations, including this completely revamped second generation GLA, the smallest and most affordable entry point.
Interestingly, Mercedes’ data shows that 55% of GLA purchasers are new to the brand, making it an important point of entry to draw them in and make a good first impression. However, what I found even more interesting wasn’t those 55% of first-timers, but rather the implied remaining 45% for whom the GLA is at least their second Mercedes. Since there isn’t a whole lot in the overall catalog with much lower prices, clearly “der kleiner” seems to be compelling.
For those not closely following every manufacturer’s naming conventions, deciphering the name plates at MB has gotten easier recently with all SUV models starting with “GL” (except for the original, which remains just the “G”), then a suffix showing where it aligns in the range as compared to the passenger cars – so this one is analogous to the A-Class, the GLE (formerly ML) lines up with the E-Class, and the GLS is the S-Class of the lineup.
The number at the end shows its ranking within its line but is not directly related to its engine size (and hasn’t been for some time now). In this case the 250 denotes a turbo-four of two liters displacement and a certain power level, whereas in other vehicles a 2.0 turbo with a lower power level might be labeled as a 220 for example.
Somewhat surprisingly this particular example isn’t even all wheel drive, which would have been denoted by a “4MATIC” badge on the back (all wheel drive is of course available though). It’s resolutely front wheel drive, contained a few options, and is most likely mainly marketed as a lease candidate, and then intended to be returned to the dealer in a few years to be resold as a certified pre-owned vehicle with some of the factory warranty remaining and a CPO one tacked on as well for peace of mind. Sell it twice and make money both times, seems like a winning model to me along with the obvious opportunity to sell yet another vehicle to the original owner (or lessee, as the case may be).
The first generation of GLA was introduced in 2014 and also was sold as an Infiniti-branded product with much of the same running gear but different exterior, it ended up looking much lower-slung with an almost sedan-like seating position. This time around the car’s not shared with anyone else and is produced in Rastatt, Germany, where most A-Classes have been built since 1997.
In overall size, it’s slightly shorter at 174″ in length than the BMW X1 (176″) and the Audi Q3 (177″), about the same width (72″ vs 72″ and 73, respectively) and one inch taller than the others (64″ vs 63″). However, it’s a blocky and fairly square design, not squished-looking as with the last generation, being several inches taller. Externally it’s also similarly sized (but taller) than the funky Lexus UX which we reviewed last year, although this Mercedes has vastly more interior room that that at a somewhat higher price.
That squareness does however look a little, uh, “abbreviated” is perhaps the best word and less well proportioned than some of the brand’s larger offerings. Still, for practicality and usability it’s had a lot of thought put into it, making the most of its tidy dimensions. It’s obviously a Mercedes as it’s hard to miss the large three-pointed stars on the front and rear, Night Black paint is properly elegant enough without an upcharge, and there’s just enough brightwork to provide an appropriate amount of accents.
The dimensions translate into a surprisingly roomy cabin. Having familiarity with the GLC (two sizes larger), I was surprised and had to actually look up the size differences as for me the GLA was plenty roomy with no sense of being confined in any area. The higher roofline (similar to what the GLC offers) likely helped tremendously as did the lesser tumblehome effect (the sides don’t seem as canted inward beyond a strong shoulder line).
Opening the door becomes an invitation to jump into the Macchiato Beige interior, a light bone-colored hue that’s refreshingly clean and airy and visually maximizes the space within the car. The seats are sized well (all too often smaller cars get correspondingly smaller seats). There’s a very welcome manually-extending thigh bolster for those longer of thigh but the seat is powered in all other dimensions, of course with MB’s still excellent door-mounted controls and featuring a programmable memory function for both front seats (not uncommon for drivers, very uncommon for passengers).
The headrests here are manual though, but non-intrusive and didn’t require adjustment. The seat material is not leather, and while I think of MB-Tex as having the stippled texture center portion as in older models, it seems to be the same, basically it’s a synthetic that feels great with excellent texture and appears to be of great durability while still providing elasticity and comfort day in and day out with virtually zero maintenance.
Opinions may vary, however I very much like Mercedes’ doublewidth screen panel instrumentation that here is presented as two separate 10.25″ screens seamlessly combined to have one piece of glass facing the driver with instrumentation that is customizable in front of the driver, a gap where the steering wheel rim falls within the field of vision, and then a second screen that ends up in the middle of the dashboard and can be controlled by either front seat occupant. The camera makes the actual screens visible behind the glass, in reality they aren’t and it feels like one large image without border delineation.
The system is known as MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) and various menus can be scrolled through from left to right either via the touchpad curser, swiping the screen, or using a few quick-menu buttons. Having sampled and reviewed this system previously in several other Mercedes reviews of both lower end and higher end models, this one functions the same, everything can also be controlled by voice, in this case using AI to interpret normal speech and syntax without the need for a specific way of issuing commands and acting as more of a conversation partner to get something done rather than a glorified Speak’N’Spell.
The larger screens are in fact options, and not standard features, having not experienced the more basic standard items I can’t pass judgment, (although MBUX is the standard software for even the 7″ standard screen with I believe conventional instrumentation) however as this car was equipped is the way I would want my own to be, given the choice and opportunity.
What’s also included is Augmented Reality for Navigation, which basically uses a front facing camera to display an image on the screen of what you are seeing through the windshield and then overlays the navigation instruction on top of the image, so there is no way to get confused about exactly which lane to be in or where and when to turn. This works brilliantly and is probably the only way to really get people sort of excited to still pay for navigation functionality when the standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can provide the typical experience. (The picture above just had it in “Map” mode as opposed to navigating anywhere, thus not displaying the augmented option)
In this car the front seats were heated (but not the steering wheel), controls also located in the door panels, and another option was the Natural Grain Brown Walnut Trim, which consisted of several unlacquered expanses of wood. However they weren’t solid expanses, but rather 3/4″ or so strips joined together, which added significantly to the dimensionality and texture on the dashboard and door panels in a positive way. In addition there is accent lighting surrounding these panels that in this car was customizable as to hue.
Mercedes has generally been excellent at combining their different interior colors and materials to produce cohesive effects and as such the relatively simple application of wood here added significantly to the ambiance.
It was a very comfortable and inviting place to be while driving, especially after engaging the Kinetic Seat feature that moves the driver’s seat in minute back and forth increments (seat and back independently). This feature was scoffed at by some readers in the A-Class review of last year, however it really does much to make a driver more comfortable and reduced the amount of wiggling around in the seat to minutely adjust myself on a longer drive.
Below the screen are three large rotating vents with one more at each end, the HVAC controls below with toggles for some adjustments and simple switches for engage/disengage functions, then at the bottom a deep cubby in front with two cupholders behind and the touchpad, drive mode buttons, volume control and some quick menu buttons further to the rear but just in front of the armrest and bin underneath it.
Of course the engine is started and stopped via a button just to the left of the triple vents, the key remains in pocket and all four doors are controlled from the outside with touch lock/unlock capability – an easy way for manufacturers to save money is to only offer this on the front doors which isn’t always obvious in the showroom but gets annoying quickly in real life.
What wasn’t there (surprisingly) was a wireless charging pad made more inconvenient by the fact that the USB ports were exclusively of the new, smaller variety and I couldn’t locate the optional $25 USB-C cable that was reflected on the sticker (that isn’t the car’s fault but should have been standard as the industry is really still in transition with many cars coming with both versions at this time). This car also did not have any kind of hole in the roof, as such I had excellent headroom.
The back seat was also comfortable as well as roomy. No problem for my 6’1″ of height with 32″inseam, both front seatbacks offer netted pockets, and the center console had vent outlets, power ports as well as a 115V household plug which is rare in smaller cars in a foldout panel, however there were no cupholders back there beyond the areas in the door pockets.
The seat folded in a 40/20/40 split, and while this car was not so equipped, it is possible to option the rear seat with both a fore/aft sliding function as well as a 7-position recline function at extra cost of course. For me it all worked in the fixed position during the 30 seconds I spent back there.
Please select Page 2 below to continue.
Pages: 1 2
Esthetic judgment only: the HVAC vents clash with the rest of the dash. They look like something a 1959 GM designer would have drawn, and had rejected as too garish. But they do mimic the road wheels.
My similar but different thought was that the dash vents and the row of chrome buttons below wouldn’t look out of place in a ’60s car and I like that.
I usually prefer real names to alphabet soup, but it is hard to argue with a logical, consistent system that actually tells you what the vehicle is.
At last: a Mercedes that looks like a Kia!
At the end of the day though it surely is a far more compelling package than the vehicle it directly replaced and Mercedes recognizes the important place it holds in their lineup and for their future.
It may well not have much of a future in MB’s lineup. The new CEO of MB is making very drastic cuts, and that includes their prolific model lineup. He wants MB to refocus strictly on high-end, high-margin product. The precise implications are not yet clear, but the whole low-end A Series may well be history before long. There’s really little or no meaningful profit in them, and they have rather cheapened their image.
This one certainly seems a lot better package than its predecessor, which rather turned me off.
I too have read that and wonder how they will go about it. There seem to be too many variants within the model lines, I took it to mean that they were less likely to offer a coupe, sedan, sometimes a wagon, convertible and several AMG versions of all of the above for some lines going forward and then often several SUV variants in the same/similar size class. I think the A-class (or this SUV A-Class) may still be a viable entry point, it certainly felt no less roomy than a 190E or even a W124 inside. Perhaps the prices need to increase somehow (the market will show what it will bear), my understanding is the dealers simply don’t want to stock examples of all of the variants within the existing lines.
If nothing else, it doesn’t seem that an even lower line is viable, as the A,B, and C tags are all taken. There’s still room for a D, and then a vast gulf between E and S and above that well, the sky’s the limit. Or rather, it’s called Maybach now!
My comment was a bit lacking in nuance. Yes, the primary focus is reduction of various models; seven nameplates will be cut in the US alone. That undoubtedly means the slow-selling sedan and coupe versions first. And yes, the A Class in at least this form will undoubtedly be around yet for some time.
It really gets complicated as MB rolls out more EVs. Eventually they’re likely going to settle on a flexible EV platform that can underpin all their passenger cars except maybe the S class (EQS). Maybe it too.
I wonder if that is a good business decision. The lower level German cars (M-B A-Class, Audi A3, BMW 2-series, et al) appear to be doing spectacularly well in SoCal, in part for the obvious reason that Jim mentioned – they are right-sized for urban living. Why would M-B want to give up this market? I guess I don’t really understand the company’s business model and how it works. I certainly do see the need for the company to cut down on the model offerings.
As for cheapening the image, I don’t think the young urban professionals who are the primary audience for these cars here care very much about the old, upper class M-B image. Besides, the “cheapening” of it began with 190E over thirty years ago and appeared to work as intended. My friends who bought the 190E moved on up the 300E as soon as possible. Finally, Jim makes a good case for this new model being quite nice (I still hate the cheap looking gear stalk but need to let go of that ☺). I agree that the previous GLA250 was not up to the task.
If you could recommend a seminal piece on or interview with the new CEO I would be happy to read it.
I have mixed feelings about a vehicle like this. On its own merits, it seems appealing. I’m not a huge fan of the general shape, but it is not offputing either. I like the interior styling a lot.
And I like the idea of being able to choose an expensive, well-done small vehicle. But I am not they customer they have in mind for one of these, as I am still of the mindset that a smaller vehicle contains tradeoffs I am willing to make for a lower price – but if I am going to pay this kind of money, a Kia Telluride starts to look pretty appealing.
PN’s comment above makes good sense to me – when you have lots of “regular people” driving Mercedes, the snob factor that still sells a lot of these starts to dissipate. I pass a pretty new M-B dealer every day going to and from my office, and I am amazed by the size of the place. It is larger than many Ford dealers were in the 70s or 80s.
I understand the mindset of pounds per dollar, of course where does that end? A large part of the target market likely lives in space-constrained areas of the country or world and don’t necessarily want to “settle” for the traditional small car makers’ offerings and something like a Telluride is simply too large. Looked at another way, since you have the driveway space and the roads are large where you are, why would you limit yourself to something so puny as a Telluride when surely it might be possible to dicker on a dually longbed pickup truck with even better longterm resale value…:-) You can tell I’m being a little facetious but that does exist. The example Telluride is some urban Vancouver condo-owner’s GargantuanXLCanyonero that simply isn’t as practical for them.
” jump into the Macchiato Beige interior”
If ever there was a target gender in mind for a car!
I have exactly nothing positive to say about this car, or the entire class of either subcompact crossovers or the hunched over “dog taking a poo” class of Luxury Sports Activity Vehicles or whatever they’re called. They sell like crazy around here though, I’ll tell you what. Between that, the Teslas, and the legion of Yukon Denalis/Tahoe Platinums, my low slung beige 1991 Park Avenue on whitewalls is punk rock, relatively speaking.
I suppose some people just want to be in what they consider to be a nice environment, and if they can sit a little higher up in a vehicle that isn’t as hugely tall as some others but still have a bit of a visibility advantage, then I suppose that’s alright. Perhaps at least some buyers of these took a long hard look at what they need as far as size goes and decided to pass on the best possible pounds per dollar ratio option. After all, as is often argued here, many of the drivers or occupants of the huge vehicles you mentioned probably could just as well make do with something much smaller, not that I begrudge anyone their choice or need.
Oh I totally get the appeal these things have to their target audience, in that regard I think Mercedes probably did a fantastic job (see: Macchiato interior). To offer a cheaper/smaller version of this very successful and popular type of vehicle is a no brainer, I suppose at some point you start to risk diluting the prestige of the brand, but when you’re surrounded by F-Paces and Stelvios, Macans, etc, etc, why would Merdeces balk at brand dilution and miss out on the money to be made?
The motors in these things clack like a diesel. I don’t see much of a future for these things.
Not this one, but I do know exactly of what you speak, I notice it far more in the V6 in the GLE (and recent ML badged) offerings.
Another great review. That very nice bright interior isn’t what I expected.
My BIL has one of these, though it’s the previous generation (I think). He rarely drives anymore due to advancing Alzheimer’s but he resists changes of any kind around the house, including the sale of ” his ” car (his wife has a Prius). This was their 3rd or 4th Mercedes purchase, having owned 1 or 2 E-Class sedans, an S-Class (won by my sister in a contest M-B held to introduce the new for 2000 S-Class), and now this.
My BIL seemed to think that the best feature of this vehicle was it’s price, as he seemed quite proud to be the owner of the cheapest car M-B sells.
And I must admit that I was surprised to discover that this is the cheapest vehicle Mercedes sells here.
BTW, 75% of the GLAs I see are driven by young women.
The A-class sedan is actually the least expensive by a few thousand dollars but this is the least of the SUV genre. Winning an S-Class would make it difficult to select a different car the next time around on one’s own budget!
People tend to criticize the interior of this due to the two screens, but I actually really like it, and it is one of the thngs that are making me consider buying a new A-Class once i get done with studies.
And this is coming from a W203 owner who swears by old school cars
This sounds to have everything you really need – decent space, road ability, showroom appeal (in spades), economy, comfort, equipment, but somehow it still leaves me cold, albeit, preferable to a BMW 2 series or Jaguar E Pace.
I’m not sure why but I sense it is down to the question of being taller than it needs to be, because it can….
Maybe I’m being unfair…..