Mercedes-Benz GLA review

Overview
What is it?
IT LOOKS EXACTLY HOW WE’D EXPECT A CROSSOVER’D A-CLASS TO LOOK…
WHAT ABOUT IN THE CABIN?
REMIND ME OF THE ENGINES…
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Our choice from the range
What's the verdict?
BMW X1
Audi Q3
Volvo XC40
Driving
What is it like to drive?
And I can have diesel, MHEV or PHEV, yeah?
Is it quick?
DOES IT GUZZLE FUEL FOR BREAKFAST?
Interior
What is it like on the inside?
WHAT’S CHANGED POST FACELIFT?
WILL MY PASSENGERS ENJOY THE RIDE?
Buying
What should I be paying?
BETTER HOPE IT’S WELL EQUIPPED, THEN…
WHAT’S THE BEST SPEC?

Overview

What is it?

A five-seat crossover spun off the latest A-Class’ underpinnings that’s all but guaranteed to sell well. See, the VW Group isn’t the only one spinning a million and one cars off a single platform.

In the past couple of years Mercedes has derived no fewer than SEVEN different cars from the latest A-Class’ underpinnings, all of which use a common suite of engines and technologies and, therefore, look and feel much the same. Seriously, you just pick the one that fits.

But nowadays everyone (disappointingly) loves a crossover. The outgoing GLA was a big hit for Benz, with over a million built and sold from 2013-2019, when it was replaced by the current generation. Come 2023 it’s had a facelift, though you’d need to park the two side-by-side to notice the exterior differences at least, if there’s more than meets the eye underneath. More on that in a bit.

IT LOOKS EXACTLY HOW WE’D EXPECT A CROSSOVER’D A-CLASS TO LOOK…

You’re not wrong: bit taller, bit wider, with a pinch more ground clearance and some black plastic trim around the sills and wheel arches to make it look at least semi-rugged. Textbook stuff.

Mercedes has at least mended the proportions compared to the previous generation. It’s 10 centimetres taller and a fraction shorter, aligning it more closely with rivals like the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Volvo XC40. Now it looks more like a little SUV, rather than the jumped-up hatchback it nevertheless remains underneath, and has more space inside for people and things.

But it is a bit bland, don’t you think? A bit on the nose. Not half as interesting a design as the seven-seat GLB – one of the many cars it shares a platform with – even with the chrome brightwork and big alloys of the pricey yet popular AMG Line model.

WHAT ABOUT IN THE CABIN?

There’s no doubt that the GLA’s interior is an impressive place to be, and as part of the facelift the full-size double screen dash is now standard across the range. It’s not all good news, mind: the laptop-style trackpad on the centre console has gone, and the steering wheel now has fiddly touchpad controls where there were actual switches before. At least the climate controls are still physical buttons.

That said, it’s comfortable enough and offers plenty of space for passengers front and rear, plus a good-sized boot. Material quality is generally on point too, and the customisable ambient lighting adds more wow factor. More on the Interior tab.

REMIND ME OF THE ENGINES…

Your options now consist of 1.3-litre mild- or plug-in hybrid petrols (badged 200 and 250e), or two 2.0-litre diesels outputting 163 or 187bhp (200d and 220d). We’ve driven the latter to date – full details on the Driving tab.

The 200’s 48-volt mild hybrid setup reduces engine start-up times and provides an extra 14bhp of power under acceleration, as well as improving efficiency by allowing the combustion engine to shut down when coasting.

Meanwhile, the 250e PHEV gets more power and range: electric output is now up a whopping 7bhp to 107bhp, while Merc reckons on up to 43 miles of electric range. Additionally, it now supports up to 11kW AC and 22kW DC charging speeds.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Prices start at £37,625 for the petrol-powered GLA 200. The plug-in hybrid with all the trimmings costs £50,180 – not far off an entry-level GLC. The GLA is many things, but cheap isn’t one of them. Head over to the Buying tab for more.

With its three-pointed star on the front and SUV-lite styling, the GLA will no doubt sell like hotcakes. And while the facelift has slightly improved the looks (and the interior is as dazzling as ever)… it’s a little dull. It should be better to drive and more comfortable too.

And then there’s the small matter of the elephant in the room: the GLB. See, once upon a time the GLA was the only small Mercedes SUV, but then the company shot itself in the foot by releasing an altogether better car.

To our eyes, the GLB looks more interesting, has a bigger boot and seven seats, and of course uses all the same engines and tech as the GLA because, don’t forget, underneath it’s essentially the same car. Not that much more expensive either: spec for spec there’s about £1,750 in it, or a small amount per month. Your call.

Driving

What is it like to drive?

Mercedes bills the GLA as the GLB’s more “sporty and lifestyle-oriented brother”, but it’s not sporty, it’s just firm. On AMG Line “lowered comfort suspension” the GLA thumps through potholes and doesn’t handle bigger bumps and dips in the road particularly well. A more softly sprung non-AMG Line car could be a better bet.

At least it doesn’t roll too much (we’d happily accept a bit more lean in exchange for a more pliant ride), and is easy to drive smoothly thanks to clean, predictable steering and brakes. But we wouldn’t exactly call it ‘fun’.

And I can have diesel, MHEV or PHEV, yeah?

As mentioned, the only one we’ve tried so far is the GLA 220d, which gets the most powerful (187bhp) of the two available diesel engines. The 200d gets the same 2.0-litre engine but 163bhp, while your petrol options are the 1.3-litre MHEV (200) or PHEV (250e), which gets an additional e-motor/battery.

The 220d gets all-wheel drive as standard, and it’s optional on the 200d for around £1,600, but the petrols are front-wheel drive only.

Is it quick?

In the 220d 0-62mph takes 7.5 seconds (versus 8.8s in the 200d, 8.9s in the 200, and 7.9s in the 250e), which is more than quick enough across the board. We rate this engine in other Mercs, and it’s decent in the GLA too. Makes a bit of a racket when you nail it (what four-cylinder diesel doesn’t?) but fades nicely into the background when you’re cruising.

Meanwhile the eight-speed auto gearbox is leagues ahead of the older seven-speed still used by the base petrol GLA 200 (no GLA is available with a manual). But while the shifts themselves are smooth enough and usually well-timed, it can be a bit hesitant to grab a gear when you coast into a roundabout or need to make a quick getaway at a busy junction.

DOES IT GUZZLE FUEL FOR BREAKFAST?

No GLA is especially thirsty, nor do they emit much CO2. On a mixed 100-mile route our GLA220d 4Matic managed 47.9mpg, while on our 30-mile test drive on UK roads we managed 49.6mpg, which isn’t far off the very reasonable 50.4mpg Merc claims.

The 250e PHEV claims an official 256.9mpg, but as ever it depends on how often you run it using electricity. Still, the mid-life facelift has seen it at least get more power and range: electric now stands at 107bhp and electric range is a solid 43 miles. We’ll let you know how realistic that is once we’ve had a go.

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Happily the new GLA’s interior is more memorable than the way it looks and the way it drives. The driver sits higher than before on comfier seats, like in an actual SUV, and twin, highly configurable widescreen displays – now featuring the latest generation of MBUX as part of the facelift – are standard fit. They’re a spectacular sight too, and will surely impress your passengers.

WHAT’S CHANGED POST FACELIFT?

The laptop-style trackpad on the centre console has gone (replaced by a cubby hole), which hurts our heart, but you can touch or talk to them – something that works brilliantly 90 per cent of the time. Helped no end by the smart user interface, which after a bit of practice is easy enough to wrap your head around.

Mercedes has at least used common sense when it comes to the climate controls, and has retained the row of physical switchgear underneath the turbine-style central air vents. Big thumbs up from us there. Shame the same can’t be said for the steering wheel, which is now quad-spoke and plays host to small and fiddly touchpad controls where there were actual switches before. Grrr.

WILL MY PASSENGERS ENJOY THE RIDE?

There’s more space in here compared to the previous-gen GLA: now you can fit actual adults in the back, where the seats slide about and fold flat just like they do in the bigger GLB. Meanwhile material quality is broadly fine. Scratchy plastics are mostly confined to areas of the cabin you don’t often touch or look at.

The boot floor is a two-position job, but capacity is only 485 litres (1,420 litres seats folded) in the standard petrol and diesels, and 445/1,385 litres seats up/down in the PHEV, due to the battery. That’s more than a Volvo XC40 and on par with the Audi Q3, but less than you get in a BMW X1.

Buying

What should I be paying?

Prices start at £37,625 for the petrol-powered GLA 200 and £38,295 for the 200d, while the 250e is £45,210 and the 220d is £45,615. The latter pair require you to step up a trim level, hence the otherwise unfathomable jump. The Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Volvo XC40 all start from cheaper, FYI.

BETTER HOPE IT’S WELL EQUIPPED, THEN…

Thankfully, it is. Even the base Sport Executive model (which, as mentioned above, is only available with the less powerful 200 and 200d engines) gets 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 10.25in digital instrument display and 10.25in touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, voice control, heated front seats, a reversing camera and all the safety tech you could ever want.

AMG Line Executive models add sporty trim, wheels, seats, wireless charging, fancy ambient lighting and the “lowered comfort suspension” that isn’t actually massively comfortable.

AMG Line Premium gets dual-zone climate control, augmented reality satnav and a better stereo, while AMG Line Premium Plus adds clever multi-beam LED headlights, a panoramic glass sunroof and 360-degree camera.

There’s also an Exclusive Launch Edition, which gets black 20-inch alloys, Merc’s ‘night package’, and a Burmester 12-speaker hi-fi. All GLAs come with a load of active safety kit, but on top-spec models you can pay around £1,495 for the Driving Assistance Package, which gives you virtually all of Mercedes’ latest and very clever tech.

WHAT’S THE BEST SPEC?

While we’re yet to try it on paper we reckon the 200d could well be the best of the bunch, purely because it comes in entry-level Sport trim which means you swerve the lowered comfort suspension and get the smaller alloys which should improve the ride, all while offering more power/torque than the 200 petrol. Impressively equipped as standard, too. All in, you’re looking at a starting price of £38,295.