The Mercedes GLA is here and we’ve reviewed it. Ben Griffin takes the new crossover, based on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class for an in-depth road test to assess its practicality, quality and ride quality. Our test car is the 220 CDI diesel with AMG Line specification.
Not so long ago it was enough for a car to get from a to b without bursting into flames these days buyers want to have their cake and to eat it which is why car manufacturers like mercedes have started offering crossovers a kind of cheesy marketing term for a car that combines two elements into one one such example is the mercedes-benz gla a premium hatchback
With offroading turns and sees darts if you front up the cash comes with four-wheel drive it looks like a beefier curvier a-class which makes sense because that’s exactly what it is but is it any good it might not be a full-on suv but i think the gla is suitably aggressive especially with all the amg extras that come as part of the night package the interior is
Typically mercedes-benz everything feels a solid as pub furniture take the air vents for example the action to increase or decrease air flow is as smooth as butter you also get sporty seats that are more comfortable than they look and a meaty steering wheel you also get a bit of red stitching the metal here and there that makes the interior feel just a bit more
Sporty this particular review car is fitted with a panoramic roof which sounds a lot better than it actually is a thick pillar splits the glass into two sections which makes the 900-pound optional extra questionable say these losses points for the somewhat confusing layout there are levers everywhere there’s a lever for the gears as a lever for the indicators and
There’s another lever for the distronic plus adaptive cruise control which we’ll talk about later the infotainment display isn’t much better either it seems to be more bezel than actual display the resolution is low as well swearing appears a little bit fuzzy all there’s nearly forgiven when you listen to the optional harman kardon system which kicks out a really
Impressive sound boy racers will definitely appreciate a bass while everyone else with functional hearing will enjoy a balanced mix of lows mids and highs the mercedes gla benefits from having boxy proportions you get storage spaces everywhere and a big enough boot for a monthly shot it’s taller than the mercedes-benz a-class and there’s plenty of space for people
Of height whether in the back or in the front the addition of 4matic for does make you feel safe and cozy in the rain and you benefit from better traction at all times but even with a hill start hold mode slightly increased road height and hill descent control the gla feels more hatchback than off-roader this gl 80/20 offers plenty at all can go when you want
It to unfortunately there is some reluctance to go initially and it takes a second or so for the turbo to wind up and stop them start situations this initial weight can prove very tiresome the engine noise isn’t very refined when you start up and when you’re pushing it but it does settle down when you’re cruising along the ride is quite firm in this energy spec
Especially with the 1980 amg alloys and the run-flat rubbers but to be honest it isn’t bad enough that it shakes to the bits it is definitely not as rock hard as the a-class the steering is light and precise but it is somewhat limited in its ability to provide feedback still there is more than enough grip for normal use a real standout feature of the gla is the
Distronic bus adaptive cruise control which you can turn on with one of the levers somewhere down here basically this lets you follow the car in front automatically slowing down and speeding up as necessary better still it will work to a complete standstill and all the way up to motorway speeds once it’s on you only need to worry about the steering the gla is a
Touch heavier and less agile than the a class but i think that’s a worthwhile trade-off it has a kind of rugged charm about it i don’t think i will ever need the extra clearance and 4-wheel drive when parking in an mcp but i like to know it’s there versatility is never a bad thing mercedes cars are supposed to fill premium and this delivers i can forgive a few
Foibles because the over experience is one of comfort and luxury hell it even drives itself which is the stuff of films like iroh so the question is should you buy this car if you have been paying extra for the budge and a build quality and you want to do a bit of off-roading from time to time then i really do think this car ticks all the boxes plus it looks a
Whole lot better than its rival the bmw x1 although to be fair that really isn’t saying much in fact if i was to travel on a plane i probably wouldn’t want to get out of the range rover sport i just want to drive it straight onto the plane and up into business that car cook the steak
Transcribed from video
Mercedes GLA AMG Line Review: Not just a big A-Class By RecombuCars