For a long time I had maintained that Mercedes-Benz shouldn’t be making anything below the C-Class. I strongly believed that the C-Class should be the entry point to the Mercedes-Benz world, and anything below it would dilute the experience. And not just Merc, I used to feel the same way about BMW and Audi—that anything below the 3-Series and A4 shouldn’t really exist.
But that’s a purist view, which more often than not doesn’t help the manufacturers’ business case. The entry level Mercs, BMWs, and Audis do bring a lot of cash for their manufacturers. More importantly, these vehicles compel other manufacturers, whose flagship vehicles compete with these entry level luxury offerings, to up their game for buyers to even consider them worthy of a second look.
Conversely, the latter group forces the former to continually strive to offer more than just badge value. Therefore, in this review, you will get to know not only if the GLA200 justifies carrying the Merc logo, but also if it makes a strong case for itself in other parameters at this price (around 50-lakh rupees).
DESIGN, ROAD PRESENCE, AND IMAGE
The GLA is a beautifully clean design. There are no unnecessary slashes or creases used for any dramatic effect. It’s a smooth and cohesive design that will continue to look good for a long time.
However, it’s certainly not what you would call an SUV. For example, the X1’s design is closer to what people have come to expect from a vehicle designated as an SUV. It’s another matter altogether that unlike the GLA and Q3, the X1 has a three-cylinder engine, which might not sit well with most SUV lovers. Still, purely design wise the GLA and Q3 are more crossovers than SUVs and that’s okay because their badges, especially the Merc’s, have more power and presence than a Fortuner.
And then there’s the image. While the Fortuner owner would mostly be perceived as a rogue nowadays, the GLA’s owner would be perceived as someone who has class, education, taste, and of course money. In fact, my best friend is eyeing one for those reasons.
INTERIORS
The interiors are quintessential Mercedes as well. I was elated to see that no major corners have been cut in this entry level Merc. The cabin feels properly posh and premium, and at no point you would feel shortchanged.
The front seats are fantastic with extendable under thigh support, and all stalks, switches, etc. have the typical Mercedes heft in them. In fact, this Merc has proper physical switches for climate control, and that further raises the ergonomic quotient of the cabin massively.
I have two minor complaints though. The ORVMs aren’t auto-dimming and the rear door pockets don’t have any kind of lining. Not acceptable in a Mercedes. That said, the rear seats are fantastic. There’s great under thigh support and even the seatback angle is near-perfect.
The cushioning is spot on and I was also surprised at the amount of legroom and kneeroom available in the GLA—more than enough to keep a family of four six-footers happy. Overall, I reckon long drives to be a breeze in this one. The music system is great too, and so is the boot space. The loading shelf sits perfectly flush with the loading lip, and as such makes loading and unloading heavier items easier. Below that shelf, there is a spare wheel which is not a full size unit obviously but it’s still a million times better than not having one in our conditions.
PERFORMANCE, RIDE QUALITY, AND HANDLING
This Merc has a relatively small-capacity petrol engine but one that makes a healthy amount of power to alleviate any worry that you might have looking at its cubic capacity.
How does a 0-100 km/h time of 8.9 s sound to you? For perspective, that’s exactly what I had managed in my fourth run on the VW Virtus 1.5 MT last year. The first three runs were in 9s. The GLA posted consistent 8.9 s runs. So, yes, the GLA200 is quick enough for all reasons and seasons in India.
For an even better perspective, let me tell you that the X1 petrol would be slower as its engine produces much lesser power and torque than the GLA engine. I would be doing a disservice to my profession if I don’t mention that the Fortuner and Camry, which can be bought for around the same price as the GLA’s, do the sprint in 10.5 s and 7.0 s, respectively. For the same reason, I must also tell you that the VW Tiguan R-Line accomplishes the same in 7.5 seconds. The GLA200d would definitely be among the quickest cars at this price, but we would talk about it once I have tested it.
For now, it would suffice to say that while you won’t win any drag races in the GLA200 petrol, it would never cause any embarrassment at the lights either. It’s equally proficient on the highway with 100 km/h coming in at 1,700 rpm in top gear (7th). More pertinently, it does 80 km/h in top gear at just 1300 rpm.
That’s where you’ll get the best fuel efficiency as well, but I’ll talk about that in a minute. Right now I must tell you that at 100 km/h and even higher up, the cabin environment remains serene, which again corroborates my statement from the last section that long drives in this one would be a pleasant affair.
I almost forgot to tell you about its braking prowess. It took just 4.1 seconds to come down to a complete halt from 153 km/h, and it did that without any drama in a strict straight line. That precision is also displayed in its handling. The chassis behaviour is sublime and the GLA can really dance like a hot hatch.
The steering feel is surprisingly better than in the X1, which definitely adds to your confidence while driving enthusiastically. I was equally impressed with the grip levels, as this GLA is an FWD and not an AWD like the GLA200d 4MATIC, which should be even more entertaining to drive.
Thankfully, that lovely handling hasn’t come at the expense of ride quality. The GLA’s suspension soaks up almost everything our roads throw at it, which again silently reiterates that you’re indeed sitting in a Merc.
FUEL EFFICIENCY
The GLA200 has Merc’s regular Eco, Comfort, and Sport modes, and driving with a light foot in Eco would yield a fuel efficiency figure of around 10 km/L in the city and a shade more on the highways.
This Merc’s ISG won’t shut off the engine completely while coasting in Eco mode like in the C-Class and above, but it does disconnect the gearbox from the flywheel, thereby bringing the engine rpm down to idle.
VERDICT
I shall keep this short. The Mercedes-Benz GLA200 does full justice to the badge it carries, while also performing well in all core parameters that we as reviewers have to assess a vehicle in, including aspiration value, keeping in mind the segment it belongs to and its competition.
Overall, as a package, it checks more important boxes than its entire competition, with that most powerful badge in India being the cherry on top. Is it the pick of the lot, then? Yes, if for some reason you can’t get the GLA200d 4MATIC.
