Photo: Original image by autoevolution
Look back at what you always wanted from a car. Does the list include a high ground clearance, efficient engine, all-wheel drive and 5 seats? Then the recently introduced Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic is one of the cars you should include on your short list. Not only it brings all those attributes together, but it does so with a reasonable price.
Being a new addition to the US line-up of the German manufacturer, the GLA-Class has its work cut out for him. It’s going to enter a niche that is currently dominated by the BMW X1, the cheapest offering from the BMW Group in the States at the moment. Not only that, but most people are also calling the Bimmer one of the best driving cars in the business.
The GLA comes with a front-wheel drive chassis but in the US it is offered only in all-wheel drive guise, the 4Matic sticker being a must. Pricing starts at $33,300 which makes it $2,400 more expensive than the entry-level X1. However, the cheaper BMW comes with rear-wheel drive. Get it with all-wheel drive and the difference gets smaller at just $600.
As far as the exterior goes, it’s debatable if this is a good-looking car. Since it is supposed to be usable off-road as well, the GLA-Class looks more like an A-Class on stilts, with a huge ground clearance ruining its dynamics. However, you do get to benefit from a 21 degree attack angle and a 30 degree departure one, just in case you’ll end up off-road at any time.
Inside, it’s the usual Mercedes-Benz business. Everything looks like on the new C-Class or A-Class or CLA-Class. The same rounded air vents greet you and the same comfortable seats that can be upgraded to look more like an AMG product. Actually, our tester came with AMG seats and as good as they looked, our back wasn’t extremely excited about them.
211 HP and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque are plenty for any city and even highways, helping the GLA250 4Matic reach a combined fuel consumption of 26.2 mpg (8.9 l/100 km) despite our spirited driving. That’s not all that bad considering how often the redline was reached. We also thought that you can call this car practical, especially if you’re just starting a family. Getting the Mercedes-Benz badge on your family car is not a bad proposition at all. Read all about it in our review.
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