Mercedes-Benz South Africa introduced the latest GLA into our market last year. We did not manage to get our hands on the new model until pretty recently. The car loaned to us was the Mercedes-Benz GLA200d.

When the first generation GLA debuted in 2014, it was not a far cry from its A-Class sibling. The GLA, therefore. earned the unenviable title of “A-Class on stilts”. Mercedes designers were keen to create a separate persona for the second generation GLA from the hatchback.

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All-new

You can see the new GLA’s standout appearance in the images (above). You can view the more rakish A-Class and read our review by clicking here. Some cues remain from its predecessor, including those pronounced haunches, as well as the high ride height expected of an SUV. 

The GLA’s new appearance is matched by all-new dimensions as well. It is more than 100 mm higher than its predecessor, but 15 mm shorter. At the same time, it offers more headroom at the front and considerably more legroom in the rear. 

Mercedes-Benz designers have paid close attention to the front seating positions. The front chairs are higher and more upright than before, which creates a more SUV-like impression from the captain’s seat. In comparison the seats are 140 mm higher than in the A-Class. The front items of our test unit even featured seat heating and a massage function, both of which we used extensively.

Mercedes press material says that the boot volume is 425 litres. This expands to 1 420 litres thanks to the split-folding rear seat backrests. The rear bench has a trio of seat belts, but it’s better suited to just two occupants, and ideally two who aren’t too tall. 

Click here to read our Mercedes-AMG G63 driving review.

New Look Interior

Mercedes-Benz may have differentiated the exteriors of the GLA and A-Class, however the interior treatments are quite similar. That is not a bad thing as they both have the same futuristic appearance. Five turbine-style air-vents across the facia boast variable lighting. 

There is also the company’s latest generation MBUX infotainment system. The interface has a full suite of connectivity and boasts voice activation for all major controls. Front occupants can control it using the touchpad mounted between the seats, but we opted for using touchscreen instead. We found that operating the touchpad with our less adept left hand isn’t ideal.

Read our review of the latest Mercedes-Benz C-Class at this link.

Two Derivatives

South African customers get to choose from two engine options. These are badged GLA200 and GLA200d. The GLA 200 has a 1,3-litre turbopetrol (120 kW/250 N.m) engine. The GLA 200d, as driven, has a 2,0-litre turbodiesel powerplant. This engine develops peak power of 110 kW along with 320 N.m of torque.

Power from the engine is sent exclusively to the front wheels through a smooth shifting eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. There are shift paddles behind the steering wheel, though we didn’t really find a need to use them. The same can be said for the drive selector switch. The eight ratios and gutsy torque delivery make for fuss-free driving with no need to work the engine really hard.

Mercedes quotes a fuel consumption figure of 5,2-4,9 L/100 km. We found that the GLA200d really sipped fuel, particularly on the open road. During one long stint of motorway driving we saw the onboard computer read below 4,0 for a long spell. Speaking of the road…

Massive Improvement

New appearance and interior aside, the biggest area of improvement, in our view, has been the improvement in ride quality of the new GLA. The first-gen GLA was quite harsh through its suspension. This latest car, which also has a full independent suspension layout, really does soak up the bumps. 

Our loan unit rode with a composed ride. We didn’t find too much sporting pretension, which is ideal for a family SUV. That isn’t to say the car lacked outright grip. A good set of tyres made sure that there was plenty of road holding in all circumstances.

Summary

The second generation GLA really has upped its game. Mercedes-Benz engineers and designers must have paid really close attention to criticism regarding its first attempt. This new car is much improved over its predecessor in all key areas. And it really has its work cut out for it in a market that contains such excellent rivals as the Audi Q2, BMW X1 and Volvo XC40.

If there is one area of critique, and it’s hard to hide from, is that the Mercedes-Benz GLA200d is not cheap. The GLA200d currently has a starting price of just over R800 000. Add in a bunch of niceties, as per our test unit, and the price easily climbs to a million rand… which could explain why we don’t see too many on the roads.

Model: Mercedes-Benz GLA200d
Price: R804 000
Engine: 2,0,litre inline four, turbodiesel
Transmission: eight-speed DCT, FWD
Max power: 110 kW
Max torque: 320
0-100 km/h: 8,6 sec
Top speed: 208 km/h
Fuel consumption: 5,2 L/100 km