GLA gets a revamp
REFRESH HAS TOUGHENED UP THE LAST OF THE QUARTET
Mercedes- Benz has worked its way through the mid- life revamp process for each of the model lines built on its smallest platform.
The GLA is the last of the quartet to receive the refresh treatment following upgrades to the B- Class, A- Class and CLA. It’s now arriving on New Zealand roads and it’s easy to see the objectives with a new grille and bumper treatment plus a revised rear lower design which have been penned to toughen up the appearance of the GLA.
A 12- slot grille theme — arranged in two groups of three either side of the three- pointed star emblem — and three more in the lower garnish are the identifier for the GLA 180, GLA 220d and GLA 250 4Matic.
It’s a new look that widens the separation between the GLA and the A- Class hatchback to align the GLA more closely with the SUV family tree of larger GLC, GLE and GLS models.
The external upgrade also includes an 18- inch five- spoke design in vanadium silver finish for the GLA 220d and a 20- inch AMG multi- spoke alloy wheel in Himalayas grey with a high- sheen rim flange on the GLA 45 4Matic model.
To put emphasis on this new positioning the Mercedes- Benz media launch for the updated GLA took journalists into the Canterbury hill country with some gravel driving and frosty highways.
The drive was a reminder the GLA line- up delivers four distinct levels of performance at neatly stepped price points.
Front- wheel- drive GLA 180 petrol and GLA 220d diesel versions are priced at $ 60,900 and $ 67,900 respectively and the progression to all- wheel- drive comes with GLA 250 4Matic which is $ 80,000 and the fully muscled GLA 45 AMGat $ 109,700.
At the entry point the GLA 180 provides a modern smalldisplacement ( 1.6- litre) direct injection turbo solution with 90kW of power and 200Nm of torque matched to the seven- speed dual clutch transmission for lively openroad response and impressive efficiency.
A diesel alternative has remained in the GLA family with the 220d model powered by the