MERCEDES-BENZ SUVs from A to B
We test M-B’s two smallest SUVs, the GLA and GLB, both in 250 form
STARTING AT A: THE GLA 250
In case you’re currently bewildered by the number and breadth of Mercedes-Benz’s SUV offerings (currently seven on the books and even different body styles within each model), a quick refresher about the GLA: it’s essentially a crossover version of the A-Class hatchback.
There was a brand new A-Class back in 2018, but the GLA has only just caught up. So the all-new model you see here is based on the latest A-Class platform, complete with all that fancy MBUX digital instrumentation and the “Hey Mercedes” intelligent voice assistant.
The GLA’s role has changed a bit in the meantime, because now we also have the GLB compact seven-seater sitting just above it (more about that in a minute).
The previous GLA did look and feel a lot like a slightly jacked-up iteration of the A-class hatch, even if the body shape was unique. The new one is shorter than the old car, but it’s 122mm taller. The proportions are very different.
As you’d expect from a machine with a three-pointed star on the front, it ain’t cheap. Our GLA 250 is the cheapest model with AWD and it starts at $86,500.
The GLA 250 isn’t super sporty, but it’s certainly quick and crisp. Surprisingly quick you might even say, with an eager eight-speed dual-clutch box and 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds.
It’s still an unobtrusive kind of performance, but then this is an unobtrusive kind of car. It’s arguably the least likely MercedesBenz SUV to be actively desired, but you could easily arrive at a GLA purchase by a process of elimination. It’s designed to fit into a very specific size, price and purpose bracket within the M-B line-up . . . in a typically precise German way.
Even if you haven’t been actively lusting after the GLA 250, it’s a satisfying thing in terms of dynamics and quality. Especially the latter, because you’re getting that fancy widescreen instrument/ infotainment display, and stunning details like the “turbine” air vents and a million (well, 64) configurable ambient-lighting colours for the cabin.
The GLA 250 gets the AMGfettled Sports Direct Steer System as standard, so that must take a little of the credit for the impression of assured cornering.
This model also has the oddly named Lowered Comfort Suspension set-up, which makes it look nice but does introduce some fussiness into the ride. It’s not uncomfortable — just as well,
because it’s called “Comfort” — but you do get the sense it goes a couple of clicks too far for a car like this.
Given the GLA is not exactly a road warrior, the 200 model looks tempting because it’s $73,300 instead of $86,500. You’d be hard pressed to tell them apart; they’re both on 19-inch wheels, for example, and the cheaper car doesn’t have that AMG Line suspension, so it presumably has a smoother urban gait.
Granted, the 200 is a lot less car in some respects: just 120kW/ 250Nm from a 1.3-litre engine, Fitting seven seats in the space usually reserved for five isn’t always easy. ’ front-drive and seven, not eight speeds in its DCT.
But if it’s a posh urban SUV you’re after, we’d say take a look at the 200 before you spend the extra on the 250. The entry car is certainly not lacking in M-B status. — David Linklater
B COMES NEXT: THE GLB 250
Top 10 car of the year contender, Mercedes’ GLB compact sevenseater sounds like it should be good, but is it?
Two weeks. That’s how long it took me to get familiar with Merc’s electronics and driving aids and features and extras. Some cars are just easy to get in and get comfortable, but the Merc isn’t like that. It’s European, so there’s the left-side indicator aspect to retune the muscle memory into, and the shift indicator is a right stalk, that in theory works well, with a “Park” button on the end, that sometimes requires more precise, more considered application: it changes gear only when the brake pedal is pressed — and in a hurried threepoint turn, it will not be rushed, at times leaving the driver freerevving in neutral.
Of course there’s radar cruise control (great), lane-change assist (very good, but often beeps on straight roads with no input), and seat kinetics and interior trim colour changing. And of course the MBUX widescreen dash/multi info display, which offers a depth of information literally at your thumb and fingertips, via either the touchpad on the centre console or steering wheel. Or, of course, the “Hi Mercedes” voice control, for things like easy climate control changes, which learns the more it’s used.
A compact seven-seat SUV is new territory that Mercedes-Benz has entered with the GLB. Fitting seven seats in the space usually reserved for five isn’t always easy, so it’s a matter of clever thinking and space efficiency that makes it worthwhile. The Skoda Kodiaq/ VW Tiguan Allspace/Seat Tarraco are prime examples of how to make it work.
With the GLB, it caters to a slightly more premium market for those families needing the parttime practicality of seats for seven that might not be full-time, and with exterior dimensions smaller than some of the anti-city street barges that these three-rowers often dictate.
For our drive, we were paired up with two examples of the GLB 250 mid-range model, so it’s easy to think of many middle-of-the-road analogies — which is actually a good thing because the 250 is a “best of”, balancing the price and performance equation like so many mid-spec models do.
The 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder with 165kW/
350Nm is about on par for a solid, quickish family seven-seater, like the Tiguan R-Line.
Mercedes claims 0-100km/h in
6.9 seconds, though our tests revealed it a little slower against the Vbox, at 7.3 seconds. Still, it’s fast enough and never feels dull, with the engine and the eightspeed DCT gearbox rarely out of their depth.
The beauty of the third row is its pair of Isofix mounting points, not a common feature in many seven-seaters, that allows capsules or boosters seats to quickly and securely attach/ detach. There isn’t a huge amount of cargo space with the third row raised, but this is a compact doit-all seven-seater, after all.
Seating is okay for adults for short distances, even six-footers, but it’s the leg/foot room that’ll start the complaints first. Childrenup-to-teens is the suggested age/ height for the third row, or 5ft-5in adults. Plus there are USB-C ports and cup-holders each side.
With the third row stowed, it’s fairly cavernous and adds to the functionality with 560 litres of space.
Second row is spacious and offers sliding seats to maximise the space available for whoever deserves/complains about it most.
As a family with three kids, we’d been keenly waiting for the GLB to see how well it suits a typical target market family, and after our two weeks and close to 1000km, we discovered a very solid SUV and a very good seven-seater for those wanting the interior benefits without the exterior bulk.