2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic first drive

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic first drive

Mercedes' new compact luxury SUV offers wagon-like versatility

What is it?

    The Mercedes-Benz GLA-class is the all new mini-SUV from Stuttgart that's built alongside the CLA-class and the global-market A-class hatch; the GLA250 4Matic is the entry-level version on the new two-model lineup. Designed to slide in beneath the GLK-class in Mercedes-Benz's North American showrooms, the GLA250 4Matic combines the interior space of a large five-door hatch with the off-road ability of a small SUV.

    Powered by an 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four shared with the CLA250, which is currently flying off store shelves faster than Mercedes-Benz can steam cargo ships to our shores, the GLA250 4Matic's engine produces 208 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. That's enough to send it to 60 mph in just 7.1 seconds, on to a top speed of 130 mph. Equipped with Start/Stop standard, Mercedes-Benz estimates city/highway/combined fuel economy figures of 24/32/27. Paired exclusively with a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission and an updated 4Matic all wheel-drive system, the GLA250 features a McPherson front axle and an independent multilink rear suspension, with three controls arms and one trailing arm per wheel for greater stability and control.

    With a wheelbase of 106.3 inches and an overall length of 173.9 inches, the GLA250 4Matic is meant to combine the flexibility of a small wagon with the ground clearance of a softroader -- 8 inches in this case. As in larger offerings from Mercedes-Benz, comfort and interior flexibility are major priorities and the GLA250 makes the most of its interior and cargo room, offering a generous 38.3 inches of headroom. With the back seats in their upright and locked positions, the GLA250's cargo room measures 31.8 inches in length, though that grows to 54.9 inches with the rear seats folded down.

     Even though the GLA-class is on the entry-level side of Stuttgart's model spectrum, meant to serve as a gateway to the larger SUV offerings, it'll offer a range of the familiar safety and convenience features including Collision Prevention Assist Plus with autonomous braking, a power rear hatch, 18-inch wheels, chrome roof rails, Attention Assist, Mbrace, and a total of eight airbags.

    For North America the GLA-class is designed not only as an entry into a rapidly growing segment, but to satisfy the needs of those who may have wanted to buy the C-class station wagon or the A-class hatchback, neither of which will be available here. In the real world the GLA-class will go up against the likes of the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and the Range Rover Evoque a bit further up the price range.

   What is it?The Mercedes-Benz GLA-class is all new for the 2015 model year, and, in a break from traditional product rollouts, the AMG version is debuting at the same time as the ... 

    On sale now, the 4Matic version is the sole debut variant of the GLA250, and it starts at $34,225. It will be joined in the spring of 2015 by a front wheel-drive GLA250 which will be priced a full $2,000 less, starting at $32,225.

    Also going on sale alongside the GLA250 4Matic is the positively rabid GLA45 AMG 4Matic which we reviewed a few days ago, a sleeper which squeezes out an extra 147-hp from the same basic engine via some clever turbocharger technology for a total of 355 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque.

How does it drive?

    We spent a full day driving the GLA250 4Matic around the northern part of Vermont where we got a chance to try it out on a wide range of pavement (and no pavement at all). The verdict? It's a well-rounded and capable utility.

    The 2.0-liter engine in the GLA250 4Matic may be a four-cylinder, but it has none of the coarseness we associated with other four-cylinder units from Mercedes-Benz in cars like the C230 Kompressor a couple generations back. 208 horsepower may not seem like a lot in this day and age, but it provides plenty of grunt on local roads and on the interstate.

    The suspension in the GLA250 is firmer than in the C-class, though not to an uncomfortable degree. Going through corners, the GLA250 shows relatively little lean, turning in with precision but lacking a really hard edge. Brakes are excellent -- we had plenty of chances to test them out with last second detours. The 18-inch wheels that are standard on the GLA250 may perhaps be a little too big, though Mercedes-Benz has obviously tuned the suspension to cope with them, so relatively few potholes gave us any trouble inside the cabin. The GLA250 4Matic boasts hill descent control as a standard feature, though we didn't get a chance to test it out on trails or any rough terrain.

    Since the GLA250 essentially is a very large five-door hatch, there's plenty of room inside, and Mercedes-Benz added some sporty touches to the cabin that go along nicely with exterior styling cues. The seating position in the GLA is well thought out, and despite the relatively high shoulder line it's easy to spot objects when maneuvering though a parking lot. The GLA has that fits-like-a-glove feel that the C-class has become known for.

    The cabin is modern Mercedes-Benz, closest to the CLA-class in terms of overall design, with which the GLA-class shares a platform. Unlike in the GLA45 AMG further up the lineup, the GLA250 4Matic transmission is controlled via a small shift-by-wire column-mounted stalk, a system that debuted in the second-generation ML-class.

     The steering system in this mini SUV, as Mercedes-Benz prefers to call it, is electromechanical rather than hydraulic; the feel is reasonably quick, responding reliably to sudden maneuvers such as last-second braking, as we repeatedly sought out some mild offroading opportunities on Vermont's mountain trails.

    The latest version of Mercedes-Benz's infotainment system, being a relative of the system that debuted in the mid-2000s, is still easy to use via the Comand controller on the center console, similar to BMW's iDrive.