Mercedes-Benz GLA review

Mercedes bills the GLA as the GLB’s more “sporty and lifestyle-oriented brother”, but it’s not sporty, it’s just firm. On AMG Line “lowered comfort suspension” the GLA thumps through potholes and doesn’t handle bigger bumps and dips in the road particularly well. A more softly sprung non-AMG Line car could be a better bet.

At least it doesn’t roll too much (we’d happily accept a bit more lean in exchange for a more pliant ride), and is easy to drive smoothly thanks to clean, predictable steering and brakes. But we wouldn’t exactly call it ‘fun’.

And I can have diesel, MHEV or PHEV, yeah?

As mentioned, the only one we’ve tried so far is the GLA 220d, which gets the most powerful (187bhp) of the two available diesel engines. The 200d gets the same 2.0-litre engine but 163bhp, while your petrol options are the 1.3-litre MHEV (200) or PHEV (250e), which gets an additional e-motor/battery.

The 220d gets all-wheel drive as standard, and it’s optional on the 200d for around £1,600, but the petrols are front-wheel drive only.

Is it quick?

In the 220d 0-62mph takes 7.5 seconds (versus 8.8s in the 200d, 8.9s in the 200, and 7.9s in the 250e), which is more than quick enough across the board. We rate this engine in other Mercs, and it’s decent in the GLA too. Makes a bit of a racket when you nail it (what four-cylinder diesel doesn’t?) but fades nicely into the background when you’re cruising.

Meanwhile the eight-speed auto gearbox is leagues ahead of the older seven-speed still used by the base petrol GLA 200 (no GLA is available with a manual). But while the shifts themselves are smooth enough and usually well-timed, it can be a bit hesitant to grab a gear when you coast into a roundabout or need to make a quick getaway at a busy junction.

DOES IT GUZZLE FUEL FOR BREAKFAST?

No GLA is especially thirsty, nor do they emit much CO2. On a mixed 100-mile route our GLA220d 4Matic managed 47.9mpg, while on our 30-mile test drive on UK roads we managed 49.6mpg, which isn’t far off the very reasonable 50.4mpg Merc claims.

The 250e PHEV claims an official 256.9mpg, but as ever it depends on how often you run it using electricity. Still, the mid-life facelift has seen it at least get more power and range: electric now stands at 107bhp and electric range is a solid 43 miles. We'll let you know how realistic that is once we've had a go.