From the company that brought you the big, macho, boxy G-Wagon, comes the tiny little GLA. Mercedes-Benz truly does have a car/vehicle for every type of customer you can think of. A lot of car manufacturers are slowly shifting away from cars, but not Mercedes-Benz. That’s not to say MB doesn’t offer enough SUV/CUVs. For (almost) every car they sell, they also offer an SUV/CUV version of it.
About a week or so ago, I got my hands on the smallest CUV offered by Mercedes-Benz, the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC. Below are my thoughts on this “cute-ute”.
2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC Canadian Prices
The 2021 GLA is offered in three trims, the GLA 250 4MATIC, AMG GLA 35 4MATIC and the AMG GLA 45 4MATIC. The GLA 250 has a starting price of $42,400, the GLA 35 starts at $52,900, and the GLA 45 starts at $60,500.
We’ll focus on our review car’s price and how much you can expect to pay with the optional packages. Our review GLA 250 had a pre-tax/PDI price of $50,875. Options included on our vehicle were: Premium Package ($3,600), Technology Package ($1,600), Navigation Package ($1,000), Heated Steering wheel ($250), Sirius XM ($475), 360 Camera ($650), and Active Parking Assist ($900). I’ll over these packages in the “Technology” section of the review.
Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 Engine
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4Matic is powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, producing 221 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque between 1,800 – 4,000 rpm. According to Mercedes-Benz, the GLA 250 4MATIC should do the 0 – 100 km/h sprint in 6.7 seconds. Power is sent to all four wheels via a dual-clutch 8-speed automatic transmission. In Canada, the 4MATIC AWD system is standard on all models, a front-wheel drive GLA 250 is available in the United States.
If you’re looking for more power, then you can always go the AMG route. The GLA 35 comes with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder producing 302 horsepower and the GLA 45 comes with a handcrafted 4-cylinder engine, producing a whopping 382 horsepower.
Driving the GLA 250
Talking about the horsepower numbers of the AMG GLA’s might make the regular GLA’s numbers seem small, but trust me, the GLA 250 has more than enough power for everyday city and highway driving. 221 HP is not a small number, and the GLA 250 is a small vehicle.
Driving the GLA 250 4MATIC feels similar to driving the A-Class and the CLA, with a higher center of gravity. The GLA shares its underpinnings with the A-Class, CLA, and the GLB, which are vehicles we’ve recently reviewed and enjoyed.
The turbocharged engine is quick off the line and works well with the 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The GLA is a zippy little car; it’s pretty fun to drive in the normal mode and putting it in sport mode spices things up a bit. In spirit, it basically is like a “hot-hatch”, just with higher center of gravity and higher seating position, which makes it easier to get in and out of.
Styling
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 is an okay looking vehicle, it has a distinct family resemblance to other vehicles in the Mercedes-Benz lineup. The styling in inoffensive, it’s not ugly and it’s not going to win any design contests. It does however look more like an CUV than a hatchback, which the previous generation GLA looked more like.
Interior
If you have a look at our posts on the GLB, A-Class, and CLA, you’ll notice the interior on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC looks exactly the same and the overall look resembles that of other larger MB vehicles. That’s not a bad thing though, as modern Mercedes-Benz interiors are very high tech, easy to understand, and they look great. The centerpiece of the interior is the huge wide screen that starts from the gauge cluster and ends up at the infotainment screen. A big one-piece digital display. Below the infotainment part are three air vents, which have become a signature of modern Mercedes vehicles. Below these is a separate section with buttons/switches for the climate control. This layout is great, as you don’t have to go through various screens to change the temperature or air speed.
Like the interiors on the three vehicles I mentioned that share the underpinnings with the GLA, the interior on the GLA features quite a bit of hard and soft plastic materials. Which is to be expected in entry-level vehicles like this.
The interior is quiet and comfortable, it certainly feels luxurious. The seats are comfortable and provide good support. The second-row seats had plenty of leg room for my 5’ 8” frame and there was more than enough head room. The trunk is roomy enough for a weekly Costco run.
Technology, Safety, & Convenience Packages
Like other MB vehicles, you can load up the GLA 250 with a lot of different options that suit your needs. Below is a list of all the available packages, their prices, and the equipment they come with.
Sport Package ($1,700)
- 19” AMG 5-twin-spoke aero wheels
- AMG body styling
- Aluminum paddle shifters
- AMG floor mats
- Brushed aluminum pedals
- Sport steering wheel
- Chrome diamond-block grill
- Sport front seats
- Enhanced engine sound
Night Package ($2,200)
- 19” AMG bicolor 5-twin-spoke aero wheels
- AMG body styling
- Gloss black exterior accents
- Black roof rails
- Aluminum paddle shifters
- AMG floor mats
- Brushed aluminum pedals
- Sport steering wheel
- Chrome diamond-block grill
- Sport front seats
- Enhanced engine sound
Technology Package ($1,600)
- Multibeam LED headlights
- Adaptive high beam assist
- Active distance assist DISTRONIC
Premium Package ($3,600)
- 10.25” touchscreen center multimedia display
- 10.25” digital instrument cluster display
- LINGUATRONIC voice control with Natural Language Understanding
- “Hey Mercedes” keyword activation
- Off-Road Engineer Package
- Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR)
- Blind Spot Assist
- Vehicle Exit Warning
- Keyless-Go
- Foot-Activated tailgate release
- 64-color LED ambient lighting
- Inductive wireless charging with NFC pairing
- Apple Carplay and Android Auto
Navigation Package ($1,000)
- MB Navigation
- Live Traffic Service
- No-charge navigation map updates for 3-years
- MBUX Augmented Video for Navigtion
- Traffic Sign Assist
Climate Comfort front seats ($1,200)
Heated Nappa Leather steering wheel ($250)
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed my time behind the wheel of a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC. It’s the smallest SUV/CUV offered by Mercedes-Benz but it’s still quite practical and it isn’t boring to drive. It can be equipped with a lot of highly desirable tech/safety/convenience features.
