The New Mercedes Benz GLA

If there is anything Mercedes Benz got right, it has been the transformation of the A class, it used to look like a smaller mommy car which is similar to the current B Class. I remember that before the A Class was launched it was said that it was targeted at a younger audience and Mercedes Benz was changing their direction to speak to a younger audience. Also what was said is that the A Class was targeted towards females and one of the specifics that was designed in such a way, for females, was the cubbyhole, it is designed in such a way that you can still open it even if you have long nails.

The A Class is probably one of the most beautifully designed models of the entire Mercedes Benz catalogue, personally I am not convinced with the design language of certain models Mercedes Benz has launched in the last couple of years but I hope I get to test drive them and see how they drive. Now back to the A Class, I am yet to drive the A Class and experience the drive but I’ve seen it on the roads. When Mercedes Benz delivered the new GLA in the gold colour at the office, you could just tell that its beautifully designed car. I was not convinced by the interior design, but I will tell you it works, I can’t exactly pinpoint what works, but it does – everything you need is at your disposal. So I got the GLA220d which was cool as well as fuel efficient.

The first thing you notice when you sit inside it, is that it’s comfortable, I opened up the sunroof to get a bit of sun, turned up the volume a bit and took it for a ride. The GLA is the mini A Class SUV therefore it’s much more elevated than the A Class, it’s not as spacious at the back as its competitor the Mini Countryman and that’s based on the design shape alone. The GLA is better than the Countryman on gravel, but the Countryman is better off-road. The GLA is much more comfortable on a terrain road than the city road, it must be the diesel. The drive experience with the GLA on the city road is ok but I understand this because maybe it wasn’t meant for the city much, also the front bumper is very low for off-road. When we took this car to my grandfather’s farm in Winterveld, I couldn’t feel the gravel road, it was as if I was driving on tar road, which is impressive. As much I don’t feel like I am the target market for this car, it fits very well with my profile, I got a lot of compliments that the car suits me. It must be the gold colour.

I found it weird that the gear leaver was behind the steering wheel, but I get the logic behind it as well, it’s less of a distraction to the driver. The sound system is also ok, I loved the Apple Airplay option because I lost my phone screen and it was cool that I could still access part of my phone via the car. This is a definitely a Marvin guy or Marvin kinda girl car, it’s a Mercedes Benz and it’s a good brand to be associated with. The one thing that I didn’t like and it confused me to no end was the parking pilot system, it didn’t make sense if you don’t have cameras in the car this feature will be frustrating.

Price: R593 640         Engine: 2.1-litre turbodiesel            Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel Consumption: 5.0 L/100 km           Top speed: 218 kph