Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC 2021 Review

Price and equipment

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC hits the showroom at $66,500 plus on-road costs – making it about $10K pricier than the entry-level GLA 200.

The well-specified base-grade GLA features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, two large 10.25-inch screens, satellite navigation, digital radio, 64-colour ambient lighting, alternate drive modes, auto parking, proximity key, electric tailgate, LED headlights with adaptive high beam, a chromed grille and 19-inch alloy wheels.

The GLA 250 amps it up a notch in the cabin with additional features like a sunroof, push-button engine start and heated front seats, but the big-ticket items are centred on the mechanicals.

All-wheel-drive and a larger capacity, more powerful engine find their way into the 250 – as does sports suspension and an Off-road Engineering package.

Optional extras available on the GLA 250 come in various ‘packages’ starting with a $915 Vision Package which brings adaptive LED headlights, a 360-degree camera and a panoramic sunroof.

The $1915 ‘Sports Package’ receives unique 19-inch wheels, privacy glass, black roof rails, an AMG body kit, AMG brake callipers, carbon trim, AMG floor mats and a leather-clad sports steering wheel with paddle shifters.  

The $2338 AMG Exclusive Package adds Titan Grey Peal/Black Lugano leather upholstery but the most expensive option is the $3490 ‘Innovations Package’, which includes a Burmester sound system, head-up display and augmented video.

It’s fair to say that each options package is just icing on the cake for an already well-equipped standard package.

Mercedes-Benz covers the GLA 250 with a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty and servicing is recommended at 12-month/25,000km intervals.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC is seriously safe but is yet to receive an ANCAP safety rating.

Expect that to be a ‘no-brainer’ when you look at the safety technology on offer, particularly when it’s headlined by autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which can stop the car at city speeds for pedestrians and parked or stationary vehicles. Also standard is blind spot warning and active lane-keeping assistance.

The standard features continue in the GLA 250 4MATIC with nine airbags, traffic sign recognition and an active bonnet that lessens the impact on pedestrians if unfortunate contact is made. There’s also something called Cross Wind Assist to keep the car from swaying at speed, which I cannot either confirm or deny works or is even necessary, but I applaud Mercedes for thinking about every conceivable safety aspect.

Advanced safety technologies such as semi-autonomous driving for traffic jams and active lane-changing assistance are available if you tick the ‘Driving Assistance Package’ box. I’ll talk more later about how the assistance systems can at times be actively annoying.

The Exit Warning Assistant works well as it illuminates the blind spot warning lights in the mirrors to highlight potential hazards that you may open the door into.     

After giving Mercedes a spray in my last review, I was pleased to see a USB-C port (now found in all the Mercs) in addition to a conventional USB-A outlet in the car this time.

If the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC is on your radar then the lure of its mechanical package is probably why, and it’s certainly the main attraction.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine produces a useful 165kW/350Nm and is mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT) driving through all four wheels. 

In comparison, the base GLA 200 looks rather underdone with its 120kW/250Nm 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine, seven-speed DCT and front-drive powertrain.

The choice then comes down to how much urban or city driving you do as the front-drive GLA 200’s small  engine is more than adequate for most, but would leave you wanting when torque and power is required for those country road overtakes in particular.

The GLA 250 comes standard with lowered sports suspension and the aforementioned Off-Road Engineering package features a drive setting for, er, tough terrain. There’s also a downhill descent function and a neat headlight beam broadening feature for increased slow-speed visibility.

It’s nice that Mercedes has made the attempt to include off-road features, but don’t go thinking the GLA 250 is an extreme bush-basher – it’s more like the vehicle you take away for weekends in the country or a ski trip.

Speaking of ski trips, the GLA 250 is pretty frugal with the juice as Mercedes-Benz claims a fuel economy figure of 7.5L/100km across combined open road and city conditions, and 9.7L/100km in an urban environment.   

Key to the more ‘SUV-like’ stance of the new-generation Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC is that it’s now 14mm shorter in length but also 30mm wider and a whole 122mm taller.

The driver’s seat is almost 100mm higher than before and the wheelbase grows by 30mm, liberating an extra 116mm of rear legroom than the previous generation without compromising boot space, which up from 421 to 435 litres behind the rear seats.

The cargo area enjoys good flexibility with the 40:20:20-split second-row seats, but disappointingly there’s no full-size spare. Instead you’ll have to make do with a compressor and a can of goo.

The A-Class-inspired interior is bang on for comfort and the driving position is very good. Benz has got its act together with a brilliant sports steering wheel and the two large infotainment and instrument screens that are intuitive and easy to use. The turbine-style air-vents are simply stunning, as is the interior ambient light show that kept my young kids entertained.

The front seats offer reasonable support, but like most Mercs they seem to focus on larger proportioned occupants when it comes to the side bolsters. 

The GLA 250 4MATIC is certainly zippy enough on road with its handling exhibiting a super-safe, slightly understeering balance when pushed hard.

Owners will need to understand how a dual-clutch transmission works to appreciate that it’s never going to be as smooth as car equipped with a torque convertor unit, since the GLA can sometimes be a little hesitant.

Given the three-pointed star on the nose of this more overt small premium SUV, the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC will sell like hot cakes regardless of what us journos say about it, and deservedly so.

I think it offers good value and of course the brand cache that comes with the Benz badge. The extra cabin room and the shift to a slightly more SUV-like (I use the term loosely) body will certainly broaden the appeal compared with the  already popular previous generation.

It’s fair to say that most GLAs won’t see any off-road action and I would probably give the hard-core trails a miss, but it’s nice to know that some level of rough-road capability is there.

The interior is roomy, comfortable and full of the latest safety and connectivity technologies in a well thought-out and easy to use package.

However, one could say that the driving aids are a touch overzealous or a little too safe (if there is such a thing). For example, if you get anywhere near a bull’s roar of a white line it slows the car dramatically and the alert is less than subtle!

I get it if you’re falling asleep behind the wheel but in normal everyday driving conditions it forces you to drive in the exact centre of the lane… and don’t even think about clipping an apex or using the ideal line.

That was difficult for the racer in me, but I reckon almost all drivers will get frustrated at some stage with the over-cautious safety nannies.

All in all, however, the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC is pretty much the perfect prestige small SUV that does everything expected of it in a comfortable, practical and sporty fashion, even if it’s a little too safe.

Disclaimer: Luke Youlden is a Bathurst 1000 champion, 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup series competitor, Tekworkx Motorsport mentor and chief driving coach, deputy chief instructor for the Porsche Experience and also works for Pilota Sportiva, whose clients include Audi Driving Experience and Volkswagen Group Australia.   

How much does the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC cost?
Price: $66,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Output: 165kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 170g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A