Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class: carsales Car of the Year 2020 contender

Any new SUV gets airplay in Australia – all the more so when that SUV sits in the sweet spot in terms of urban-friendly size and is wearing a prestige badge.

The second-generation Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class could quite quickly become one of the prestige German brand’s top-selling models Down Under. Such is our country’s love affair with SUVs and crossover hatches – especially so when they offer compact exterior dimensions and useful space inside.

The new Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class arrives with an elevated but still approachable entry price and is usefully larger than the model it replaces. It’s taller (tick), gets a bigger boot (tick) and has a higher seating position and more headroom (tick and tick).

That it is also safer, more efficient and comes in a four-model line-up that ranges from (very) mild in the Mercedes-Benz GLA 200 to (thoroughly) wild in the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S 4MATIC+, makes it a shoe-in to end up on many an aspirer’s shopping list.

The latest tech, both safety and infotainment, is another feather in this accomplished and attractive new vehicle’s cap as it enters the 2020 carsales COTY, proudly presented by Bingle.

Mercedes-Benz almost defines ‘mass-tige’ Down Under. Its model line-up is expansive and brand appeal is now almost universal. Only the bifurcation of passenger cars and commercials in the official sales figures means Mercedes-Benz isn’t listed in Australia’s top 10 brands every month.

So, it’s our guess that the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class will spread its net wide for customers.

It’s arguably too small for families with more than one child or those carrying around teenagers – Mercedes-Benz has the GLB-Class to tick that box. But as a second car or primary choice for the young and trendy, as well as empty-nesters, it’s a great choice.

The front-drive GLA 200 is arguably the pretender of the bunch. The all-wheel drive Mercedes-AMG models are seriously capable and quick machines that take hot hatches to a higher level – in altitude as well as attitude.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC is undoubtedly the pick of the bunch. Versatile with its all-wheel drive, relatively affordable and sporty enough, it is in many ways all the Mercedes many of us need.

The second generation arrives Down Under at a substantially higher entry price than the outgoing vehicle – $10K higher in fact. But that escalation comes with a significant increase in standard equipment, no more obvious than in the entry-level Mercedes-Benz GLA 200 priced from $55,100.

Powered by a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine (120kW/250Nm), the GLA 200 is front-drive only.

Tipped as the top-seller, the $66,500 GLA 250 4MATIC steps up to a 165kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine matched to all-wheel drive and Benz’s latest eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It’s the pick of the range.

From here the co-badging swaps from Benz to AMG for the Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 4MATIC priced from $82,935 and the stove-hot 310kW/500Nm Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S 4MATIC+ – which arrives with a six-figure plus sticker ($107,035).

Safety levels have been boosted, with every model fitted with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, blind spot assist with exit warning assistant, active lane keep assist, nine airbags, cross wind assist, PRE-SAFE accident anticipatory systems and traffic sign recognition.

However, adaptive cruise control is optional on most models and comes as part of the driving assistance package ($1990), which also adds active lane change assist and extended semi-autonomous driver assistance in traffic jams.

There is a limited-run Edition 1 pack that can be added to the Mercedes GLA 200 and GLA 250 models, priced at $6990 and $5990 respectively. This adds upgraded seats, carbon trim highlights, AMG body tweaks, 20-inch AMG multi-spoke wheels, and more.

Another popular add-on will be the Vision package which costs $2690 on the GLA 200 and adds a panoramic glass roof, multibeam LED headlights with adaptive high beams and a parking package. It costs $1190 on the GLA 250 as that model already gets the pano glass roof standard.

“In earnest, the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz GLA was one of those vehicles that left you feeling a bit vanilla. But the execution is much more convincing this time round,” our own Sam Charlwood wrote on the occasion of the GLA’s local launch.

“The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol in the GLA 250 offers a strong breadth of performance, underlined by a linear powerband and respectable real-world efficiency.

“The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA [also] benefits from its bolder new SUV direction and all of the advances delivered by other new Benz small cars based on the same second-generation front/all-wheel drive platform, including the latest A-Class, B-Class and all-new GLB-Class...

“As such... instead of feeling like an A-Class in stilettos, it now feels more like a shrunken GLC-Class, albeit one that makes very efficient use of its smaller proportions.”

As noted above, this is the type of vehicle more and more Aussies are placing near the top of their new car shopping list.

It’s likely set to be a success, but winning the 2020 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle, would be the icing on Mercedes-Benz’s strengthening small car cake.

Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC at a glance:
Price: From $66,500
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 165kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 170g/km (ADR Combined)