BBC_Top_Gear_South_Africa_June_2017

June I 2017
Junior G
Mercedes GLA 250 4MATIC
R R654 700
WE SAY: MINOR UPDATES
CAN’T HIDE AN AGEING
PACKAGE
t might be the most
inconsequential update
I
Mercedes does this year.
From a mechanical
standpoint the new GLA
range shadows the former with the usual
buzzwords of efficiency, adventure and
premium quality. In Mercedes design
parlance the updates represent ‘targeted
visual accentuation’ with greater presence
considered the outcome – not that a beefier
A Class with a higher centre of gravity
(30mm up) needed much of that.
As the baby of Mercedes’s prolific SUV
range – now up to seven models if you take
into account the coupe variants – the latest
receives the usual assortment of low-cost
retooling. Modified bumpers. Tick. New
colours. Tick. The rest, predictably, focuses
on a broader range of lightweight alloys
while bi-xenon headlights give way to
powerful LEDs. Less conspicuous is the way
the engineers have packaged aerodynamic
efficiency with drag-reducing items like
thicker underbody material, shielded the
axles and unified the exhaust to the diffuser
– don’t expect the outlawed blown diffuser
effect that took Brawn GP to the
championship.
Items of aerodynamic significance are
best studied on the GLA 45 AMG. Restyled
front apron, a positive twist to the rear
spoiler. Snarling air intakes surround the AMG
grille with new chrome detail leave 20-inch
wheels in either matt black or titanium grey as
the only optional styling mod
Mercedes is touting the availability of
360-deg camera view as a segment first. The
GLA’s outward visibility far improved from the
A Class but when you’re supposedly trying to
hitch up a trailer or just back it down a narrow
dirt track you might be grateful for the myriad
beeps your ears will suffer.
GLA’s interior retains the centre screen,
circular airvents and fascia festooned with
buttons but it still has an old cramped feel that
doesn’t correlate with Mercedes’s usual
upmarket feel. Even in this latest one the
trimmings branded Style and Urban haven’t
lifted the ambience onto a significantly higher
plane; you still have to pinch your fingers
around awkwardly placed ventilation controls
which is actually better positioned than the
infotainment dial.
And if you reach for the seatbelt a little
too hastily and clatter the B-pillar plastic,
you probably won’t be impressed by the
cheapness of major trim items. For that
reason, the Executive Package’s trapeziumgrain
aluminium, light brown satin-finish
poplar wood, plus high-gloss brown walnut are
necessary creative highlights.
Opting for the GLA over the A Class
because of the bigger boot is as big a
consideration as valuing it for the additional
ride height. The ride height aspect is largely
rendered ineffective by AMG-profiled wheels
but the boot can be opened, like all SUVs from
2014 onwards, by waving your foot under the
bumper.
The extra roominess of the GLA is one
thing but the 4MATIC options on both petrol
and diesel gives it a big advantage over its
predominantly front-wheel driven rivals.
Still, with all the fuss Mercedes is making
over its upcoming connectivity features, the
GLA has a different type of ground up.
ANDREW LEOPOLD
Night Yellow
With the exception of red, the majority
of sporty things on wheels are either
black or yellow. Lumped together
they work just as well, even if being a
nightmare to keep clean. The Night
Yellow Package, not the sexiest term,
is reserved for all, 45 AMG 4MATIC
models focussing strictly on aesthetic
updates inside and out. Unashamedly
we like it if only to savour the last
timea
special edition
performance hatch
will cost under
R1 million.
1991cc, 4-cyl turbo petrol, AWD,
155kW, 350Nm, 7A
6.6l/100km, 155g/km CO 2
0-100kph in 6.6secs, 230km/h
1505kg
SPECIFICATION
VERDICT: Newness is
clutchingatstraws.
JUNE 2017
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