The Star: February 25, 2021

Mercedes SUV can
be sporty or tame
THERE’S BEEN a lot of
debate in the Star Media
newsroom lately as to what
constitutes a four-wheeldrive
vehicle.
When reporting, there’s a
general belief that anything
that sits high and looks like
an enlarged station wagon is
a 4WD.
Of course, that’s not the
case, many of today’s tall wagons
just have drive to front or
rear wheels only, and they fall
into the category of sport utility
vehicles. To complicate the
matter many SUVs do have
four-wheel-drive.
One car which squarely
fits into the SUV and 4WD
categories, and adds a luxury
element as well, is Mercedes-
Benz’s GLA 250, an entirely
new model that has just
landed in New Zealand.
The GLA has been a steady
seller for the brand, and the
newcomer will easily pick-up
where its predecessor left off.
At just over 4.4m the GLA
is firstly a compact SUV, but
one that is versatile and capable
as an all round family
vehicle, and one which can
be sporty or tame all in the
one package.
The GLA lands here in four
variants depending on power
outputs, all engines have fourcylinders.
The 200 (2WD) has
a 1.3-litre unit, the 250, AMG
35 and AMG 45 S have the
same basic 2-litre engine with
varying power outputs depending
on how much turbo
boost you require as a driver
and, as I’ve alluded to, those
three models get Mercedes
Benz’s 4Matic all-corner drive
system.
The GLA 250 lists at
$86,500; others in the range
start at $73,300 and end at
$126,400 for the full noise
45 S.
In recent years I’ve evaluated
several Mercedes-Benz
vehicles with the low power
2-litre turbocharged engine,
and have never been disappointed.
The GLA 250 sits
with that well, it is capable
and competent, it’s just that it
doesn’t have the massive injection
of power that comes
with its AMG stablemates.
Interior features are
MERCEDES-BENZ GLA 250: Four-wheel-drive
provides a feeling of control and balance.
• Price – Mercedes-
Benz GLA 250 4Matic,
$86,500
• Dimensions – Length,
4410mm; width,
1834mm; height,
1611mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
four-wheeldrive,
1991cc, 165kW,
350Nm, eight-speed
automatic
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 6.7sec
• Fuel usage –
7.5l/100km
extensive and too numerous
to mention but I must make
mention of the large centre
screen display which flows
across the dash panel, much
like the size of two iPads
joined together horizontally.
Most of the in-cabin features
can be controlled through
it, but if you would prefer to
make adjustments through
voice command, a simple
‘hey Mercedes’ will prompt a
reply, and you can talk to the
vehicle instructing it through
a multitude of commands.
Up front sits a 1991cc,
twin-camshaft, engine which
is rated with 165kW and
350Nm of torque. On the
subject of figures, it also fares
quite well with fuel usage,
Mercedes-Benz claiming a
7.5-litre per 100km combined
cycle average. During
my testing time the trip computer
was constantly listing
around 8.5l/100km which
wasn’t that far distant).
The GLA 250 drives
through an eight-speed
dual clutch automatic
transmission. The low and
close proximity of ratios
allow for a solid, unbroken
flow of power. When the
pressure is on, the GLA 250
will launch to 100km/h from
a standstill in 6.7sec and
easily complete an 80km/h
to 120km/h overtaking
manoeuvre in 5sec.
These are quick times and
will satisfy the performance
driver, when the turbo is
boosting strongly the feel of
power is dynamic, inviting
spirited motoring.
I took the test car through
the gentle undulating twists
and turns of the inland
scenic route of the Selwyn
district, returning home
through Dunsandel and
Lincoln. Even though the
4Matic system only comes
into play when grip at the
front is marginal, there is a
feeling through the driveline
of control and balance.
With its 4Matic system
the GLA 250 has useful offthe-seal
ability. I didn’t take
it off-road bar for a short
burst on a shingle track, but
I can imagine it would be a
great car to tackle the winter
skifield access road or, as
we come into summer, the
perfect vehicle to travel to
the peninsula batch.
It is also a good example of
why the word utility is part
of the SUV acronym.
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Thursday February 25 2021 The Star 33
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