LIKES
- Relative value
- Relative spaciousness
- Solid turbo-4
- Good power/efficiency balance
- Attractive interior
DISLIKES
- Fussy steering wheel controls
- Piecemeal options
- Expensive packages
- Off-road package won’t lead to off-roading
- Smallish cargo area
BUYING TIP
The 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLA small SUV ushers upwardly mobile buyers into the brand.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class? What does it compare to?
The smallest crossovers in Mercedes’ robust SUV lineup—the GLA250, AMG GLA35, and AMG GLA45—offer a relatively inexpensive gateway to the German luxury brand. The GLA-Class competes with premium subcompact crossovers such as the BMW X1, Audi Q3, and Volvo XC40.
Is the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class a good SUV?
The GLA’s attractive design, good feature set, and balance of power with efficiency earn it an above average TCC Rating of 6.8 out of 10.
What's new for the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class?
Not much is new after last year’s redesign, except for the addition of satellite radio to the Premium package.
Its bubbly shape flows into the wind with a perky 2.0-liter turbo-4 that makes 221 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. A smooth 8-speed dual-clutch automatic sends power to the front wheels, unlike the rear-drive basis of other Mercedes’ SUVs, but all-wheel drive is an option. An independent suspension keeps it quick and shifty, like a hot hatch sized to American tastes. AMG variants push that premise further.
Last year, the shift from more hatch-like proportions to a taller SUV shape expanded rear-seat leg room to 38.4 inches, and made the GLA a decent fit for four adults. Its reclining rear seats also fold down to expand cargo volume from 15.4 cubic feet with the rear seats up to 50.5 cubic feet.
The GLA-Class hasn’t been crash tested, but comes with standard automatic emergency braking. Other driver-assist features that many automakers include as standard cost an extra $1,700.
How much does the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class cost?
For $37,450, the base GLA250 comes with power front seats, a power liftgate, keyless start, and a panel of side-by-side 7.0-inch screens for the instrument cluster and the touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All-wheel drive adds $2,000. Options range from a 10.3-inch touchscreen to a panoramic sunroof and ambient lighting that come standard on AMG models. The AMG GLA45 tops the lineup at $56,025.
Where is the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class made?
At the Sindelfingen plant, near Stuttgart, Germany.
Styling
The GLA embraces the cute ute spirit.
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLA a good-looking car?
Last year, the GLA250 grew from hatchback proportions into a taller, wider, but no less effervescent vehicle. Its bubbly body and upscale interior earn it a point each for a 7.
Mercedes channels aviation design inside and out to winning effect, even on its entry-level model. Two wings span the mesh grille while the Mercedes tri-star centers the face of the GLA. Short overhangs, a domed hood, available 20-inch wheels, and an integrated roof spoiler on AMG models give it the presence of a hot hatch but in a taller riding vehicle. It looks simultaneously sporty and sophisticated.
Performance
The GLA’s squat body and punchy turbo-4 keep it spry.
The GLA no longer rides like a hot hatch, yet the small crossover is quick and shifty enough to earn it a point each on our scale to a 7.
How fast is the Mercedes-Benz GLA?
The 2.0-liter turbo-4 in the GLA 250 makes 221 hp and a robust 258 lb-ft of torque. With all-wheel drive, the little bulldog hustles to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. The turbocharger whips the torque into shape as early as 1,800 rpm, and there’s plenty of pop from a stop as well as when cruising. Smooth paddle shifts from the 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission keep it nimble when needed, while the overdrive gears at the top end return good fuel economy.
Unlike other Mercedes’ crossovers, the GLA is front-wheel drive, not rear-wheel drive. Even when equipped with all-wheel drive, the GLA retains its front-axle bias with a torque split of 80% to the front and 20% to the rear. In Sport mode, 30% of the torque gets sent to the rear axle for a slight lift, and the Off-road mode standard with AWD splits the torque evenly. The 5.6 inches of ground clearance prevented us from daring it into an off-road jaunt.
With so much weight and power at the front axle, the GLA plows when pushed hard into corners, but in everyday driving the MacPherson front struts and multi-link rear suspension help keep the GLA stable even when the weight favors the front when braking. It’s not meant for the autocross, but the AMG variants might be.
We have yet to test the 302-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 in the AMG GLA35 and the GLA45’s 382 hp 2.0-liter turbo-4.
Comfort & Quality
Space for four passengers makes for a better GLA.
Last year, Mercedes redesigned the GLA to better fit rear-seat passengers at the expense of some front leg room. Despite short seat bottoms and snug sport buckets, the power front seats and expanded cargo space earn it a point each, barely. It’s a 7, by a tenth.
Front passengers get a taste of Mercedes’ quality and style, with turbine-like vents across a sleek dash trimmed with ambient lighting. Keep the eyes up, though, because the smudgeable gloss-black plastic console has lost its luster and the swatches of plastic on the lower dash expose its entry-level roots.
The seats front and back can tend to the stiff side, especially in AMG’s sport buckets, and the standard seats have short seat bottoms. Power adjustability makes up for the, ahem, shortcomings.
Rear passengers max out at two, though there are seatbelts for three, and the more than 38 inches of leg room nudges into larger compact crossover territory. The rear seats have an optional recline function, and the versatility expands with 40/20/40-folding rear seats.
The cute bubble shape of the GLA sacrifices cargo volume behind the rear seats at a squat 15.4 cubic feet.
Safety
The GLA comes with standard automatic emergency braking, but little else.
How safe is the GLA-Class?
It’s hard to gauge, since the NHTSA and the IIHS haven’t crash tested it. The GLA-Class comes with standard automatic emergency braking, but other driver-assist features cost extra that many automakers include as standard.
Its broad outward vision makes up for the narrow rear vision, which is one reason we’d recommend the $1,700 Driver Assistance package. It adds active lane control, blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and a more sophisticated emergency braking system that can pull the car over to the shoulder at speeds under 37 mph.
Features
The GLA250 comes well equipped, but the brand’s finer features cost extra.
The base GLA250 comes with 8-way power-adjustable front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a power tailgate, keyless start, and a panel of side-by-side 7.0-inch screens for the instrument cluster and the center display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That gear earns a point, as does an options list that includes a 10.3-inch touchscreen, a panoramic sunroof, a surround-view camera system, and augmented navigation. The infotainment system earns another point to an 8 here.
A limited 4-year/50,000-mile warranty lacks the complementary service of some rivals.
Which GLA should I buy?
The base GLA250 costs about $38,000 and all-wheel drive adds $2,000 more. We’d probably stop there, though Mercedes-Benz nickels and dimes some features that should be standard, such as wireless smartphone charging for $200 or reclining rear seats for another $360.
How much is a fully loaded GLA?
The 382-hp AMG GLA45 comes in hot at $56,000. The uprated engine is complemented by adaptive dampers, uprated 4-piston brakes with larger rotors, and all-wheel drive. Heated bucket seats and a power tailgate comes standard, but even at the top end Mercedes charges extra for luxury basics such as leather upholstery, cooled seats, and AMG bling such as red seat belts.
Fuel Economy
The GLA’s turbo-4 nets an efficient 28 mpg combined.
Is the GLA-Class good on gas?
The GLA’s turbo-4 is one of the more efficient in this gas class. At its best, the front-drive GLA250 has an EPA-rated 24 mpg city, 34 highway, 28 combined. That’s good for a 5.
The all-wheel-drive GLA gets 23/32/26 mpg, similar to the BMW X1 AWD, while the AMG GLA35 gets 22/30/25 mpg, which is the same as the base Audi Q3.
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