Mercedes GLA 200 review: Step right up
Leow Ju Len
28/08/2020
Driving Experience
Here’s what the GLA 200 offers: a 1.3-litre turbo engine, driving the front wheels through a seven-speed, twin-clutch auto. That doesn’t sound like much, but its does have 163 horsepower, while the old GLA 200’s 1.6-litre turbo had 156hp.
Anyway, as a driving experience, the GLA is pleasant at best. The engine is neither especially smooth nor sonorous, but it does get the job done and feels bigger than it is.
It puts out 250 Newton-metres of torque pretty early, so the GLA 200 keeps up with traffic easily enough. When you want to press on, there’s actually an overboost function that conjures up an extra 20Nm in short bursts, and it makes the Mercedes feel nice and lively.
As for the handling, the GLA is surprisingly agile. The steering is maybe one notch below sharp, but it does offer good feedback and lets you thread the Mercedes along with confidence and precision.
You sit 97mm higher up in this car than in the last GLA, which suits the SUV narrative well but also lets you see out of the windscreen very well.
The suspension is pretty well sorted, too. The GLA can have 20-inch wheels, but the 200 Progressive’s 18-inch alloys actually create a nicely balanced ride. At low speeds a lumpy road still makes itself felt, but once you’re properly on the move the Mercedes does a good job of gliding over bumps.
About the Author
Leow Ju Len
CarBuyer Singapore's original originator, Ju-Len in person is exactly how he is on the written word and behind the wheel. Meaning that he darts all over the place and just when you thought he's lost the plot, you realise that it's just you not keeping up with his incredible rate of speed and thought.
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