Mercedes-Benz GLA 200d AMG Line (2024) Review

Mercedes-Benz remains one of the most-searched brands on AutoTrader, and the GLA, their smallest crossover, has enjoyed plenty of attention and excellent sales over the years. For 2024 and beyond, it has been under the scalpel. Has Mercedes-Benz succeeded in making it worthy of its hefty price tag?

Styling 

Only a very keen eye will notice the differences. New design elements include a new radiator grille with vertical louvres and a horizontal fin, while the "discreetly suggested power domes underline the self-confident appearance."

Related: 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLA colours and price guide

The front bumper has also been subtly enhanced and hints at the GLA's intentions to travel on gravel from time to time.

The GLA now also gets standard LED high-performance headlamps and LED tail lamps with a more contemporary light signature.

Related: GLA200 AMG Line, First Drive Review (2024)

Our test model had 19-inch wheels fitted, while 18-inch wheels are standard fare.

Interior layout, build quality, and tech

For a welcome change, Mercedes-Benz prioritises function over fashion for a user-friendlier daily driving experience in the GLA, but the glamorous interior aura that Benz-buyers know and love, is not lost.

The interior seamlessly marries practicality with luxury, creating a cockpit that's both sophisticated and inviting.

The free-standing, high-resolution double screen (with a standard 7-inch and 10.25-inch display) is now standard in the GLA, but you can specify two 10.25-inch screens like our test model has, above.

Mercedes has thankfully done away with the central touchpad and you now exclusively use your voice, the touchscreen, or steering wheel buttons for infotainment and other purposes. As before, the MBUX system is your in-car tech assistant, much like Siri or Google, but she still isn't as good at understanding natural speech as your smartphone assistants are, a bugbear in most modern cars.

The wireless charging pad is perfectly situated behind the two front cupholders, with a convenient rubberised storage recess where an additional touchpad used to be. The Dynamic button, volume scroller and camera buttons are conveniently located behind the front cupholders.

Air-conditioning controls are situated below the air vents, so you don't need to delve into menus. While the chunky, perforated leather-covered AMG Line steering wheel feels great to hold, I'm still not a fan of how the cursor-style satellite buttons on the steering wheel work.

Related: GLA reliability

The GLA's steering wheel design in AMG Line trim has plenty of that wow-factor.

Where build quality is concerned, most of it feels premium, but the hard plastics underneath the steering wheel are in stark contrast to the rest of the classy cabin. I do, however, love the metallic door-handle design and the suede-cloth AMG leather seats and door inserts, although they may not be 100% suited for families with messy children. Or, simply have them follow the no-eating-in-the-car rule.

Pure class, even for rear passengers.

Space, comfort, and convenience 

Just like the BMW X1, the GLA just keeps getting bigger and there is plenty of space up front, while the rear offers decent enough legroom for adults under about 1.85 metres, and a sufficiently wide seat in the middle should a slim fifth passenger want to ride along. The boot size is on par for the segment.

Our test model had a tyre repair kit under the boot floor.

The carpets are plush and rear passengers have access to two USB-C ports as well as their own, smaller turbine-style air conditioning vents. Front passengers have three USB-C ports at their disposal and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are both wireless.

Front passengers enjoy supreme comfort, but rear passengers feel special too.

Both of the front seats in our AMG Line test model were electrically adjustable (optional) and you can lengthen your under-thigh seat support if your femurs are longer than average. Seat ventilation and heating are extra, as is a rear armrest for row two’s passengers, and a panoramic sunroof above. 

Buying a used GLA? Find out which is better - diesel or petrol

Only very tall adults will have reason to complain about space in the back.

The drive and performance 

Following the worldwide electrification trend, the GLA is also at the receiving end of mild hybridization, thanks to a 48V belt-driven starter generator that reduces engine load and, at the same time, boosts performance (with its 10 kW) as well as efficiency.

The powertrain is still the same 2.0-litre, turbocharged diesel unit, but the previous 7-speed gearbox has now been replaced with the brand's 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, which does such a stellar job that I never employed the paddle-shifters once. 

The GLA's punchy powertrain and frugal fuel economy are sure to appeal to sensible buyers.

The 200d's acceleration figures are impressive for an oil-burner, hitting the 100 km/h mark in 8.6 seconds, but sadly, that diesel clatter just sounds a bit gruff in a premium German SUV with a price of nearly a million bucks. Mazda's much-larger flagship CX-60 3.3D AWD Takumi, also with a diesel engine and 48V hybrid tech, sounds more sophisticated. 

Also, ride quality is not sensational, and you'll especially feel some harshness over those speed bumps en route to school and on tarred roads that have seen better days. To try and alleviate this, I would rather just stick with the stock-standard factory-issue 18-inch wheels instead of the 19-inch option.

The ginger cat at Benguela Cove wine estate seemed impressed.

One thing that you can always rely on in Mercedes-Benz products is that surefooted feeling when you're taking a corner, even if the ride height is higher.

In conclusion; the GLA looks sexy (especially in AMG Line trim), and you have enough power and stability, but it's never going to be a highly athletic car to drive.

Fuel economy 

Realistic fuel usage in the outgoing GLA 200d was around 7.1 litres per 100 km (read our 2021 GLA 200d review by Martin Pretorius here), and just for interest's sake, my colleague, Sean, reported 8.1 l/100 km in his article of the petrol-powered GLA200 (also 2021) here.

In the 220d (diesel) model I drove in 2017 (read my review), the figure came to 7.5 litres per 100 km.

Once the engine has been run in, fuel consumption will most likely drop, too.

So what's fuel economy like in the new GLA 200d? In Comfort mode, which is its default setting, our average came to 6.5 litres per 100km. This is not bad at all, and should you ever take the GLA on a cross-country road trip, we reckon this number should improve, and you can drive in Eco mode if you're not too bothered about performance. Mercedes-Benz's claimed number is 5.1 litres per 100 km (average) and a fuel range of 843 km on one full tank.

Safety 

Mercedes-Benz has ensured the GLA gets its fair share of safety systems that also make life easier, such as auto high-beam assist that spares the retinas of oncoming drivers, a rearview camera, cruise control, park distance control (in front and at the back), park assist, an electric parking brake, hill-start assistance, and a tyre pressure monitor.

The European-spec GLA, also in AMG Line trim.

For features like adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assistance, a blind spot monitor, head-up display, Satnav, privacy glass, and an auto-dimming interior mirror, you have to pay extra.

Other safety specs include 7 airbags as standard, but you can have 9 if you tick another box.

Configure your dream-GLA via the Mercedes-Benz SA site here to get an idea of pricing for extras.

Price and competitors

In this segment, competition is tougher than a tournament at the Colosseum in ancient Rome. The Audi Q3 Sportback 35 TFSI Black Edition will set you back R893 650 while the Lexus NX 250 EX will cost you R986 800. Fancy an EV? The EX30 Plus Single Motor Extended Range is a relatively reasonable R917 900.

Once a Benz fan, always a Benz fan - or not?

Mini brings the Countryman John Cooper Works ALL4 at R1 029 768 and BMW’s X1 xDrive30e xLine carries a price tag of R1 050 000.

And all of a sudden, the flagship GLA in AMG Line trim doesn’t seem all that expensive anymore, until you start adding extras.

Here is current pricing for the GLA range in SA.

Verdict 

As much as I like the GLA, I expected a little bit more - a quieter powerplant, for starters, and a smoother, more pliant ride quality. I could probably specify air suspension, but the GLA is already not the most affordable car.

The more powerful, all-wheel-driven Lexus NX, however, gets everything as standard, including semi-autonomous driving aids, and while the other Germans do ask that you fork out more for luxury items, the Audi is cheaper than the top-spec GLA, so you have some room to wiggle on the extras. These other models are all petrol-powered though.

In the end, your specific preference for a certain luxury brand will probably be the deciding factor.

ENDS