Used 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2018 GLA-Class, so we've included reviews for other years of the GLA-Class since its last redesign.
Love the GLA250!
Scott Lancaster, 07/20/2016
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class GLA 250 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
41 of 42 people found this review helpful
I love this car! It's an absolute blast to drive whether on the highway or on the curvy back roads and it looks great! You push this car to pass someone one the back roads and it just hunkers right down like it's driving on rails. The way it handles, drives, and looks is all Mercedes. Inside and out everything is polished. One odd thing is the multimedia display is not a touch screen. AppleCar play works great although I do prefer the Mercedes navigation over Apple's. One thing the detailed reviews don't tend to go over are the different driving modes you can put the car in. The different modes change how the steering feels, how sensitive the throttle is, where the shift points are, along with some specific behavior for the mode. There modes include Comfort (the default), Sport, Offroad, Eco, and an Individual mode where you can changes some of the settings. Eco will give you the greatest gas mileage: softer steering, slow throttle response (unless to punch it), shifts early, shuts the engine off at stops, and tends to "coast" the engine. Sport stiffens the steering, very sensitive throttle response, and shifts late (fun!). It also will use more active all-wheel drive (4MATIC models) going around corners. Comfort is in-between Eco and Sport. Offroad softens the steering, slower throttle response, shifts later, and cuts back on the anti-lock brakes for better stopping distance from "plowing" the gravel on braking. Individual mode lets you change some of these settings. All modes except Offroad turns off the engine at stops by default (this can be overridden). Honestly, other than suspension behaviour, it feels like you're getting 3-4 different cars in one. You can go totally green commuting and highway driving and get great gas mileage; get something in-between if you want more response and trade-off gas mileage, or go totally fun mode on the back roads. If you drive on a fair amount of dirt roads (like I do), you get the bonus of offroad mode as well. This didn't make or break the deal for me--it was an unexpected bonus! I ended up w/ the Kryptonite Green which looks much better in person than on the computer screen--great color! I used Edmunds to get $4200 below MSRP.
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Love the Lowrider
jbrooks, 07/03/2018
updated 01/03/2020
2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class GLA 250 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
37 of 38 people found this review helpful
Updated Jan 2020 - After 18 months, like this car better than when we purchased it. Would prefer more headroom (believe a sunroof, which we don't have, provides more). Needs an interior lock/unlock key on passenger side. Long trips - i.e. RTP NC to Pittsburgh round trip - firm ride but comfortable and when you arrive after 9 hours on the road, you are NOT beaten up - very appreciative of that. Gas mileage still good - used oil the first 2-3K miles - since then zero oil consumption. No mechanical issues or electrical/infotainment concerns - knock on wood (which is attractive by the way). Car drives and handles well - both AC and heat are good - esp AC in the South. Would buy a new one (and probably will looking at how sharp the 2021's are...). Original Purchase: Key things: 1. Premium gas (offset by really good gas mileage). 2. Lower height than most SUV's and crossovers 3. Learn how to use the throttle correctly to moderate turbo. We shopped everything - Ford Edge Titanium | BMW X1 and X2 | Volvo XC 40 | Audi Q3 | Subaru Outback | Chevrolet Equinox. Looked for five star safety (US or Europe). Reviews said car was loud. We don't find it any louder than our other cars. Maybe a little quieter. Believe any excess noise due to run-flat tires. Reviews also said car was jerky. It is correct that between 1600 and about 1900 RPM there is some turbo lag to be managed by the driver in automatic mode (i.re. not shifting manually). Brakes are excellent and steering, despite steer by wire, appears to have good feel and is on point. AC fan control is via up and down buttons - would prefer a dial...Apple car play works as it should. There are a lot of customization options available..Front seats are very comfortable - back seats are comfortable for me - 6' tall - much taller and there could be an issue! We did a "test packing" at our dealer - we loaded suitcases with the back seats up and then loaded - with the seat down - we stored 4 standard suitcases, four other cases, two backbacks, a dog crate and some other this and that. Of course, while we are the dealership, we did the same load test in the GLC as well. Got a good end of model year closeout price so very pleased.
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Poor value for the price
J Shoup, 09/13/2017
updated 09/14/2018
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class GLA 250 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
31 of 32 people found this review helpful
Let's get to the fun stuff first -- this car accelerates and corners like a Mercedes should, quick off the start or merging on a highway, handling winding roads, and comfortably using the cruise control to increase speed 5 mph at a time. When you step on the gas, it feels like the engine is gently pullling you along. Even with cruise set at 75 through the mountains of WV, there's no lurching between gears. Panoramic sun roof and shade screen is nice. The GLA is definitely more hatchback than SUV, though, when it comes to size and fit. Cargo area is small, back seats are smaller, and even front head & leg room is slight. Reliabilty has been an issue: an electronic part failed, causing a complete electrical failure that would have cost $2400 to replace if the car wasn't under warranty. Tires replaced after 25,000 miles, mostly highway, dealership said I was lucky to get 20k from them because they're soft rubber for performance. On third set of tires after 46,000 miles. So plan on $800 every 20k for new tires. Entertainment system is unnecessarily complicated, and the iPad looking thing on the dash (that looks like a last minute addition) is NOT a touch screen, so it's all buttons and knobs. Electronic safety systems have quit on me 5-7 times in the last 15 months, but they work fine when the car is re-started later. Overall, I'd expect better reliability for this level of engineering. Would not buy in the future.
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Stylish, Sporty, Solid, Comfort!
FJG, 06/28/2016
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class GLA 250 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
17 of 17 people found this review helpful
This vehicle is a truly beautiful machine with robust power and a comfortable & luxurious ride. It's relatively compact, though seats 4 adults comfortably; the benefit to the smaller SUV size is great gas mileage. It's very well built (sturdy) and gives a sense of security and confidence in driving. With all the bells and whistles, it's a modern tech dream -- radar cruise control, blind spot monitoring, rear camera, big nav display, and simple bluetooth pairing for phone music/calls. The pano sunroof makes the cabin seem very spacious, and the sport package styling is sharp and aggressive. Ride is smooth & quiet, and we do not notice any erratic transmission shifting as others have commented -- maybe they re-programmed the transmission for this newer factory model? The dealer experience (Fletcher-Jones in Henderson, NV) was exceptional compared to any other. They didn't pressure us to buy inventory and cheerfully helped with a factory order. It took about 3 months to arrive. We ordered in South Sea Blue, Brown Leather, Satin Poplar Wood, Sport Package, Panorama Roof, Bi-Xenon & LED Lights, Interior Package, Premium Package, Multimedia Package, Power Passenger Seat, and Driver Assistant Package. Highly recommend this car in a "loaded config" -- it's the nicest car we've every owned or driven!
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Cool Week in Florida with a GLA 250
Dirk Durstein, 11/30/2016
2017 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class GLA 250 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
26 of 27 people found this review helpful
Rented a GLA 250 4-matic to drive from West Palm Beach to St. Augustine and back for a wedding. The front seats were exceptionally comfortable and supportive, and the rear cargo area was plenty for two and our gear. Not much room in the rear for passengers - which was irrelevant to us. Performance - acceleration, handling, braking - was exhilarating. Ride was firm but not harsh while cruising. Fuel economy was excellent. Used sport mode around town and economy on the highway, with sport steering setting. Cruises easily at 100 mph with little road noise and full control. The engine stop/start feature was an aggravation, with hesitation, so I disabled it. The transmission was smoother in sport mode than in economy or comfort. There is a custom feature available too. Audio was good but not great, and no equalizer controls. I would opt for the Harmon-Kardon upgrade for $750 (can be ordered separately from various packages). Burnished aluminum on dash was ugly and reflected too much sun. Opt for wood. Electronics were a steep learning curve indeed; but this was a rental with insufficient time to study the manual. Not intuitive. I agree the central screen looks like a cheap add-on. Visibility is limited due to the small windows all around. I normally drive a Ford Focus hatch with manual tranny, so the outstanding performance and solid quality build was impressive. Missed the clutch; but there are paddle shifters. Did not take it offroad; but doubt it would make it over the dune on the Outer Banks. More of a slick-handling sporty AWD hatch with tremendous performance for the price. Cannot even imagine driving the AMG version.
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