Audphile

M-B GLA 250 4-cyl

Want an SUV with a prestigious Mercedes-Benz badge, but for the price of a Toyota Highlander? Compact and stylish, the GLA crossover hits that mark, competing against upscale rivals Audi Q3 and BMW X1. But like the related CLA sedan, the GLA sacrifices too many luxury qualities in pursuit of budget-minded buyers.

The first reality check comes upon seeing the window sticker. Despite the price-targeted marketing starting around $33,000, you won't find many examples for below $40,000 on dealer's lots, and that retail price tends to be a few thousand dollars more than the competition. You also aren't getting a whole lot of car for the money. Park the GLA next to a similarly-sized Mazda3 or Subaru Impreza and cynics might wonder where the money went. The GLA's premium does pay for a nicely finished interior and nimble handling, with compact dimensions adding to maneuverability. Fuel economy isn't too shabby either at 26 mpg overall.

But as we experienced in the CLA, if you expect real Mercedes qualities -- such as a hushed cabin, plush ride, and a vault-like solid feel -- you'll be disappointed. The loud cabin and stiff ride would bother us in a $25,000 car; paying $40,000 for that is borderline insulting. Further letdowns include marginal head room, unintuitive controls, and poor visibility. Test track acceleration numbers are impressive, but in routine stop-and-go traffic, the car feels unresponsive.

And while the GLA is some $7,000 less expensive than the larger GLK, the latter is a much more substantial vehicle. We don't have reliability data on the GLA yet, but note that the related CLA has a much-worse-than-average record for its first year on the market.

Why buy one:
•Nicely finished interior
•Good fuel economy
•Standard forward-collision warning system
•Cachet of driving a Mercedes
•Gets lots of envious looks
Why not buy one: •Expensive for what you get
•Overall refinement comes up short for a Mercedes-Benz, thanks to a stiff ride and a loud cabin
•Interior space is snug, with a small cargo area
•Lousy visibility due to the exterior styling
•Transmission doesn't shift smoothly
•Feels sluggish when driven normally, with hesitation off the line belying quick test track acceleration numbers
•Gets lots of envious looks
Viable alternatives: •Audi Q3
•BMW X1
•Land Rover Discovery Sport
Navigating the trim lines: The GLA lineup is pretty simple. Most buyers will go for the GLA250 with its 2.0-liter, 208-hp turbocharged four-cylinder. Unlike many rivals, all GLAs come with all-wheel-drive.

Buyers who crave speed (and have an extra $15,000 in their pockets) can opt for the GLA45. Tweaked by in-house tuner AMG, the 2.0-liter turbo is turned way past 11, all the way to 355 hp. Most of those extreme versions scratch $60,000.

Best version/options to get: The GLA250 is light on standard equipment. Luxury car basics like dual-zone climate control, heated seats, and a sunroof are all optional. Leather is also an added-cost item, but the standard MB-Tex leatherette is a pretty good facsimile. Going with leather as part of the Interior package also forces you to get narrow sports seats that will cramp most buyers.

Because of the lousy visibility, we'd make sure to get the $450 rear camera and the $550 blind-spot monitoring system. Resist the urge to opt for larger flashy wheels beyond the standard 18-inch ones; they'd likely make the stiff ride even worse.