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2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

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Make
Mercedes-Benz
Model
GLA-Class
Year
2020
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Used Car Price Range
$18,988 - $29,888
$18,988 $29,888
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2020 GLA 250 Base 4dr Front-wheel Drive
most popular
Price:   -  From $34,250
2020 GLA 250 Base 4dr All-wheel Drive 4MATIC Price:   -  From $36,250
Expert Rating
2.8 (Fair)

Our expert ratings are based on seven comprehensive criteria: quality, safety, comfort, performance, fuel economy, reliability history and value.

You can interpret our ratings in the following way:

: Outstanding vehicle. Only the most exceptional vehicles achieve this rating.

: Very Good vehicle. Very good and close to being the best vehicle in its class.

: Good vehicle. Decent, but not quite the best. Often affordable, but lacking key features found in vehicles of the same class.

: Below average vehicle. Not recommended, and lacking attributes a car buyer would come to expect for the price.

: Poor vehicle. Simply does not deserve to be on the road.

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Overview

What's New

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class is back without its AMG trim. The AMG GLA 45 model is gone, leaving just one trim. Otherwise, the compact GLA-Class crossover is back virtually unchanged.

Choosing Your Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

The Mercedes-Benz GLA-Glass is now offered in just one trim: GLA 250. It's priced at $35,245 including destination.

Engine Choices

Every GLA 250 has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It's paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, but all-wheel drive (4MATIC) is available for $2,000.

The GLA-Class makes an EPA-estimated 24 miles per gallon city, 34 mpg highway, and 28 combined. Choose AWD and these numbers drop to 23/31/26 mpg (city/highway/combined).

Passenger and Cargo Capacity

The Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class seats five, but it's most useful for four. A pair of passengers can squeeze into the back seat, but space is quite tight with limited legroom. The headroom is further restricted by the sloping roofline.

The GLA-Class has 17.2 cubic feet of cargo capacity in the trunk, but that expands to 43.6 with the rear seat dropped down.

Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

Safety Features

The GLA-Class has standard automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and a driver attention warning system. Unfortunately, the rest of the available active safety features require add-on packages.

Blind-spot monitoring is a $550 standalone option, while lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise control are bundled in the Driver Assistance Package ($1,500). The Parking Assistance Package ($1,400) includes front and rear parking sensors and a surround-view camera system.

We’ve found better safety offerings on competing models such as the Lexus NX.

Connectivity

Mercedes-Benz equips the GLA-Class with an 8-inch color display, HD radio, Bluetooth, and two USB ports. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available, but require the Smartphone Integration Package ($350). This is disappointing, as even inexpensive mainstream models such as the Hyundai Elantra include the tech standard.

Optional features are bundled in the Multimedia Package ($2,300), which includes navigation, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a DVD player.

Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

GLA 250 - From $35,245

Standard features on the GLA 250 include 18-inch alloy wheels, a 4.5-inch driver information display, and a power liftgate. Inside, the seats are wrapped with imitation leather. Push-button start, power front seats, dual-zone climate control are also included.

The options list is long, in typical luxury vehicle fashion. A sunroof is a $1,500 standalone option, while full leather upholstery costs $1,650. Heated front seats, keyless entry, push-button start, blind-spot monitoring, satellite radio, and a hands-free liftgate are all bundled in the Premium Package ($1,900).

Compare GLA-Class Specs Side-By-Side

CarsDirect Tip

Package options on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class can easily push your final price above $40,000. Choosing individual items may provide the best bang for the buck.

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Contributing Editor
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Expert Review

Pros
  • Great seats
  • Decent powertrain
  • Competitive pricing
Cons
  • Showing its age
  • Lackluster interior
  • No AMG model
Expert Rating
2.8 (Fair)

Our expert ratings are based on seven comprehensive criteria: quality, safety, comfort, performance, fuel economy, reliability history and value.

You can interpret our ratings in the following way:

: Outstanding vehicle. Only the most exceptional vehicles achieve this rating.

: Very Good vehicle. Very good and close to being the best vehicle in its class.

: Good vehicle. Decent, but not quite the best. Often affordable, but lacking key features found in vehicles of the same class.

: Below average vehicle. Not recommended, and lacking attributes a car buyer would come to expect for the price.

: Poor vehicle. Simply does not deserve to be on the road.

author image
Automotive Editor

Luxury in 7/8 scale. For not a lot of money, you can buy an unpretentious mainstream crossover that can do everything you ask of it, all with a level of refinement unheard of even just 15 years ago.

Yet, for just a little more money, you can buy a luxury crossover that's equally practical but much more prestigious. If that's more your speed, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class is your kind of chariot.

As the entry-level Benz crossover, the GLA 250 won't impose or impress like a hulking Mercedes S-Class or Mercedes G-Class. This generation of the GLA is also in its final year, so its design is starting to show its age. But there's plenty of competence here, if you can look past the relatively downscale interior and the present lack of any AMG iterations.

Tepid performance. The GLA-Class is the final year for a design that first appeared in 2015. With retirement in sight, the AMG model was snuffed out early. This means that the only engine option is the base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that's mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Take a look around the segment and you'll find most models in this class are powered by some variation of this basic powertrain. Mercedes has wrung out 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque from theirs.

These numbers are a bit on the low side – Audi and BMW both get 228 hp out of their 2.0-liter turbo-fours. However, it's more than the 187-hp Volvo XC40 that also vies for buyers in this class.

In any case, the Mercedes' 208 hp allows for a rather unimpressive 7.1-second 0-60 mph sprint when equipped with all-wheel drive. It's not quite as fast as the Volvo, BMW, or Audi, all of which sneak in under the seven-second threshold.

Despite being the laggard for 2020, there's a chance the GLA will brandish the performance title again once the new 2021 model hits the streets with a new AMG variant. Expect that model to be much more of a barnstormer than this tepid GLA 250.

Middling interior. The Mercedes name connotes a certain lavishness, but reality falls a little short of expectations with the entry-level GLA 250. Something had to give to keep the price attractive, and so the interior was shorn of some of the typical Mercedes touches. It's not outrageously cheapened or blatantly downmarket. It just doesn't have the flash and glitter one might expect.

What it does have is nice enough. The comfortable seats are 14-way power-adjustable and they fit snug thanks to bolstering that's a little on the aggressive side. The standard dual-zone climate control and 8-inch touchscreen keep things appropriately luxurious. You'll also get power tailgate, Bluetooth, and keyless ignition for no charge.

What you don't get? Standard Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Mercedes charges you $350 for that convenience, despite it becoming more and more commonplace with every passing year.

Options such as heated seats and leather upholstery will give this Benz more prestigious airs, but it's hard to ignore some of the black plastics and hard-touch surfaces scattered throughout the interior. Even fully loaded, you can't get around the fact that this is budget-luxury.


Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

The question of value. The GLA-Class starts within a few hundred dollars of both the BMW X1 and the Audi Q3. Other competitors like the Lincoln Corsair and XC40 are within $1,000 of it. Clearly, then, the GLA 250 is priced right. But does that mean it's a good value?

We're thinking otherwise. Now that the AMG trim is gone, you can get better performance with the optional engines from Volvo and Lincoln. If you want all the latest tech, that's best served by Audi. BMW brings the driving dynamics. And the most stylish, as subjective as that is, could easily go to the Lincoln. This leaves the Mercedes outclassed in the categories most important to shoppers.

The passing of time is partially the problem. The GLA, remember, is a five-year-old vehicle trying to compete with designs that have been on the market for just a year or two. At the hectic pace of progress, this is nearly a lifetime. It means what was a good car in 2015 has dropped to being just a meh car for 2020.

2021 will see an all-new GLA debut. This second-generation model should bring significant gains in interior quality, powertrain performance, and standard technology. Whether this closes the gap between the Mercedes and its competitors remains to be seen, but, if nothing else, it'll be a more compelling product.

Final thoughts. Aging is a bummer, just as much for cars as it is for people. As different models come and go, the most praiseworthy of these – if left alone long enough – become less so. Then new models from unexpected competitors, like Lincoln and Volvo, arrive to further reorder the rankings. And in turn what was once competitive is no longer so.

Such is the case with the 2020 Mercedes GLA 250, a crossover that used to be strong contender in this class but now finds itself outdone by a variety of rivals. The passing of the AMG model, the decent-but-not-class-leading interior, and styling that's beginning to show its age all render the GLA a has-been.

Luckily, a new model is on the way and should be here within the year. Our advice? Wait for that one to drop before shelling out for this outgoing model. After all, new and improved is always better than old and inferior.

Check prices for the 2020 GLA-Class »

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Specs & Features

Highlights
Overall Crash Safety Rating
Not Available
Engine - Cylinders/Horsepower/Torque
2.0L I-4 / 208 HP / 258 ft.lbs.
Transmission
7-spd AMG SPEEDSHIFT auto-shift man w/OD
Drive Type
Front-wheel
Fuel Economy - City/Highway/Combined
24 / 34 / 29 Mpg
Passenger Capacity
5
Bumper to Bumper Warranty
48 Months / 50,000 Miles
Mechanical Specs
Engine - Cylinders/Horsepower/Torque
2.0L I-4 / 208 HP / 258 ft.lbs.
Drive Type
Front-wheel
Fuel Economy - City/Hwy/Combined
24 / 34 / 29 Mpg
Brakes
4-wheel Disc
Front Suspension
Strut
Rear Suspension
Independent Multi-link
Spare Tire And Wheel
Fuel Tank
14.8 Gal.
Recommended Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded
Average Cost To Fill Tank
$56
Dimensions & Capabilities
Maximum Cargo Volume
43.6 Cu.ft.
Passenger Volume
Exterior Length
173.9 " / 174.9 "
Exterior Width
71.0 "
Exterior Height
60.0 " / 58.4 "
Front Headroom
Rear Headroom
Front Legroom
Rear Legroom
Front Shoulder Room
Rear Shoulder Room
Front Hip Room
Rear Hip Room
Curb Weight
3,296 Lbs.
Wheel Base
106 "
Turning Radius
19.4 '
Exterior Features
Door Count
4 Doors
Wheels
18.0 " Silver Aluminum / 19.0 " Black Aluminum / 19.0 " Machined W/painted Accents Aluminum / 19.0 " Black Amg Aluminum
Paint
Clearcoat Monotone / Matte Monotone / Metallic Monotone
Exterior Mirrors
Dual Heated, Power Remote Driver, Power Remote W/tilt Down Passenger / Power Remote Heated Driver
Bumpers
Body-colored
Grille Moldings
Black W/chrome Accents
Rear Spoiler
Lip
Exhaust
Stainless Steel With Polished Tailpipe Finish
Interior Features
Seating
Passenger Capacity
5
Seat Trim
Mb-tex Leatherette / Leather
Front Seat Type
Bucket
Heated Front Seats
Driver And Front Passenger Heated-cushion, Heated-seatback
Front Driver Seat Direction Controls
8-way (8-way Power)
Front Passenger Seat Direction Controls
8-way (8-way Power)
Front Armrests
8-way (8-way Power)
Rear Armrests
Center With Pass-thru
Rear Seats
60-40 Bench
Radio & Infotainment
Radio
Am/fm/hd, Seek-scan / Siriusxm Am/fm/hd/satellite, Seek-scan
Speakers
8 / 12 Harman/kardon
Radio Steering Wheel Controls
Apple Car Play
Android Auto
Bluetooth w/ Hands-Free Connectivity
Convenience Features
Steering Wheel Type
Telescopic Tilt
Climate Control
Automatic Air Conditioning
Cruise Control
Sun Roof
Express Open/close
Rearview Mirror
Day-night / Auto-dimming Day-night
One Touch Open Window
Front And Rear
Tinted Windows
Deep
Vanity Mirrors
Dual Illuminated
Remote Keyless Entry
Keyfob (all Doors)
Power Outlets
3
Safety Features
Overall Crash Safety Rating
Not Yet Available
Overall Front Crash Safety Rating
Not Yet Available
Overall Side Crash Safety Rating
Not Yet Available
Rollover Crash Safety Rating
Not Yet Available
Front Impact Airbags
Driver And Passenger
Driver Side Impact Airbags
Seat Mounted
Knee Airbag
Driver
Passenger Side Impact Airbag
Seat Mounted
Rear Side Airbag
Rear Side-impact Airbag
Seatbelt Pretensioners
Front
Anti-Lock Brakes
4-wheel Anti-lock Brakes (abs)
Forward Collision Warning
Active Brake Assist With Autonomous Emergency Braking Forward Collision Mitigation / Pre-safe Forward Collision Mitigation
Blind Spot Sensor
Blind Spot Assist Blind Spot / Blind Spot
Lane Departure Warning
Lane Keeping Assist Lane Departure
Autonomous Cruise Control
Hands-on (with Lane Change) Steering Assist
Pedestrian Detection
Front Pedestrian Detection Prevention
Driver Attention Alert
Attention Assist Driver Attention
Daytime Running Lights
Auto High Beams
Adaptive Headlights
Parking Sensors
Parking Pilot Front And Rear
Security Systems
Security System
Panic Alarm
Ignition Disable
Immobilizer
Warranty
Bumper To Bumper Months Miles
48 Months / 50,000 Miles
Major Components Months
48 Months / 50,000 Miles
Included Maintenance Months
Roadside Assistance Months
48 Months / 50,000 Miles
Corrosion Perforation
48 Months / 50,000 Miles
Accessories Months

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