The Mercedes GLA is clearly a crossover based on the A-class.
It's higher, more impressive and has a completely new body.
This V40 XC is not completely new, but just a V40-version.
Otherwise, they would have called it XC40.
So, it's not really a crossover. But does that make it worse?
People buy cars like this because of the high seating position.
But once inside the GLA, it feels very low.
It feels like an A-class, both cars have the same dashboard.
The seating position is very good,
You know you're not in an A-class when driving over a speedbump.
This car is way more comfortable than the very firm A-class.
It's quite soft, but that suits well with this kind of car.
It's not as comfy as a real SUV, but fits nicely in between.
Now, let's talk about taking curves.
It has a bit of body roll, but that's acceptable.
In fast corners, the screeching tires remind you it's quite heavy.
This car has sporty Dunlop tires, but with a high sidewall.
This is the GLA 200, which has a 1.6 turbo engine.
It deliveres 156 PS, and that is sufficient.
But it doesn't sound very nice.
It's connected to a DCT: Dual Clutch Transmission.
I'm not very enthousiastic about the gearbox.
In 'Economy'-setting, it can be a bit slow,
but when driving away, it stays in first gear quite long.
So it makes a lot of revs when driving slow, annoying.
In 'Sport'-mode, it's very active... I like the manual mode best.
This Volvo doesn't offer any gearbox settings,
because it has a 6-speed manual transmission.
Volvo also offers a dual clutch gearbox: Powershift.
The Powershift is better than Mercedes' DCT, but still not the best.
This T4 has, just like the Benz, a 1.6 turbo engine.
This one has 180 PS, 24 more than the Mercedes.
It's powerful, refined, smooth and silent.
The suspension is just like any other V40: very firm.
The upside is it has a lot of grip in corners,
But if you like fast cornering, why would you choose an XC?
The space in the back is also just like any other V40:
While seated 'behind myself' - I'm 1.80m -,
I almost touch both roof and the front seat.
It's not as spacious as most competitors.
How is the GLA doing on this area?
It's more spacious than an A-class, it benefits from its new body.
It's also more spacious than the Volvo, but it could be better.
When parked next to each other, it's clear the GLA is more than an A,
while the V40 XC is actually just a V40.
But is that enough to let the GLA win this test?
Indeed, this car is more SUV than the Volvo.
However, it's also 5000 euro more expensive. Quite a big gap.
The final conclusion is in this week's AutoWeek Magazine,
in which we compare these cars with the Audi Q3.
This makes even more clear where this new GLA stands.