The Mercedes GLA has been on the market for almost four years now, and that's why Mercedes has decided to freshen up the car a little.
That's right, a little, because you need an eagle's eye to spot the differences.
The bumper has been tweaked a little, the headlights,
some things in the interior... In short; they still liked the car, because the changes are very subtle.
The GLA is the tallest compact car Mercedes has got to offer.
It's just a tad short of being a SUV, so it's more of a crossover.
It looks pretty tall, but when you get in it's a bit disappointing.
The high entry is found more in its competitors.
Actually, the seating position is quite low when you get in the car.
The seating position altogether also isn't really what we're used to see in a Mercedes.
Normally, you can move the steering wheel more towards yourself,
but that isn't the case in here, which means you'll have to move your seat forward.
It's a small compromise, but then again, I'm 1,98 m, so I'm not really a regular driver.
If you're smaller than me, however, the car is more than comfortable though.
In the back, the seating is also a little bit limited.
The luggage space is decent, but not groundbreaking or something...
If you really want a spacious Mercedes, you might want to go for the B-Class,
because it's a lot bigger on the inside.
Today we're driving the 220d, which produces 170 horsepower.
That means it's got a pretty neat engine, it doesn't come short at all.
It's a very comfortable machine, but you can hear the engine working.
It's a little noisy, which is little disadvantage when it comes to comfort,
but the engine itself is very comfortable. It's connected to a 7-speed automatic gearbox,
and that's a very good combination.
There are three chassis-setups available,
a normal, comfortable chassis, a sporty chassis, which has been lowered,
and there's an off-road chassis, in case you might think it actually is a SUV which has to go off-road.
It's also available with four-wheel drive, so that'll make it a real SUV. On paper, that is.
The car we're driving right now, is fitted with adjustable dampers.
That means you can choose between 'Sport' and 'Comfort'-modes.
Even in 'Sport'-mode, it still is a comfortable car,
and that's exactly what Mercedes aimed at with this car.
Get from A to B in a very comfortable way.
I mentioned earlier, the car received new lights.
From now on, the GLA will be fitted with LED-lights.
Front and back.
Mercedes says the LED-lights are up to 70% more efficient than halogen-lights,
and they last a lifetime. You won't have to change any bulbs anymore.
The rear lights have also been tuned a little.
Those lights now set their intensity themselves. If you're driving in the day,
they're a little bit brighter, because of the surrounding daylight of course.
When it goes dark though, the lights dim a little.
If there's traffic behind the car, the lights dim even more.
Technically speaking, that's the biggest news in this car.
It's isn't exactly a nimble car, but it's very solid on the road.
If you want more dynamics though, there's still a GLA 45 AMG.
That one produces a whopping 391 horsepower.
But to be honest, I think I'd rather have that in the normal A-Class.