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I thought I would share my impressions of the cars I’ve test driven in addition to the GLA. These vehicles aren’t all in the same market segment, but rather are cars that have captured my interest. I’ve been driving a 2008 Lexus ES350 for the past seven years, and, despite being very happy with the car, I'm getting a bit bored.
Mercedes GLA 250 — What struck me immediately was the go-cart-like handling of the GLA. Just pulling it out of its parking space is more fun than I’ve been used to. The entire car feels like it’s been carved out of a single piece of high-strength steel. It reminds me somewhat of my 1998 Volkswagen Passat and 2000 Audi A4, but with even more responsiveness. I drove two GLAs, one with the 19” wheels and one with the 18” wheels, and, for me, the 18” wheels gave the better balance between ride and handling. The Harman Kardon audio blew me away, and gives the best sound quality of all the cars I’ve tested. I use a favorite piece to test, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra’s performance of BWV 1053 movement 1. The hatch-mounted subwoofer gave this piece a life I hadn’t previously experienced. One negative is that the driver’s door armrest could be a bit longer (I’m 6’3”, 260# for reference.) Lack of door armrest room is a problem I have with many cars, as is poor visibility where low rooflines meet the windshield. While somewhat improved over my Lexus, the height of the windshield could be better. I will likely need to occasionally crane my neck forward when first-at-light.
Volvo S80 — This is a full-size sedan that gave me the best driving position of any car I’ve tested. I initially wanted to test drive an S60, but the driver’s door arm rest was too short to accommodate my elbow, so I opted to drive the S80. The leather in this car is a standout, very soft and feels thick and luxurious. Visibility all around is outstanding, as is ride comfort. Handling is surprisingly good for a large car. If I were set on getting a sedan this would be it.
BMW 428xi — Handling comes in a distant second to the GLA, with ride comfort being on-par. The lower seating position did not appeal to me, but otherwise this car fit my large frame rather well, especially the driver’s door armrest and front visibility. The leather is hard and textured in a manner that I found unattractive. The back seat is pretty much useless for adults. Interior styling (especially the all-red dashboard at night) is dated.
Range Rover Evoque — The driver’s seat in the four-door version did not slide back far enough to fit me with a comfortable driving position, so I tried a two-door model and that worked much better. I had plenty of room, good armrests and good front visibility, but this car drove like a truck in comparison to the GLA, and I cut the test drive short as a result. I really did not like driving it much at all. One item of note is that this car comes with a heated steering wheel which gets plenty warm. I would have enjoyed that feature very much on cold winter days.
Audi Q3 — The salesman suggested that I use my first merge as an opportunity to test this car’s acceleration, which I did, flooring the pedal (something I’ve never done in seven years of driving my Lexus, which I’ve driven at over 100 mph on multiple occasions) and the Q3 still wasn’t going as fast as I wanted. This car is just really pokey. It’s also soft, soaking up bumps nicely but has nowhere near the fun handling character of the GLA. There is plenty of room in the cockpit, with outstanding visibility all around, but until my salesman adjusted the center armrest I actually found the driving position to be a bit awkward, almost like I had too much room. In particular, the steering wheel doesn’t pull out far enough. I need to have the seat pushed back pretty far to fit my legs comfortably, but that means I need the steering wheel to slide toward me, and the wheel just doesn’t have enough travel. I also had nowhere near the sense of solidity I’ve experienced with the GLA.
Well, that’s about it. No car is perfect, and there are always compromises. I will add that the GLA provokes an emotional response in me that I just don't often get from a car. I may test a Subaru XV Crosstrek while I continue waiting for my order to be built and shipped, but otherwise there aren’t any other cars piquing my interest. I hope these impressions are helpful.
Mercedes GLA 250 — What struck me immediately was the go-cart-like handling of the GLA. Just pulling it out of its parking space is more fun than I’ve been used to. The entire car feels like it’s been carved out of a single piece of high-strength steel. It reminds me somewhat of my 1998 Volkswagen Passat and 2000 Audi A4, but with even more responsiveness. I drove two GLAs, one with the 19” wheels and one with the 18” wheels, and, for me, the 18” wheels gave the better balance between ride and handling. The Harman Kardon audio blew me away, and gives the best sound quality of all the cars I’ve tested. I use a favorite piece to test, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra’s performance of BWV 1053 movement 1. The hatch-mounted subwoofer gave this piece a life I hadn’t previously experienced. One negative is that the driver’s door armrest could be a bit longer (I’m 6’3”, 260# for reference.) Lack of door armrest room is a problem I have with many cars, as is poor visibility where low rooflines meet the windshield. While somewhat improved over my Lexus, the height of the windshield could be better. I will likely need to occasionally crane my neck forward when first-at-light.
Volvo S80 — This is a full-size sedan that gave me the best driving position of any car I’ve tested. I initially wanted to test drive an S60, but the driver’s door arm rest was too short to accommodate my elbow, so I opted to drive the S80. The leather in this car is a standout, very soft and feels thick and luxurious. Visibility all around is outstanding, as is ride comfort. Handling is surprisingly good for a large car. If I were set on getting a sedan this would be it.
BMW 428xi — Handling comes in a distant second to the GLA, with ride comfort being on-par. The lower seating position did not appeal to me, but otherwise this car fit my large frame rather well, especially the driver’s door armrest and front visibility. The leather is hard and textured in a manner that I found unattractive. The back seat is pretty much useless for adults. Interior styling (especially the all-red dashboard at night) is dated.
Range Rover Evoque — The driver’s seat in the four-door version did not slide back far enough to fit me with a comfortable driving position, so I tried a two-door model and that worked much better. I had plenty of room, good armrests and good front visibility, but this car drove like a truck in comparison to the GLA, and I cut the test drive short as a result. I really did not like driving it much at all. One item of note is that this car comes with a heated steering wheel which gets plenty warm. I would have enjoyed that feature very much on cold winter days.
Audi Q3 — The salesman suggested that I use my first merge as an opportunity to test this car’s acceleration, which I did, flooring the pedal (something I’ve never done in seven years of driving my Lexus, which I’ve driven at over 100 mph on multiple occasions) and the Q3 still wasn’t going as fast as I wanted. This car is just really pokey. It’s also soft, soaking up bumps nicely but has nowhere near the fun handling character of the GLA. There is plenty of room in the cockpit, with outstanding visibility all around, but until my salesman adjusted the center armrest I actually found the driving position to be a bit awkward, almost like I had too much room. In particular, the steering wheel doesn’t pull out far enough. I need to have the seat pushed back pretty far to fit my legs comfortably, but that means I need the steering wheel to slide toward me, and the wheel just doesn’t have enough travel. I also had nowhere near the sense of solidity I’ve experienced with the GLA.
Well, that’s about it. No car is perfect, and there are always compromises. I will add that the GLA provokes an emotional response in me that I just don't often get from a car. I may test a Subaru XV Crosstrek while I continue waiting for my order to be built and shipped, but otherwise there aren’t any other cars piquing my interest. I hope these impressions are helpful.
