The Goal of the GLA

The GLA looks great. It also shouldn't suffer from the lack of back seat room that the CLA does.

I am also concerned about the driving experience since the GLA and CLA are the same at a mechanical level.

As long as the car runs well and is comfortable it should be a success. I am not expecting it to be as nice as other Mercedes because it has a much lower price, but given that it is a Mercedes still, it should live up to its brand name (hopefully.)

I'm also not seeing all these mountains of bad press about the CLA that Butterfield keeps bringing up.

But just to take Butterfield at his or her word, even if it does have stiff suspension, it's a car for successful people in their 20's. This is a group who don't want their car to feel like an Oldsmobile; they want performance and performance suspension feels the bumps in the road.

I have a feeling that anyone complaining about some sort of "hard ride" in the CLA is of an age and financial standing in which an E or S class would be more appropriate.

It'll be hard to say for sure until I actually get to drive the GLA, or CLA. Hearing descriptions of the ride can only inform you so much. You really have to drive the car yourself to figure out if you like it or not.

Cocles said:

I'm also not seeing all these mountains of bad press about the CLA that Butterfield keeps bringing up.

But just to take Butterfield at his or her word, even if it does have stiff suspension, it's a car for successful people in their 20's. This is a group who don't want their car to feel like an Oldsmobile; they want performance and performance suspension feels the bumps in the road.

I have a feeling that anyone complaining about some sort of "hard ride" in the CLA is of an age and financial standing in which an E or S class would be more appropriate.

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LOL the CLA is not swimming in complements of a stif performance suspension, theyre calling it choppy and jarring. Do you expect that from a Mercedes? The CLA and the GLA are about on boarding, Mercedes doesnt care how old you are as long as you're in the 30k range. do you know what type of shoppers that is going to attract to Mercedes?

Have you noticed what other cars float around the $30k mark? Cars like the Jetta, the Kia Optima, Suzuki Kizashi, Hyundai Sonata, Honda CRV, Chevy Impala, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chevy Equinox, Subaru Legacy, Ford Fusion, Nissan ALtima and the Honda Accord...

If 20 somethings need a Mercedes to validate their 'success' its a rather hollow and empty success i would say.

P.S I'm your 20 something professional, I'll take an Oldsmobile any day and every day... ever been behind the wheel of a 442 with four on the floor?

butterfield said:

...theyre calling it choppy and jarring.

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Who? You keep saying this without listing any sources.

If 20 somethings need a Mercedes to validate their 'success' its a rather hollow and empty success i would say.

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The heck? Where did that come from? So all of us Mercedes owners are just trying to validate our success?

At this point, I'm writing you off as a troll.

Oh, and in 2013, most twenty somethings would rather have a VW GTI for their daily driver than a 40-year-old 442. As for cars with four on the floor... I'll take a 300SL.

Cocles said:

Who? You keep saying this without listing any sources.



The heck? Where did that come from? So all of us Mercedes owners are just trying to validate our success?

At this point, I'm writing you off as a troll.

Oh, and in 2013, most twenty somethings would rather have a VW GTI for their daily driver than a 40-year-old 442. As for cars with four on the floor... I'll take a 300SL.

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20 somethings buying a $30k Mercedes, I assume you can comprehend if you own a Mercedes

Oh, and in 2013, INDIVIDUALITY still exists. Is that supposed to be insulting or derogatory to a true performance icon LOL, that 40 year old 442 is built better than 90% of cars on the market today. GTI is just another mall rat, GLA too for that matter

butterfield said:

20 somethings buying a $30k Mercedes, I assume you can comprehend if you own a Mercedes

Oh, and in 2013, INDIVIDUALITY still exists. Is that supposed to be insulting or derogatory to a true performance icon LOL, that 40 year old 442 is built better than 90% of cars on the market today. GTI is just another mall rat, GLA too for that matter

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I am not sure that 20-somethings are going to go for the GLA. First off it is a bit expensive for most 20-somethings. Second, I am not so sure that those young people want a cross over. They are more into sedan and coupes if I am not mistaken. Just my guess.

those 20-somethings dumping cash on a Benz are either balling, still live with parents or aren't acting their wage and will be living to pay for the brand new $30k MB.

@Butterfield Okay, so "they" are just random 20 year olds you're generalizing. I thought you actually had a real source. The CLA is barely even on the road yet, so... who the heck are you talking about? --Not sure why you're hanging around harassing people on a GLA owners forum when you obviously have no intention of buying one. Perhaps you should hunt down some forums for cars you actually prefer?

@AMGz No sure where you're located. In the western half of the US, especially SoCal, $35k isn't considered exorbitant for someone in their mid to late 20's to spend on a car, let alone $30k for the CLA.

AMGz said:

those 20-somethings dumping cash on a Benz are either balling, still live with parents or aren't acting their wage and will be living to pay for the brand new $30k MB.

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Have to agree with this. I thought 20-somethings (as we are calling them) would go for a different type of vehicle, or no vehicle at all. Young people might go for a Fiat, or a Spark. If they are going for a luxury vehicle I think they would go for something smaller instead of the GLA crossover.

The GLA will appeal to young people, but perhaps not that young.

I'm seeing culture clash here.

Speaking for So-Cal, especially Los Angeles, a 20-something driving a car that is in the $30k range is not considered "balling"; they're considered a normal 20-something year old with a decent job.

Fiats and Sparks? I think you're overlooking Japanese cars.

YeahI wouldn't consider it a statement of being rich, anyone with a decent job can afford to pay monthly but then it only means you dont have moeny to spend elsewhere. Just depends.

The point of the GLA is to offer a slightly smaller and more price competitive option to the GLK.

The GLK might grow in size to make space for the GLA.

That would be a smart move so does this mean they will do that to the C class for the CLA and etc.

I don't have the source handy, but yes, I've read that both the next generation C Class and GLK will be larger, falling between the CLA & E, and GLA & M in size.