Posted on Oct 3, 2017

The all New Mercedes-Benz GLA 220d gets the 4WD unlike the older GLA series which offered only front wheel drive.  How does GLA 220d perform off the road?  To test its ability we did a super off-road test with the new Mercedes GLA 220d on our half day trip to Ramanagara which is at the outskirts of Bangalore. The GLA 220d is bestowed us a super comfortable drive. This beast cannot be called a SUV as it is quite compact but can be called a large hatchback.

Interior and Exterior

The exterior of the GLA offers a premium presence as the company claims. The GLA 220d comes with stylish chrome exteriors, rain-sensing wipers, 18 inch alloy wheel. Compared to the previous GLA variants the cabin comes with multimedia screen at the centre of the dashboard like that of a GLC, Keyless start and extra storage space. The highlights on the interior are ambient lighting in 12 colors, Smartphone integration package, Cruise control including SpeedTronic, ECO start/stop function
The boot is also quite spacious with 421 litres capacity with the offering of extra 60 litres on folding the back seat

The interiors still mesmerises us with Automatic panoramic sliding sunroof, the seat adjustment is beautifully composed to the door in an artistic 3D seat format, Touchpad infotainment system with Dolby sound, interior lighting wherever required. And the infotainment control in the steering. Except for some better premium finish on the outer there is no difference in the car compared to its siblings.

Test Drive and Technical Specifications

We had missed testing GLC 300 off-the-road during our review last time.  This time we had an opportunity to explore the GLA 220d for much longer time. We did a lot of stress test on the GLA 220d which gave us the chance to explore the ride quality of the car in different conditions. On the roads during summers it attracts lot of heat inside the cabin, Thanks to the glass roof, at times which made us feel congested when the AC was off. While doing off-road and drifting although suspension was great we felt lot of vibrations and after the drive we found the tyres bulged in few areas which was like a big NO!!!.

The 4Matic all wheel drive and the output of 125 kW (170 hp) and gives a class leading fuel efficiency of 18.66 km/l* . With up to 350 Nm of torque which makes it a performer when compared to its siblings.

Safety and Security

The GLA 220d comes with seven airbags, satellite navigation, tyre pressure sensors, cruise control and panoramic sunroof. With auto rain wipers, ABS, ASR and brake assist is also available in GLA220d

Price and Variants

The ex-showroom price of the GLA 220d 4MATIC diesel is at Rs 48.56 lakhs in Bangalore. It comes in four colours namely Jupiter Red, Polar Silver. Orient Brown, Cirrus White.

Verdict

We would surely recommend Mercedes Benz GLA 220d to all looking for compact SUV’s/largish hatchbacks in this budget because of its very high ground clearance matching Indian roads, the spacious cabin , the luxurious interiors and drive experience were great, but on off-road felt a little bumpy.

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Also check the photos of the GLA220d drive at photos.gaadikey.com and in the photo gallery photos.gaadikey.com