Audi A3 vs Mercedes-Benz GLA35

What's the difference?

Closing in on $60,000 for a small car isn’t cheap. Ask a car dealer and they might even say the hatchback is a good way to get someone into a showroom to eventually look at an SUV.

But I reckon you’d be doing the A3 a disservice to count it out. It’s always been one of those cars that does everything well, and with this current facelift manages to keep its practicality without becoming boring.

It looks good on the outside, it’s smart on the inside and it’s fun to drive while remaining sensible. Even if you get it in bright yellow.

Fast and small SUVs from Germany have arrived thick and fast over the last couple of years and of course Mercedes has to show off by having two, the GLA 45 will be along shortly.

A new addition to the GLA range, the GLA 35 is a welcome one, a step down from the brink of madness that will undoubtedly be the GLA 45 while putting itself into combat with the X2 M35i.

It's fast, fun and for a family, it's reasonably roomy, a sensible upgrade to an A 35. It's not cheap, but that doesn't ever seem to have stopped Mercedes buyers. I'm pretty sure the GLA 35 will be no exception.

Eye of the beholder and all that, sure, but the A3 looks cool from the outside. It’s got this angular design but manages it without being too aggressive or busy with other design elements, so it still has a ‘premium Euro’ feel to it.

Shooting pics of the car for this review, the harsh light accentuated its sharp lines. It looks sculptural rather than just some little blob. 

At the same time, thanks to the proliferation of sports design packs like the S Line, The A3 looks like it could be an S3, almost. Which makes sense, because the front bumper and rear diffuser as well as the roof spoiler are all partly inspired by RS models.

New for the A3 is the flat, 2D Audi badge, the model name on the B pillar and the new font for its name on the tailgate. 

The lights in the cluster are able to look narrower than before thanks to their customisable settings, which allow you to choose the light signature, while the grille has a flatter appearance and the air intakes are bigger. Even the wheels look like they’re from a sports car.

Whether you’d have the A3 in the Python Yellow of our test car is another thing. I don’t mind a loud colour but I reckon a bit of 'District Green', 'Ascari Blue' or 'Progressive Red' would be the vibe.

Also, any colour that isn’t white is a cost-option on the A3, all of them coming in at $1350, except Ascari Blue which is an Audi Sport colour and costs $1850.

Speaking of the vibe, inside the A3 feels properly nice. It’s not just a spruced up Golf in there. There’s proper Audi character to the car, though that means plenty of piano black trim to get smudgy.

Audi’s done a good job making the layout look sleek without resorting to locating all the controls in the screen. There are design elements in the cabin that aren't strictly necessary but are worth doing for the way they look.

Things like the way the vents flank the driver display or the trim inlay on the passenger side of the dash.

The new GLA's styling is much more obviously an SUV. One could say Mercedes was a bit timid first time around, but just about every car maker's first small SUV attempt was having a bet each way. Mercedes, however, really phoned it in, but got lucky because it worked. Put that down to the power of the three-pointed star. 

By the same token, it's not a wild departure from the theme set by the A-Class, but with thematic influences from the GLC. The AMG version now pick up the Panamericana grille and a more aero-aggressive front bumper, skirts and rear bumper, but does keep the tough unpainted wheel arch extensions. The AMG Night Package - which every other brand seems to call a black pack - adds a bit of menace.

Inside is almost indistinguishable from an A, which is a very good thing. The GLA ups the ante with the excellent, squared-off AMG steering wheel and a few extra buttons to choose the chassis and engine settings. The seats have lairy red inserts that might be a bait and switch to get the performance seats but that's the only mis-step in what is an otherwise excellent cabin.

Starting from what’s right in front of you as a driver, the steering wheel is the same as in bigger, more expensive Audis. That’s a good thing, because it’s nice to hold, has a good shape for the nine-and-three hand position and it’s not too thick. 

As well as the nice, clear buttons on the wheel, you’ve got some physical controls for the climate control and some of the vehicle functions like parking assist and stop-start under the multimedia screen.

For a car this size, the 10.1-inch central touchscreen is plenty big enough, and the fact it doesn't sit up high over the dash is great. It's like a perfect arm's length for your standard-sized adult (like me). I can reach the other side of the screen without needing to lean.

The fact there’s no head-up display is a bit of a let-down, but the now-standard 12.3-inch driver display is very good. It’s configurable yet clear, and means you can get detailed navigation information in front of you rather than having to look to the multimedia screen. 

The test A3 has genuine leather upholstery, which is $1100 extra. Not the most you’d pay for leather seats in a Euro, and the seats are comfortable. They're nicely bolstered, the drivers’ side is electrically adjustable and the leather doesn’t feel hard or rough to the touch.

Sitting behind my own seating position in the second row is a little tight, however. At 178cm, my knees almost touch the seat in front. There's also no sunroof, and even though there's just about enough light, that omission doesn’t help the cramped feeling.

There are, like the front, two USB-C ports and the air vents in the back, the latter separately adjustable to avoid arguments, though the cupholders in the armrest are in an awkwardly central position.

Behind that, under the 380-litre boot's floor is a space-saver spare tyre. That's better than some SUVs designed for family adventures that only offer up an inflator/repair kit. Keep that up, Audi. Good job. Well done. 

If you fold the rear seats, you get 1200 litres of space. Interestingly, those luggage space figures are the same as the BMW 1 Series.

There are two key stats worth knowing, particularly if you're a current GLA owner wondering what the point of an upgrade might be. The MFA2 platform on which it rides has a longer wheelbase and wider track to liberate more room for people and stuff.

The rear seats are roomier than the old car and make for a more pleasant journey for taller folk, who also have more headroom than in the old car. While we're back here, you get bottle holders in the door but, crushingly, there is no armrest and no cupholders.

Things improve in the front with a pair of cupholders and a wireless charging pad that fits larger phones and a long, shallow bin under the armrest.

The boot holds an okay 435 litres (the Audi Q3, by comparison, has a massive 530 litres) seats up and 1430 litres seats down and has a nice flat loading lip to floor relationship, to go with the powered tailgate.

One of the reasons there is a 35 version of both the A and the GLA is that the 45 versions are so much more expensive than the 250 models that there was a gap you could drive...well, another spec level through.

That's not not to say the GLA 35 is cheap - starting at $82,935, you're still paying a hefty premium of $15,000 over the GLA 250 4Matic. Here in Australia, that buys you 20-inch alloys, a nine-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, active cruise control, electric front seats with heating, sat nav, auto LED headlights, leather seats and steering wheel, auto parking, power tailgate, auto wipers, panoramic sunroof and wireless phone charging.

The MBUX entertainment system is superb. While it does have wireless charging, you do have to connect via USB to get Apple CarPlay or Android Auto up on the second of the crisp 10.25-inch screens. The media screen works as both a touchscreen and you can run it from the pad on the centre console. And a number of the many buttons on the steering wheel.

You can get the signature AMG shell seats for $3290 (good if you're not, er, generously proportioned) as well as 21-inch wheels for $1990 which I think look far too big in the arches and quite possibly ruin what's left of the ride. You can also go all boy-racer with the Aerodynamics Package for $2990. Tick a few boxes and you can easily get the GLA 35 to the mid-$90k mark.

My car had the Communications Package which has three more speakers for a total of 12 and rather usefully, a head-up display, all for a stiff $2490.

Five of the GLA's colours cost $1490 (Cosmos Black, Denim Blue, Mountain Grey, Iridium Silver and Digital White), one is $1990 (Patagonia Red), not even white is free but at least it's only $500 while Night Black is the sole freebie.

The A3 is powered by a 1.5-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that makes 110kW and 250Nm.

It drives the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission and it can hit 100km/h in a claimed 8.1 seconds.

It’s also got a 48-volt mild hybrid system to help with efficiency, though you’d need to be told about it to notice. It also helps with the A3’s (smooth) stop-start system.

Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo with 225kW at 5800rom and 400Nm between 3000 and 4000rpm. Merc engine-spotters will spot that it's not a hand-built  engine with Fritz or Heinz's signature on a little plate like the "proper" AMG engines do.

Called M260, it's the GLA250's basic setup with more cooling, a water to air chargecooler, its own air intake and a twin-scroll hotside turbo that spins up nice quickly given its proximity to the exhaust header.

There is also an AMG exhaust with a flap you can open at startup by pulling one of the gearshift paddles for what Mercedes calls an Emotive startup - one imagines this will inspire some emotive language from your neighbours if you fire up at 6am. The paddles operate an eight-speed twin-clutch transmission driving an AMG-calibrated all-wheel drive system that can send 100 per cent of power to the front wheels and a maximum fifty per cent to the rear. An off-road mode locks the torque split to 50:50 if you're keen to take this thing into the loose stuff on shiny 20-inch wheels and sporty road tyres.

Mercedes claims you'll crack the run to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds. Yikes.

The A3’s 50-litre fuel tank needs to be filled with RON 95 premium fuel and it’ll drink a claimed 5.3-litres per 100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle.

Theoretically you’re topping 900km a tank there, but given how fun this car is to drive you’d have to be well behaved to get even close.

For reference, whenever I was on a normal, day-to-day drive on test the A3's trip computer was returning figures in the mid to high sixes.

The GLA carries an official combined cycle figure of 8.0L/100km. Over a reasonably wet weekend and a motorway-heavy run down the coast from Sydney along with some suburban running, I got an indicated 11.3L/100km. I thought that was alright given I liked hearing the exhaust pop on the upshift and I wasn't messing about in the corners. I'd go so far as to say you could get quite close to the official figure if you were paying attention.

First things first, the A3’s exterior and S Line pack are a clue to the way the car drives. It’s probably not the perfect car if you like a cushy, soft ride. 

Its suspension errs towards the stiffer side of things, and certain bumps can feel more significant than they need to. But even on particularly bad roads or tram tracks in the city the dampers do a decent job of soaking up the harsh stuff.

It also means there’s more road noise than you’d like on some older highway surfaces, but only in a way that might get annoying if you’re on a road trip with the stereo off for some reason.

The upside of that is its steering feels well weighted and accurate. Plus, the way it handles and corners feels like a bit more grunt would make this a proper driver's car.

It’s not too intense, and there’s enough feedback to make it feel like the A3 shouldn't be a city-dweller only when it comes to driving.

Of course, it’s a hatchback, so you've got the advantages that come with less weight and a lower centre of gravity. 

It doesn’t have enough weight to push into understeer more than you’d like on a tight corner. But it also doesn’t feel so light that you’re not sure how it’s going to behave under sharp braking.

The A3’s drivetrain, despite looking underwhelming on paper, feels practical on the road. Sure, 110kW isn't anything wicked, but its 250Nm feel like they’re working in the right places - that being between 1500 and 3500rpm. 

It isn't blisteringly quick but even with the seven-speed transmission operating in default auto mode it usually feels like it's in the right place, let alone chipping in with 'manual' shifts via the paddles or shifting drive modes. The A3 has a choice of 'Normal' and 'Sport' shift settings.

You might be a little disappointed if you thought you’d be getting anything approaching a hot hatch, but for an entry-level model the A3 more than holds its own. It’s a solid platform that performs well without compromising too much when it comes to daily driving ability.

Unusually for an AMG, the engine does not completely dominate the GLA 35 experience. That's clearly by design - this car is meant for the everyday. While it is hugely powerful for this kind of car, it's a friendly engine that's ready to punch you in the kidneys when you want it, but bumbles around happily when you're in Comfort mode. Which is a pretty good mode.

Moving to Sport amps up the engine but not the suspension, at least not too much. It's at this point you suspect that the 20-inch wheels may not be the right choice for the GLA 35 as the suspension starts to fidget on anything but the smoothest of surfaces. Moving on to Sport+ and unless you're really getting stuck in, it's fidgety and thumpy. One neat trick is that you can avoid all that with the I (individual) setting. Like the C 63, there's a dial for the drive select. But to make life easier for you, you can set up the I setting to your liking, meaning you can keep the suspension in Comfort or Sport mode while turning everything else up to Sport+.

The big sticky Continental tyres are terrific but they're surprisingly noisy. That's kind of the price of entry for a sporty German car, but you do have to raise your voice over the rumble on most surfaces over about 60km/h. The flipside is that you've got a ton of grip, wet or dry in the GLA 35. The throttle reacts quickly to your inputs with the power coming on quickly, the gearbox shifting smoothly (or firmly, if you ask it to). The paddles are very useful and when you're braking into a corner, you can hold the paddle and it will find the lowest practical gear. Nifty.

The brakes are four-piston calipers up front gripping huge 350mm brakes, the rears are single piston but still big discs at 320mm.

Steering is typically AMG, with a strong turn-in to corners and with enough feel to let you know what's happening under the tyres. It's never too chatty, so it's not a tiring car.

On the highway it does settle somewhat and the tyre noise calms down. The suspension keeps you comfortable in comfort mode and the engine is barely noticeable.

The GLA 35 comes loaded up with eight airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, blind spot monitoring, forward AEB (low and high speed), forward collision warning, reversing camera, auto high beam, lane keep assist, road sign recognition and reverse cross-traffic alert.

You can add front cross traffic alert and active cruise with the $1990 Driving Assistance Package.

You also get two ISOFIX and three top-tether points across the back seat for child and baby seats.

The current GLA has not yet been EuroNCAP or ANCAP tested but I would be staggered if it didn't breeze through with a five star rating.

Audi offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is about par for a premium brand, but it also offers five years' free roadside assist and the ability to pay to extend the warranty.

Servicing is $2520 for a five year plan, but the extended two years of 'Audi Advantage' warranty is $3250 and comes with unlimited kilometres, roadside assist and covers two services.

Mercedes has upped the ante on its German rivals by offering a five year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Service intervals are an impressive 12 months/25,000km. Under the capped-price servicing regime that runs for three years, you'll pay $2650 or an average of $883 per service. The third service is the killer, at $1250.

If you pre-pay your servicing, you can save $500 with a three-year plan for $2150. A five year plan is $3500.