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ONE of the great motoring successes of the past decade has been the Mercedes-Benz GLA, catapulting the brand to unparalleled prominence in the premium small SUV field and kicking off the posh little coupe-hatch crossover craze.
Cynics might say that it is essentially a jumped-up A-Class hatchback, much like the Subaru XV is basically an Impreza in stilettos. But while the small German crossover is built on the same MFA2 platform as its smaller transverse-engined Benz brethren, no body panels are shared, granting it a distinct look and personality. Unlike the little Suby…
The H247-series GLA launched in Australia in 2020 is second-generation, featuring a longer wheelbase and appreciably more space, but a shorter overall length than the popular original from 2013. It's also substantially taller.
Here we take a long, hard look at the bestselling GLA 250 4Matic.
You’d be forgiven for mistaking Hyundai’s new generation Santa Fe for some sort of new Land Rover product if it simply drove past you on the road.
It’s instantly eye-catching with its new, much larger, much boxier and off-road suggestive silhouette. It’s also a massive and seemingly unnecessary risk for Hyundai.
The previous Santa Fe was successful. It was a good car which resonated with buyer needs and its relative popularity reflected that.
Rather than iterate on what was a good thing, though, Hyundai has thrown the entire formula in the bin and started over with a distinctive clean-sheet design for the Santa Fe marque.
To top it off, the previous V6 and diesel drivetrains have been replaced with a hybrid-only line-up for its launch.
It could be genius, but it could also spell disaster. Is Hyundai ahead of itself this time around? Read on to find out.
With Mercedes-Benz’s vast number of SUVs, there is room for an urban luxury crossover niche, and the GLA delivers in spades.
Indeed, in 250 4Matic guise, it is that rare thing – a high-riding hatch with dynamics to shame most dedicated pocket-rockets. It really is a hoot if you find the right road, regardless of weather conditions. The Benz has towering talent.
However, even without desirable options like adaptive dampers and a full suite of driver-assist safety technology, the GLA is expensive, does not quite carry off the price tag from an interior quality point of view, and struggles to maintain the degree of comfort and refinement expected from a Mercedes – with or without the $3K necessary to score adaptive dampers.
Still, especially because of the way the GLA looks, goes, stops and steers, if you can afford it, you’ll be rewarded. There’s never been a more rounded GLA.
It might be more expensive than before, but somehow this new and radically redesigned Santa Fe still feels like a lot of car for the money. It looks awesome, it’s nice to drive, and it has a premium-feeling, versatile cabin.
The only thing you might want to keep in mind is this hybrid version in particular doesn’t quite have the same towing, performance, and possibly off-road abilities its tough new design might suggest.
Our pick? Hyundai reckons most of the sales will go to the top-spec Calligraphy, but the right money is the Elite. It offers the best balance of price and equipment in the range.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.
Looking like a mini-me GLC, today's GLA trades some of its predecessor’s edgier design elements like the slammed roof and exaggerated broad-shouldered stance for a more amorphous if elegant appearance. Even with the cliché plastic cladding around the squared-off wheel arches, it’s still a looker.
The net result is arguably the most attractive of all the MFA2 A-Class offshoots. It sits well within the Mercedes hierarchy of SUVs, bringing a swoopy coupe-like silhouette compared to the ultra-upright GLB.
Along with being 30mm wider, it’s also visibly taller than before, with a handy 213mm of ground clearance compared to just 157mm last time around. And the wheelbase has been stretched to the benefit of rear-passenger room – a bugbear of the old GLA. That's progress.
You’d have to ask why Hyundai would choose to so radically redesign a successful car, but then I’d argue radical high-quality designs is what Hyundai needs more than ever to compete with an increasing list of low-cost rivals from China.
If it was more of the same, then why pick a Hyundai when you could pick a radical design from its sister brand Kia? Failing that, why not just buy a very competitively priced rival with a more mainstream design from China, like the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max?
Here lies the genius behind Hyundai’s crazy new look and more premium direction for the Santa Fe. It grabs eyeballs like nothing else on the road in this class right now.
There are echoes of Land Rover’s Discovery 3 and 4 of course in its side profile, and square face, but I’d argue it’s more elegant homage than straight copy, as particularly evidenced by the very cool H pattern motif which is embedded in the DRL profile, and then repeated in the bumper highlights, and hidden throughout the rest of the car’s bodywork.
The rear three-quarter is the new Santa Fe’s most controversial angle. The low-set rear lights seem to be an endless magnet for controversy. Interestingly though, Hyundai’s product people tell us there was a reason for this seemingly oddball choice.
Apparently placing the rear lights across the tailgate allows the SUV to have a larger overall rear opening, maximising the practicality. It looks odd in pictures but having seen the car now in the metal I find it much more agreeable.
Inside, it’s hard not to make more Land Rover comparisons. The overall tall windowline, boxy seats, and squared-off dash lend the new Santa Fe an adventurous if somehow familiar feel, while the leatherbound steering wheel is quite reminiscent of late 2000s Land Rovers.
The angled climate and utility panel in the centre console looks and feels like more modern British vehicles, although it comes with its own pragmatic Hyundai treatment with plenty of dials to accompany the touch-based shortcuts.
Again, it’s more tasteful homage than straight rip-off, but it’s quite obvious from where the inspiration streams. The premium feel of it will be a big sell for most, but as a huge fan of the boxy Land Rover era from the mid-to-late 2000s, I love this new design direction.
Compared to before, the 2021 GLA is some 122mm taller, so ushers in a higher hip point for loftier seating – reducing that jumped-up hatch feel. Headroom improves obviously, as does rear legroom, a corollary of a 30mm wheelbase stretch (to 2729mm).
Wide apertures also make entry into and out of the German-built GLA child's play, though the solid heft of their doors is serious business at this end of the segment, very satisfyingly Teutonic and totally on-brand. This is something you won’t enjoy in a Subaru XV.
Then you s-c-r-a-p-e the underside of the front doors on the pavement literally every time you swing it to get out, and wonder whether Mercedes engineers have ever been to Australia. This fail drove us spare. Heaven help the GLAs in towns and cities with bluestone sidewalks. Maybe all that extra AMG packaging is the culprit.
Still, most of the other basics are spot-on and can’t really be faulted; cosy yet spacious for four adults – especially up front, ample vision, an excellent driving position aided by heaps of seat and steering wheel adjustability, cosseting front sports buckets that you just sink into, torrents of ventilation from those delectable turbine vents and stacks of storage. Collectively they make the GLA a welcoming, opulent place to travel in. Only the hapless fifth occupant squished between the outboard rear-seat passengers might think otherwise. But nobody buys this Benz for carting people around. That's the GLB's job.
Several years ago, Daimler poached a senior Audi designer and since then Mercedes’ dashboards have morphed into a multi-coloured multimedia diorama of touchscreen technology that threatens to completely take over the universe. Choose the right combination of colours and lighting and it's like your very own White Night on wheels. Starting with 2018’s A-Class, the striking, spangly MBUX system that underpins all this has come to be widely admired and imitated. For aesthetics anyway, with its vivid hues, panoramic displays and simple, tiled applications, it’s been a real trip.
Anyway, back to reality. From a tactility and functionality point of view, there’s still work to be done.
Access to the multimedia (including our GLA's banging optional audio system) and car settings areas is possible via a mildly fiddly finger-pad arrangement down forward in the centre console, or smaller yet much more annoying thumb sensor tabs on the wheel spokes. These are not easy to modulate on the move. Additionally, their menus can be confusing to navigate through and sometimes counterintuitive in operation. Mercedes obviously realises this as a quick-guide pamphlet is provided on old-fashioned cardboard paper. How quaint.
Eventually all areas can be mastered over time, but the functionality is complicated and may overwhelm the not-so-tech savvy. Additionally, the ‘Hey, Mercedes!’ voice control is impressive for getting MBUX to perform basic multimedia and vehicle settings-related changes, but it too-often erratic, unreliable and ultimately frustrating for more complicated commands. Perhaps elocution lessons on behalf of the operator may help.
But not as much as the profound disappointment we endure from the cheapness of some of the materials, the wincing cellophane-like sounds when pressing on some of the surfaces such as the door cards, or that emanate after a particularly bumpy section of bad roads. Sheeny reflections and hard textures in a car optioned with extras that total up to nearly $82,500 just don’t cut it.
At least in this latest-gen GLA, the rear seat area seems much improved over the previous models, with more space, comfy and supportive seating (remember ours featured the $607 sliding function that ought to be standard) and a reclining backrest. All amenities are present, with deep pockets, fresh air from twin vent outlets, reading lights and thoughtfully placed armrests – but, again, the latter’s extendable cupholders feel brittle and cheap.
Further back, the 435-litre cargo area is sufficiently sized and practical for smaller family use (at last), aided by a 40/20/40 backrest fold and that slide-able cushion to extend capacity further. There is no spare wheel, but a tyre inflation kit is fitted in lieu.
Overall, then, better than before, with that fundamental rock-solid heft, luxurious aura and alluring premium-car aroma. The dazzling MBUX screen-related visuals, too, are endlessly entertaining to explore when the vehicle is not moving, but the GLA’s cabin is still not quite up to Mercedes’ reputation for exacting over-engineered excellence.
Or even to the standards of some mainstream alternatives.
The new Santa Fe has grown in almost every direction. It’s significantly longer and taller than before, although width is identical.
It instantly feels versatile. Big doors join with the high roof and additional length to make access to the first two rows easy, and adjustability is excellent throughout, especially since the second row is on rails and offers various recline angles.
Up front you’re greeted by an airy space, with a commanding view of the road and massive windows. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t remind me of a Land Rover Discovery (in all the good ways), and it feels like a substantial vehicle to helm.
There’s also lots of practical touches to make the most of its huge cabin. The doors offer a large bottle holder and storage tray, with a further two giant bottle holders in the centre console.
The console area itself has benefitted from Hyundai moving the transmission shifter to a stalk-mounted position, which has cleared the space to offer dual wireless chargers and a large pass-through area underneath which is great for larger objects.
There’s also a huge armrest console box (with a false floor and an additional concealed compartment below) as well as a decent-sized glove box on the passenger side and a flip-open tray atop the dash.
Even the cut-away between the two dash sections has a rubberised finish, meaning you can actually use it as a storage area rather than it serving as an aesthetic design flourish.
The screens are huge and easy to use, and Hyundai has committed to maintaining tactile controls for all of the car’s core functions.
You score volume and tuning dials for the multimedia, with separate dials for each of the climate zones on either side of a touch panel which offers shortcut buttons for all the climate functions. Much better than negotiating exclusively with the touchscreen.
There are also plenty of USB-C outlets in the console tray for charging and connectivity, with a 12-volt outlet in the pass-through below.
The rear seat offers plenty of room, with the one caveat being it’s a bit of a climb up into it. The second-row is on rails, so you can adjust to add legroom for third-row occupants or add additional boot space if you’re not maximising space in the second row.
There are all sorts of clever features back there, too. Elite grades and above get built-in sunshades for the rear windows, while the Calligraphy adds heated outboard rear seats.
The trim is comfortable in all cars, and there’s no shortage of practical touches either, like coat hooks built into the rear seat trim (where there’s also the H-pattern motif), dual bottle holders in the doors, with a third one and a storage area in the lower section of the door.
Need more than three bottle holders? There are two more in the drop-down armrest on seven-seat variants. USB-C outlets appear on the backs of the front seats, adjustable air vents are available in the pillars, and there’s a big drawer for extra storage on the back of the centre console.
When I set the second and first row seats to a position comfortable for myself (at 182cm tall), I can fit in the third row in relative comfort. My knees aren’t hard up to the seat in front, and there’s a small amount of room for slipping my feet under the seat in front which lends it a bit of extra space.
Access isn’t the easiest. It’s still a bit of a clamber up into the third row for an adult. The floor is high and the remaining aperture for access is quite small when you slide the second row seat forward or fold it flat.
Once you’re in there, though, there are dual air vents on either side with an independent fan controller, a bottle holder and a storage tray above the wheel arch and a USB-C outlet on either side. There’s even a 12-volt outlet in the boot if you need extra power.
Boot space is great with the third row folded flat at 628 litres, or 1949 litres with the second row folded flat. Hyundai does not offer a figure for the space when the third row is up, but like most SUVs in this class, it’s not much. Stay tuned on a future test for more.
Underneath the boot (outside the car) there’s even a full-size spare wheel, great for those longer trips.
The latest GLA’s evolved dimensions is presumably to put some space between it and its GLB 5+2-seater SUV fraternal twin, giving Mercedes-Benz blanket SUV market coverage. From GL (for Geländewagen, or off-road vehicle) A, B, C, E and S (as well as the G-wagen icon that started it all back in '79), there’s a premium option for everybody… if not every budget.
In the GLA’s case, the entry-level 200 front-driver starts from $55,100 (before on-road costs); moving up to the $66,500 250 4Matic, and then to two performance powerhouses – the AMG 35 4Matic and supernaturally fast AMG 45 S 4Matic+ flagship, from $82,935 and $107,035 respectively.
Even the base GLA 200 includes new and improved autonomous emergency braking (AEB) among other safety-related technologies, as well as the brand’s glamorous MBUX multimedia system with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital radio, satellite navigation, reverse camera, climate control, wireless phone charging, powered tailgate, automatic parking, auto high beam, rain-sensing wipers and 19-inch alloys.
All the extra techy stuff doesn’t come for free though – prices jump almost $10,000 over the less-powerful previous-generation GLA 180 that the 200 replaces – though we expect the former badge to return in time.
In contrast, the GLA 250 4Matic is ‘only’ $3500 more expensive than its predecessor, gaining a terrific 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo instead of a Renault-Nissan-sourced 1.3-litre turbo, all-wheel drive (with an Off-Road Engineering Package that gives the car some very light off-road capability), and other niceties such as heated electric front seats with memory function, a panoramic sunroof, more direct steering and lowered suspension (for a sportier drive).
Note that adaptive cruise control costs extra – a curious oversight at this price point. It’s part of a $1531 optional Driving Assistance Package, which also includes Active Lane Change Assist, extended semi-autonomous driver assistance in traffic jams (meaning full stop/go capability) and route-based speed adaptation. Do it.
Our test car had it, along with a $915 Vision Package (includes fancier adaptive headlights and a 360-degree camera), $1915 Sports Package (with AMG styling upgrades inside and out, perforated disc brakes, privacy glass, shift paddles and lowered ‘Comfort Suspension’), a Night Package (less brightwork, more black finishes) and sports direct-steering with corresponding wheel), $1531 20-inch AMG Black alloys, a $1915 Communications Package with upgraded audio and head-up display among a litany of other gear, $2838 AMG Exclusive Package with adaptive dampers, cooled as well as heated front seats, an ‘Energising Comfort’ ambience-enhancing 'experience' and special leather upholstery, $1531 Patagonia Red metallic paint and $607 rear-seat fore/aft adjustment. Total cost after the added luxury car tax: $82,446. Gulp.
Not cheap in anybody’s language. Nor, for that matter, are the GLA’s rivals, which owe their existence to the original’s spectacular sales trajectory and the trail that this blazed last decade.
Lexus’ loaded UX 250h hybrid AWD and Audi Q3 Sportback 40TFSI quattro slip slightly below the standard GLA 250 for both pricing and power, while the BMW X2 M35i and its Mini Countryman JCW cousin, along with Jaguar’s E-Pace E250, also offer in-the-same ballpark pricing but quite a bit more space as well as pace.
It’s also worth noting that Volvo’s XC40 T5 AWD conspicuously undercuts all from just $57,000, though now we’re talking about putting square pegs into round holes. Speaking of which…
As you might imagine with its expanded dimensions and more premium look and feel, the new Santa Fe has climbed up the price ladder, and not by a small amount, either.
The new entry-point, now simply called ‘Santa Fe’ is nearly $10,000 more expensive than the outgoing base model, now starting at $55,500 before on-roads.
It can be chosen in front-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive (which hikes the price to $58,500). From there, the range climbs to $65,000 for the mid-spec AWD-only Elite, and then $75,000 for the top-spec, which dumps the old ‘Highlander’ badge in favour of the new international ‘Calligraphy’ one. It is also all-wheel drive only, but can be chosen with a lavish six-seat interior layout at $75,500.
Helping to simplify things slightly, there is only one powertrain, a familiar 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged hybrid-electric system.
We’ll talk more about this later in the review, but Hyundai tells us a V6-replacing 2.5-litre turbocharged option will also join the line-up before the end of 2024. Tune back in later to see how it compares.
Equipment is, as usual with Hyundai, stellar, even on the base vehicle, but maybe the best part is you don’t have to feel short-changed buying the entry-spec.
Sure, it only gets cloth seat trim rather than the synthetic or genuine Nappa leather available on the higher grades, but you still get a synthetic leather steering wheel, and the cloth trim has a cool tartan finish, so even it gets some design intrigue.
The wheels also manage to measure 20 inches, you get the complete dual 12.3-inch screen set-up in the interior with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and dual wireless phone chargers
The only thing missing in terms of core non-luxury appointments is a handful of more advanced autonomous driving features, particularly ‘highway drive assist’. But it still scores all the key necessities when it comes to safety. Check out this part of the review for more.
Stepping up to the Elite adds said autonomous driving features, synthetic leather interior trim, additional power adjust features for the front two seats, integrated sunshades for the rear windows and additional sound deadening via acoustic front glass.
Finally, the top-spec Calligraphy grade adds 20-inch wheels in an alternate design, Nappa leather interior trim with heated and ventilated front seats (plus heating for the outboard second-row seats), a panoramic sunroof, head-up display, digital rear vision mirror and even an ultraviolet sanitising tray in the front dash compartment.
The best value here? I think the Elite is the right balance. It offers the best kit without going overboard on price. That said, the front-wheel drive base model is a lot of car for the money, and somehow you still won’t feel short-changed with the luxury appointments in the Calligraphy despite its relatively tall price.
Rivals include the Nissan Pathfinder (from $54,190) Toyota Kluger (from $54,420), and the outgoing Mazda CX-9 (from $47,600) but none at the entry price are hybrid, and none offer quite the same level of standard equipment.
Mounted transversely, Mercedes’ M260 1991cc 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine features a twin-cam, 16-valve design, a twin-scroll turbocharger and variable-valve timing, to help deliver 165kW of power at 5500rpm and 350Nm of torque at a low 1800rpm. With an impressive 97.2kW per tonne, it can hit 100km/h in 6.7 seconds, on the way to a 240km/h top speed.
All four wheels are driven by an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), though most of the torque at lower speeds or during reduced throttle loads is delivered to the front wheels until extra traction is required out back. The gearbox is one of the very best of its type we’ve experienced – seamless, strong and largely lag-free.
Powering the new Santa Fe is just one engine, a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol unit in a hybrid set-up, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
The transmission blends the power sources via a single-clutch system rather than a transaxle like some hybrids. It’s in the name of efficiency, and unlike most clutch-based transmissions, this one is a recently-updated version with a new and more powerful electric motor, and it’s nice and smooth from a take-off, too.
The combined power of this system sounds reasonable at 172kW/367Nm, but for a vehicle which weighs 1990kg, I’d describe performance as adequate.
The other downside is limited towing performance. While the design of this new car might suggest it’s ideal for open road touring with a big trailer in tow, the maximum braked towing capacity is 1650kg, well short of the 3500kg you might expect from a ladder-frame rival.
Weighing in at 1668kg (kerb), and with a bluff nose and high ground clearance also not helping, we didn’t expect great fuel economy, particularly given how hard and fast the GLA 250’s performance bandwidth is. It’s tempting to just blast your way from point A to point B.
However, at the pump we averaged 9.8 litres per 100km, which isn’t too bad at all considering the available muscle. The official figure is 7.5L/100km, for a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 170 grams per kilometre. With a 51-litre fuel tank, the theoretical range is around 680km.
Note that the GLA 250 requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol as a minimum.
The upside of this compact hybrid electric system is, of course, fuel efficiency. This big SUV has an official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of just 5.6L/100km, regardless of whether you pick a front- or all-wheel drive, and as an added bonus it’s even capable of consuming entry-level 91 RON unleaded.
On our drive program we saw between 6.5L/100km and about 8.0L/100km across several vehicles, which tells me the number you’ll see in the real world will vary depending on driving conditions significantly, but we’ll get the car back for a longer test in the future to investigate further.
The large 67-litre fuel tank suggests a cruising range (at the official consumption rate) of over 1000km.
A soaring 2.0-litre turbo engine application, this is a slick, stirring and robust performer that can also do efficiency as effortlessly as launch the GLA 250 4Matic towards the horizon. Let’s not mince our words. This is a fast and fiery mover.
Three drive modes – Eco, Comfort and Sport – provide a wide spectrum of acceleration and throttle responses, and all deliver precisely what you’d expect. Eco’s fine for pottering around town smoothly and serenely; Sport morphs into a searing and seamless speed demon; and the default Comfort sits somewhere in the middle as the best of both worlds. There really is no faulting Mercedes’ M260 masterpiece.
The DCT also happens to be one of the better dual clutch autos, avoiding the lag and clunkiness pitfalls usually associated with this sort of gearbox. It’s even comparatively smooth off the line on hills. Ours came with the optional handy set of manual-mode paddle shifters, adding a welcome level of interactivity autos tend to overlook. Too bad Mercedes persists with that fiddly column lever that is forever prone to knocking the car out of drive. Even after 15 years, it's still so annoying.
What all this means for the urban driver is strong acceleration for flitting in and out of traffic gaps, as well as incredibly instantaneous point-to-point responses for commanding manoeuvrability, thanks to ultra-eager steering and assisted by outstanding brakes.
With struts up front and a multi-link rear end as standard, the GLA 250’s chassis, too, is a transformative for what is essentially a high-riding hatchback – but only if your pockets are deep enough.
Fitted with that near-$3K AMG Exclusive Package that includes adaptive dampers, our Benz displayed a definite hot-hatch attitude that really would make it the darling of Golf GTI owners who’ve outgrown their rides but not their girl/boyracer desires. Superb handling and hunkered-down roadholding really do make this the driver’s premium compact crossover. You can pretty much point and shoot this Merc as you might a Golf R, and likewise in most weather conditions thanks to all that reassuring tenacious grip.
Plus, if you’re put off by the hard ride in Sport, the Individual mode allows the driver to engage the soft damper mode while the engine and steering retain the hardcore settings. It’s a win-win situation – as long as you can stretch to that AMG Exclusive pack. We strongly recommend it, given the balance between ultimate high-speed control and comfort.
However, while this is all good news for rural and country folk seeking hot crossover fun, back around town, poor urban road conditions can reveal a flaw in the chassis’ ability to properly smother bumps and ruts. It’s the small frequency stuff that seems to transmit through, never really settling down.
The result is a jittery ride, that may somewhat undermine the GLA’s upmarket sheen. There’s also a fair degree of road noise coming through. Perhaps sticking with the 19-inch alloys instead of those lovely 20-inch rims is the solution here.
This new Santa Fe feels nothing like the outgoing vehicle. It feels bigger, tougher, and more capable, and this starts with the awesome seating position and towering view over the road.
It’s easy to see out the side and rear of this car thanks to its huge windows and well-sized mirrors and the seats proved comfortable in all trims over a longer drive.
The steering feels nice and connected, which is good because some of Hyundai’s recent offerings have had a quite artificial, overly-electrically-assisted tinge to them, and acceleration off the line is decent thanks to the upsized electric motor (now producing 44.2kW/264Nm on its own) providing an instant kick.
The response from the small engine isn’t as robust for overtaking manoeuvres above 80km/h, and this is where you miss the old V6.
Still, those looking for a bit more punch will be able to select the 2.5-litre turbo version before the year ends, just don’t expect the same fuel-sipping performance.
The brand tells us it is no longer running the same local ride and handling program which once did wonders to set it apart from rivals, saying instead the learnings from the Australian division are now part of the global ride and handling settings. The Australian market also has a regionally-specific damper setting selected from the factory.
It may as well be a locally-tuned car. The ride and handling of this new Santa Fe is excellent.
Yes, it’s a little disconcerting cornering hard in such an upright-feeling vehicle, but ultimately the SUV takes corners in its stride and shrugs off bumps and undulations with ease. Even the corrugated surface of a gravel track is reasonably filtered-out.
It particularly feels planted on the road. Yes, it’s heavy, but it’s hard to tell this is a front-biased layout as it’s so confident and grippy on the tarmac. You can feel the all-wheel drive system work its magic on unsealed stuff, but this is a safe feeling car on the road.
We didn’t have a chance to take it on anything particularly challenging off the road, nor did we tow with it, so you may want to tune in again for a future review where we get to experience more of its capabilities.
For general driving duties, though, this is an impressive large SUV. Calm, confident, comfortable, quiet and efficient.
Mercedes-Benz is a long and proud pioneer in passenger-vehicle safety, and the GLA is no exception… except that for the full suite of safety assistance you need to fork out more in the GLA 250.
The standard roll-call of advanced driving assist systems includes nine airbags (front, pelvis side and window bags for driver and front passenger, side airbags for rear occupants and a knee airbag for the driver), AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and blind-spot monitoring with an exit warning that alerts the driver of approaching cyclists or vehicles if the door begins to open into their path.
The AEB system has a working range of between 7km/h and 200km/h.
Active Lane Keep Assist, an active bonnet that raises to reduce head injury, Cross Wind Assist, Pre-Safe accident anticipatory systems and traffic sign recognition tech are also present.
Additionally, front and second-row seatbelt reminders are fitted, as well as two rear-seat sited ISOFIX child-seat anchorage points and a trio of child-seat tether points behind the backrest.
But you’ll need to fork out another $1531 for the optional Driving Assistance Package, which includes adaptive cruise control with full-stop/go, Active Lane Change Assist, extended semi-autonomous driver assistance in traffic jams, and route-based speed adaptation.
At the time of publishing, the H247-series GLA’s crash test rating results had not been published, but the closely-related GLB tested in 2020 managed a full five stars.
Almost every active safety tick-box is ticked here, even on the entry-level Santa Fe, with the key missing feature for the base car being the semi-autonomous ‘highway driving assist’ features including distance and lane following control, as well as lane change assist - so basically a more advanced adaptive cruise. The base car also misses out on the clever (but slow) remote parking feature.
Otherwise the new Santa Fe has an array of 10 airbags, with the curtain set extending far enough to cover the third row. At the time of writing, it was yet to be rated by ANCAP.
The real shame is some of the active safety items are still intrusive and annoying. Particularly the traffic sign recognition - which routinely picks up the wrong speed from the back of buses and inactive school zones, and the driver attention alert, which frequently chastises you for looking even slightly away from the road to adjust something on the touchscreen. It’s a shame because it only serves to tarnish an otherwise excellent drive experience.
Unlike many luxury brands that persist with a sub-par three-year warranty, Mercedes-Benz offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.
Intervals are every year or 25,000km, with a capped price service plan starting at $550 for the first year, $750 for the second year and $1250 for the third year, totalling $2550. Alternatively, buyers can also choose a Service Plan, starting at $2050 for the first three years (saving $500 from the normal capped-price service plan), $2950 for four years and $3500 for five years.
As usual, the new Santa Fe range is covered by Hyundai’s five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, which is accompanied by five years of roadside assist (and beyond if you continue to service with the brand), and matching capped price servicing program.
Servicing is required once every 12 months or 10,000 kilometres, and averages out to $481 annually for the first five years. Not Toyota cheap, but not bad.