Mercedes-Benz GLA35 vs Ssangyong Rexton

What's the difference?

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.

If KG Group can provide the long-term stability and new model investment that has eluded SsangYong for so long, the brand could have a promising future in Australia judging by the MY24 Rexton Adventure. It’s a solid package and what it lacks in benchmark ANCAP safety and third-row comfort is offset by a compelling driveaway price, generous warranty and national dealer network. So, if you’re looking for a feature-packed 4x4 seven-seater SUV for less than $55K, you might be pleasantly surprised by this competent Korean.

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.

With its 4850mm overall length and 1960mm width, the Rexton rides on a 2865mm wheelbase with a compact 11-metre turning circle.

Its smooth ride comes from four-coil suspension with double-wishbones up front and an independent multi-link arrangement in the rear. For those venturing into the rough stuff, it has 20.5 degrees approach and departure angles, 20 degrees ramp break-over angle and 203mm of ground clearance.

Looks are subjective, of course, but we reckon it has attractive and cohesive styling, with its prominent and ornate diamond-style grille complimented by distinctive side-body contours that can’t be mistaken for other SUVs.

The interior has a premium look and feel, with lots of exposed stitching along soft-touch seams and a tasteful blend of contrasting surfaces including chrome, satin chrome, piano black and textured patterns.

There’s good attention to detail and build quality is excellent, but there are some annoying design quirks like the need for the front passenger to access a touchscreen menu just to adjust the audio volume.

The second-row of seating has a/c vents in the centre console and is spacious even for tall people like me (186cm). When sitting behind the driver’s seat in my position, there’s about 60mm of clearance between my knees and the driver’s seat backrest, which combined with ample head and shoulder room makes for a comfortable ride.

By contrast, the third-row seating is strictly for young kids, as there are no adjustments for the second-row’s backrest angle or fore/aft base cushion positioning to accommodate taller frames like mine. The side windows in the thick rear roof pillar are also conspicuously small, which adds to a claustrophobic feel.

Fortunately, access to the third-row is made easier by the 60/40-split second-row, which can be folded and tumbled forward.

However, given I’ve found tolerable third-row comfort in some rival seven-seaters, the Rexton’s third-row is my only gripe for those with longer limbs.

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.

With its 2130kg kerb weight and 2960kg GVM, our test vehicle has a sizeable load capacity of up to 830kg, which should be ample for five occupants and their luggage.

It’s also rated to tow up to the class-benchmark 3500kg of braked trailer and its 350kg maximum tow-ball download is compatible with that requirement.

Plus, its generous 6460kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) means it can legally tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum car-load, which is a practical set of numbers for just about any recreational requirement.

Front-row cabin storage includes cup/bottle-holders and a small bin in each front door, plus a single glove box. The stylish centre console has a bin up front with sliding-lid, two cupholders in the middle with another sliding-lid, plus a box at the rear with hinged padded-lid that doubles as a driver’s elbow rest.

Those seated in the second-row get a cup/bottle holder and bin in each door, plus pockets on each front seat backrest. The fold-down centre armrest has two more cupholders and a handy hidden compartment that’s ideal for small items. Third-row occupants get storage bins on each side but no cup/bottle holders.

Accessing the cargo area through the power tailgate reveals 236 litres (VDA) of load volume with the third-row seats upright. This expands to 641 litres with the third-row folded flat and 1806 litres (or more than 1.8 cubic metres) with the second and third-rows folded.

The cargo area’s rear floor has a two-tiered design, with the top floor lying flush with the third-row seats when folded but it can be removed to reveal a lower floor that provides a second level of storage. There’s also a usefully large bin in the right-hand-side wall cavity. The only things missing are sturdy load-anchorage points at floor level to secure cargo nets or straps.

Our test vehicle is the new ‘Adventure’ model, which serves as the middle-grade offering between the entry-level ELX and top-shelf Ultimate.

It’s equipped with the same 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, eight-speed automatic and part-time 4WD as other Rextons, for a drive-away price of only $54,000 (our 'Space Black' metallic paint is a $595 option).

That pricing looks razor-sharp compared with mid-grade 4x4 seven-seaters offered by segment leaders like the Isuzu MU-X LS-U ($61,400), Ford Everest Trend ($66,790) and Toyota Prado GXL ($69,530).

And they are 'list' prices (not including on-road costs) whereas the Rexton is 'drive-away-no-more-to-pay'.

The MY24 upgrades include a new dash layout and high-mounted 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple/Android wired connectivity. There’s also a restyled dual-zone climate control hub with touchscreen, plus new lower body mounts for improved ride quality.

The Adventure brings numerous luxuries like a walk-up welcome system (mirrors unfold and puddle lamps illuminate), touch-sensing front door locks with walk-away auto door-locking, power tailgate and soft-touch synthetic leather seats with the fronts offering power adjustment, heating and cooling.

The second-row outer rear seats and steering wheel are also heated, plus there’s speed-sensitive power steering and tyre pressure monitoring.

These appointments are in addition to the base ELX’s generous standard equipment list including 18-inch 'diamond-cut' alloy wheels with 255/60 tyres and a full-size alloy spare, LED dusk-sensing headlights/DRLs/front fog lights/tail-lights, heated door mirrors, a four-way-adjustable leather steering wheel and 12.3-inch driver's digital instrument display.

There are also four USB-C ports (two front and two in second row centre console), three 12-volt outlets (front console box, second row centre console and cargo area), electric parking brake, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors and more. It's fair to say the Rexton Adventure is feature-packed.

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 quiet and refined 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel, which meets Euro 6 emissions standards, produces 149kW at 3800rpm and 441Nm across a 1000rpm-wide torque band between 1600-2600rpm. It provides energetic response in city and suburban use.

This engine is paired with an equally refined eight-speed torque converter automatic, with overdrive on its sixth, seventh and eighth ratios ensuring low-rpm operation and optimum fuel economy at highway speeds.

Sequential manual-shifting is available using the steering wheel-mounted paddles and there's a choice of three drive modes ('Power'/'Winter'/'Eco') which can be selected using a console button.

The part-time, dual-range 4WD system is controlled by a console dial, offering the choice of 2H (2WD high-range), 4H (4WD high-range) and 4L (4WD low-range). It also has an auto-locking rear diff to optimise traction as required.

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.

SsangYong claims an official combined cycle average of 8.7L/100km. At the completion of our 307km test, which comprised mostly city and suburban driving with a bit of highway travel, mostly in Eco mode with up to five occupants on some trips, our figure calculated from fuel bowser and trip meter readings came in at 11.0L/100km.

Although higher than SsangYong’s claim, it was within the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between official and ‘real-world’ figures. So, based on our numbers, you could expect a driving range of more than 600km from its 70-litre tank, which is not bad. Based on the official figure, driving range extends to around 800km.

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 Rexton’s overall refinement and build quality are evident when you get behind the wheel. It offers good adjustability for driver comfort and the fundamentals of the vehicle are sound, as there were no red flags during our test.

The engine is smooth and quiet with good all-around performance, the automatic transmission shifts quickly and smoothly, the steering is nicely weighted and communicative, the brakes provide reassuring response and the ride quality is supple over bumps yet disciplined enough to provide good handling response.

It’s also pleasantly quiet at highway speeds, with low tyre and wind noise. Engine noise is also minimal, given that it requires only 1600rpm to maintain 110km/h, ensuring low-stress cruising.

Most of our driving time was spent in Eco mode, as we found performance in this setting more than adequate for our purposes. We did briefly use the Power mode but didn’t notice any significant change in response.

No ANCAP rating (as yet). Even so, it comes with numerous passive and active safety features highlighted by dual front, side and curtain airbags plus a driver’s knee protection bag (but no centre airbag between driver/front passenger).

There’s also AEB, lane assistance, blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert, trailer sway control, hill descent control, front/rear parking sensors, reversing camera and more, but a notable absentee is speed-sign recognition and the cruise control is non-adaptive. There are also ISOFIX child seat anchorages on the two outer second-row seating positions plus top tethers for all three.

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.

Warranty cover is seven years/unlimited km warranty plus seven years roadside assist.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first.

The first seven scheduled services run to $375 each, up to seven years/105,000km, for a total of $2625.