Mitsubishi Pajero Sport vs Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

What's the difference?

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is a very capable off-road vehicle and it also functions quite well as a daily driver. And in top-shelf GSR guise, it has plenty of standard features onboard. 

This 4WD wagon is infrequently outmatched when faced with serious 4WD challenges and, even though the whole package is feeling more than a bit dated, the Pajero Sport still represents a decent value-for-money option in an increasingly expensive car market.

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.

SUV wagons based on utes (Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X et al) all share a similarly inoffensive generic kind of look.

The Pajero Sport is easy enough on the eye.

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.

The Pajero Sport is 4825 millimetres long with a 2800mm wheelbase. It is 1815mm wide, 1835mm high and it has a listed kerb weight of 2125kg.

Up front, the seats (power-adjustable driver and front passenger) are very supportive, with a nice wrap-around feel to them.

The steering wheel has paddle shifters for sporty shifting and it is reach- and height-adjustable.

The dash and 8.0-inch touchscreen media unit are nicely integrated, but that screen is too small – and that’ll be rectified somewhat with the likely introduction of a 9.0-inch screen in the 2025 Pajero Sport. 

All buttons and dials on the current Pajero Sport are easy to locate and operate, even when you're bouncing around off-road.

Second-row passengers have access to three top tether points, two ISOFIX points and a fold-down armrest with cupholders. There are USB charge points and a power socket in the back of the centre console bin.

The second row is rather comfortable. I sat behind my driving position and there was plenty of head and legroom. 

Passengers in the third-row seat have access to cupholders and air vents.

In terms of packability, the Pajero Sport’s cabin is quite narrow compared to most of its rivals and there are plenty of other SUVs and 4WD wagons around that offer more room inside for people, gear and dogs.

Boot space is a listed 131 litres with the third-row seats in use and there are power sockets and tie-down points in that rear space. 

Fold the third row out of the way and cargo space increases to 502 litres. With the second and third rows stowed away, there is a combined 1488 litres of cargo space.

All in all, the Pajero Sport’s interior is a functional space, but it’s feeling a bit dated.

For reference, the 2024 Triton will be 15mm longer (5320mm, with a longer wheelbase 3130mm) and 50mm wider (1850mm) than the current generation model. And with the 2025 Pajero Sport set to follow suit, that’ll mean more space in the wagon’s cabin for driver, passengers, gear and your dogs. 

The 2024 Triton’s newly developed ladder-frame chassis is claimed to have a 40 per cent increase in bending rigidity and a 60 per cent increase in torsional rigidity over the current generation.

The upcoming Triton will also get a towing capacity boost from 3100kg to 3500kg, bringing it in line with its rivals.

So, following on from the Triton’s changes, the 2025 Triton-based Pajero Sport will be bigger, heavier and with greater towing capacity.

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 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…

The Pajero Sport has a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine, which produces 133kW at 3500rpm and 430Nm at 2500rpm, and it has an eight-speed automatic transmission.

This is not a dynamic combination, but it’s a well-proven and respectable one. 

The GSR has Mitsubishi’s 'Super Select II' 4WD system and a rear diff lock. The Super Select dial sits to the rear of the shifter and enables the driver to switch from '2H' (two-wheel drive), '4H' (4WD high range), '4HLc' (4WD High Range with locked centre diff) and '4LLc' (4WD Low Range with locked centre diff).

The driver is able to safely switch between 2WD (2H) and 4WD (4H, 4HLc) at speeds up to 100km/h.

The GSR has a button-operated off-road mode system – with 'Gravel', 'Mud/Snow', 'Sand' or 'Rock' settings, each of which tweaks engine output, transmission settings and traction control to best suit the terrain – and hill descent control. 

The 2024 Triton will retain the current-generation’s engine but it will have a twin-turbo and it will produce more power: 150kW at 1500rpm over the current engine’s 133kW at 3500rpm. The new Triton will have a maximum tuned torque figure of 470Nm; the outgoing Triton produces 430Nm.

The upcoming Triton will keep the six-speed automatic transmission.

The 2025 Pajero Sport will have that new twin-turbo engine, but it’ll paired with an eight-speed auto.

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.

Official fuel consumption for the Pajero Sport GSR is 8.0L/100km on a combined cycle.

Its real-world fuel figure on this test, from pump to pump, was 9.6L/100km. 

The Pajero Sport has a 68-litre tank, so, with that sort of fuel-consumption figure, you can reasonably expect a driving range of approximately 680km from a full tank, but that’s after having already factored in a safe-distance buffer of 30km.

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 Pajero Sport is reasonable on-road, although it is quite sluggish, not very dynamic, a bit noisy and there’s quite a lot of body-roll through sharp turns.

But it is a very nimble and capable off-roader, largely because the driver is able to tap into a few different things that have been engineered into the car to help them conquer tough low-range challenges.

The GSR has selectable off-road modes, including Gravel, Sand, Mud/Snow (when in high-range 4WD) and Rock (when in low-range 4WD).

Each of these modes adjusts engine output, transmission settings and braking, the aim being superior traction to suit specific conditions and terrains. 

But one of the major points of difference with its rivals is the fact the GSR has Super Select II 4WD. You can switch, via a dial to the rear of the auto shifter, from 2H into 4H (four-wheel drive, high-range), if you're not already driving with 4H engaged, and that gives you the best traction possible in low-traction conditions, which you may face on back-roads and dirt tracks.

There's no risk of transmission wind-up because the centre diff is open when 4H is engaged in the Pajero Sport, so Super Select II 4WD adds an extra element of safety and sure-footedness to your driving experience.

Then turn the dial to 4HLc (four-wheel drive, high-range, locked centre diff) and you're ready to take on more difficult terrain but at lower speeds, because the centre diff is no longer open.

If you're keen to tackle even harder stuff than high-range territory, turn the dial to 4LLc (four-wheel drive, low-range, locked centre diff) and the Pajero Sport has an opportunity to excel in low-speed low-range four-wheel driving.

So, along with decent high- and low-range gearing and a centre diff-lock – which is activated when 4HLc (4WD high-range, locked centre diff) or 4LLc (4WD low-range, locked centre diff) is selected – the Pajero Sport has a rear diff lock, which is engaged/disengaged via a button in front of the shifter and this further help you to easily maintain safe forward momentum. Hill descent control sustains a controlled low speed of 3.0-4.0km/h all the way down steeper, longer hills.

Its riding on Toyo Open Country A32 all-terrain tyres (265/60R18 110H) but it would perform even better with more aggressive rubber.

Wheel travel is okay, ground clearance (218mm) is reasonable, although you still have to mind your driving line through rough terrain and be mindful of approach (30 degrees), departure (24.2) and ramp-over (23.1) angles. Wading depth is listed as 700mm.

All-around, the Pajero Sport is an effective off-roader, and does everything in a safe and controlled way.

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.

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.

The Pajero Sport is covered by a 10-year/200,000 kilometre new car warranty, (whichever occurs first and when all scheduled services are completed at a Mitsubishi dealership), 10 years of capped price servicing, and four years of roadside assistance.

Service intervals are set for 12 months or 15,000km, and capped price servicing covers the first 10 regular services at those scheduled 15,000km/12 month intervals.

The average cost per service (over 10 years) is $599 – and that’s been calculated by CarsGuide’s crack team of bean-counters.

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.