Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4Matic: Social climbing comes first

Don’t get at too hooked up about judging this car by what its badge implies.

Price: $86,500.

Powertrain and performance:  2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. 165kW/5500rpm, 350Nm/1200rpm. All-wheel-drive. Combined cycle fuel consumption 7.5L/100km (claim), 8.7L/100km (road test).

Vital statistics: Length 4417mm, height 1494mm, width 1804mm, wheelbase 2699mm. Wheels: -inch alloys with 235/50 R19 tyres.

We like: MBUX interior, smart looker, a hatch with extra ability.

We don’t like: The $6000-dearer GLB 250 makes more sense in the SUV role and has seven seats, no adaptive cruise control.

IN ‘Mercedes speak’ GL stands for Gelandewagen - literally ‘off-road vehicle’ but suggestively more akin to ‘go anywhere over any terrain with jaw-jutting confidence’ – but when meeting the GLA 250 4Matic, it’s really quite obvious the translation is, erm, a bit optimistic.

That’s not to say it lacks a degree of robustness; more a reminder that, as is often the case with this kind of vehicle, ‘road’ has more relevance to ‘rugged,’ so it’s tailored accordingly.

 Take in this shape at the kerbside and it come as across much more strongly as a sporty, if bulked up, five-door five-seat hatchback than something that’d be up for joining a four-wheel-club endurance outing. 

There’s certainly nothing junior G-wagen about how it drives, either. As much as Mercedes will attest that the AWD variant as tested are handy when the metal road turns to a dirt track, chances are the one function on the Dynamic Select system least likely to be used with frequency is the Off-Road mode. As rugged as the whole car in engineered to be, it just feels way too premium to risk for mud-plugging.

No problems there. When did you ever see one its rivals – and, to Benz, they include the Audi Q2 and Q3, BMW X1 and X2, Jaguar E-Pace, Lexus UX and Volvo XC40 – clambering to a mountain top, smashing through a boghole or taking on a windswept beach? Exactly.

 What also comes into question here, as well, is the ‘A’ part of the name. The obvious inference is that you’re looking at a bulked up member of the A-class family, The most compact, mainly (with exception of the AMG 45 hotshot) city-contrived hatchback that aims at everyone from young first-car buyers to those seeking a second set of wheels for town and around.

Can you see it? Erm, not really. Appearances again speak to a different bloodline and unpacking the development makes association seem all the more tenuous.

Really, it’s actually more correct to track that to the Mercedes B Class and GLB, as they are the other models on the platform that the GLA establishes upon. Put them together and it’s plainly obvious that the GLA picks up elements of both co-shares in terms of its exterior and interior styling and layout.

Don’t think this is a whinge. If anything, this car being not quite as it seems is a strength. The big appeal of this car is as with some rivals; it steps out of a proscribed zone. It’s a bit different, a bit edgy and, because of that, it’s a bit more interesting. 

The styling direction is one appeal. The general design influence is plainly from the larger SUVs in the line-up. The manner is which everything is beefed up is certainly set to raise comment and, agreed, the vibe from some angles is better than from others. Yet nothing looks bodybuilder-on-a-steroids-binge obscene. One immediate plus is that the glass to metal ratio looks just right.

 This is Benz’s second tilt at designing this car. Alterations over the previous blueprint are mainly to do with scale. The second-generation is most obviously larger than its predecessor, not in length but in height – it’s a good 104mm taller – and the wheels are 30mm further apart front-to-rear, too, so the overhangs are much shorter. That’s conceivably better for the off-roading no-one will ever entertain, but is not wasted effort, as it also enhances the way it presents.

 Mercedes is on a real roll in respect to its interiors; not just in general look and ambience – which is always swish – but also with its technology. The MBUX displays and functionality is likely the envy of all category rivals and though the ‘hey Mercedes’ voice control function is a bit frivolous, it’s impressive how it synchs neatly with Apple CarPlay’s Siri.

You do have to be careful avoiding your hand or wrist across the touchpad that sits just ahead of the display console; even the lightest touch can trigger unintended consequences. There’s no great chance of this happening with frequency because it’s another of those many Benzs that have a steering column mounted drive selector in place of a centre-set gear stick, so as to free up space in the centre console. The gear wand is likely something that will become second nature if you were a permanent owner, but for those who don’t have that chance, it’s invariably going to mis-interpreted as an indicator at some point. That’s only an issue for left hand turns, as you’ll pop it into neutral.

The cockpit feel is more car than off-roader, but there are a few details to remind you of it being a SUV, in classification at least. Most obviously, some of the controls are chunkier and the seating position is higher than in a pure road car. By a full 140mm compared to an A-Class, apparently, I mention that because, while it’s obviously a bit taller standing, the GLA doesn’t have much in the way of an SUV stance. So, it’s not a car that you need lift yourself up to get into.

The GLA is potentially not going to cry out of attention as a family car, and not just because it’s probably too plush to risk being besmirched by crayon-wielding junior terrorists, with a panoramic powered sunroof and heated electric front seats. 

It’s also not the best size. For one, it is a touch too compact and, for another, even though the back is not too bad for head, shoulder and lower leg room, the seat is set low and the roof and rear window shape do make the back part of the car feel a bit claustrophobic.  

Performance is decent. The 250 variant packs a turbocharged 2.0 engine that is good for 165kW and 350Nm, running through an eight-speed twin-clutch gearbox. It’s an eager but smooth engine, not overly hot hatch snappy at kick-off, but very responsive once it gets moving and endowed with good mid-range muscularity. The torque spread is wide and rich; conceivably, that’d be useful if you were heading onto non-sealed terrain. As if. 

Even when the driver’s chair is set to its lowest point, you’re sitting relatively high up. There's great visibility in all directions and its comfortable, because the driver's seat and the steering wheel have loads of adjustment.

The driving is brand-typical solid, but there’s a degree of enlivening sharpness; the AMG Line specification does sacrifice suppleness, but it's not anything like outright harsh. The 250 achieves what’s called the Lowered Comfort Suspension setup, which aside from being odd-named makes it look nice but does introduce some fussiness into the ride. For all that, wheel and body control is quite decent, in fact, and more large hatch than small SUV. The only letdown for push-on is that the car will at times outrun the actions of the eight-speed gearbox, at least when it is kept in the default mode. You’ll find yourself livening it up by utilising the gearchange paddles behind the wheel.

There are plenty of incredibly good crossovers and SUVs just in the premium end of the market, but so improved have a number of less expensive mainstream models in this category also become that, really, some of those could be considered as relevant rivals, as well. Really, it does come down to how important a prestige badge is to you.

If the GLA is to outdo its rivals in any key area, it’s in respect to its technology inplementation and functionality; though big screens with lots of trick functions and touch and voice activation are spreading across more vehicles, the MBUX set-up really is still in a class of its own.

So there’s that, and there’s the GLA also being quite stylish in how it looks, plus it drives more like a sporty hatchback than any kind of SUV. 

On the other hand, this is the cheapest variant with all-wheel-drive and it’s exactly inexpensive.

 Tick a few options, such as our car’s AMG Line and must-have Driving Assistance packages, and you’re up into $90k bracket, where the GLB with the same powertrain, all the same kit and fundamentally far more family-friendly functionality awaits.

If you want the look are seeking to escape some of that hit, then why not the GLA 200: Smaller engine, one fewer cog in the gearbox and front-drive … but frankly, none of that probably penalises if making an impression counts most.

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport VRX: Trading on tough

As a wagonised Triton utility, Mitsubishi’s seven-seater is within a diminishing sub-species. But it seems in good health nonetheless.

Price: $68,990 ($58,990 on test)
Powertrain and economy: 2.4-litre inline four-cylinder turbo-diesel, 135kW/437Nm, 8-speed automatic, 4WD, combined economy 8.0 L/100km, CO2 208g/km.
Vital statistics: 4825mm long, 1815mm wide, 1835mm high, 2800mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 131/502/1488 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Strong value, slick auto, good equipment level, excellent AWD.
We don't like: Slow steering, diesel harshness, quirky infotainment.

TO SOME it’ll be the second-choice sports utility, the one settled for on realisation all like-sized and specified new-age types are simply out of reach.

To the others, it’s the sensible choice, selling itself by virtue of solid basics and  realisation it has most of what you can also get  on more expensive alternates. Why spend more when you can get it all for less, right?

The Pajero Sport really seems to have settled into its role as diamond in the rough, a good choice for those who sign up on acceptance that, even in its latest and heavily updated format, it nonetheless does ‘new’ in a slightly old-fashioned way. 

Speaking to that. How soon before the days of taking a ute, giving it a boot and calling it a station wagon still being a tried-and-true construction formula are over? Time is surely running short. So many makers have moved on to monocoques that the chassis rail club can barely raise a quorum any more. With the Holden Trailblazer about to hit the road, and Isuzu’s M-UX equivalent also driving into history, really there’s just this Mitsubishi, the Ford Everest and Toyota’s Fortuner left to fly the flag. All are well into their production life cycles and none of those makers are discussing replacements.

Yet even if what we have now is on a one-way trip, that doesn’t diminish their value. If you don’t mind accepting body roll, raised knee second-row seating and engine roar in your driving day, there are patent pluses from keeping one foot in the past.

While those old-school constructs just aren’t as polished as the new-age products, they certainly still stand tall for robustness and are just the ticket for a life of honest toil. If you anticipate hauling properly big loads and possibly thumping into truly places that more elite and street-set fare would find challenging, if not impossible … well, then it’s hard to imagine how a Pajero Sport still couldn’t escape consideration. 

And if that doesn’t get your attention, there’s another draw. In situations when the money side of things holds primary currency, then even among its own kind, this model pitches a strong ‘value’ argument. All the moreso during test, when the VRX was selling for $10,000 under list, making it a $59k proposition. How they can make a buck? One assumes they still do and, if that is the case, it’s probably a reminder about how much ‘fat’ this type of vehicle (and utes) carry at full retail.

All the same, why spend more when you can get much the same for spending less? While Mitsubishi isn’t at the very sharp end for tech these days, it still bangs out some solid product and even if the Pajero Sport only sells on perceived value alone, that’s probably enough to keep it rolling out the door. 

Certainly, nothing came out of this latest experience to alter views established when driving the vehicle in its original format four years ago: Namely, that it’s still a pretty honest machine that, now it’s undergone a mid-life refresh that delivers not just a different look but also considerably more kit, is probably good enough to soldier on solidly for the remainder of its life cycle. Which could well be at least five more years, depending on the outcome of decision-making between this brand, Nissan and Renault about who gets to build what under their latest platform-sharing agreement.

Picking the Pajero Sport from the SUV pack has never been a chore; the Dynamic Shield design language ensured it has a face no-one could easily forget. The 2020 revision brings quite a lot of alteration, but the basic ethos is still as before, with a lot of drama going on, not least around the nose. The lights are much slimmer now and the grille less extravagant, but as before you’re left thinking whoever shaped this has been influenced by Klingon attack ships. All the same, it does at least bring it more in line with the latest Triton, which seems only proper given their DNA link, and creates visual impression of the vehicle being lower and more square-shouldered, regardless that it really isn’t.

The touch-up crew has also tended to the rear end, by touching up the tail-light shape as best they can, given the limited space these take up, but with a more orthodox outcome. New bumpers also affix front and rear and the bonnet is now rendered from aluminium, though it still remains a hefty thing to lift. 

The interior has come in for a freshen-up as well, of course, and not before time. The general ambience is less Triton familiar and the fitout is definitely plush, with more soft-touch materials than you’ll find in the ute but still a fair  few hard-wearing plastics.

The biggest change is the introduction of a 8-inch multi-information display that replaces the traditional dials behind the steering wheel, plus a new and larger central touch screen.

The latter isn’t one of those displays that is easy to immediately acquaint with; the lack of buttons isn’t so much as an issue but there’s an initial confusion about how to access some rather fundamental operations: Changing a radio station means first having to fathom how to locate the frequency settings; even altering the volume control on the interface is initially tricky. Stick with it. All ultimately becomes clear.

One trick is to understand that so much of the operability is governed by the usual Japanese over-zealousness toward safety, which makes it impossible to influence much of the functionality unless the vehicle is stationary and in Park. That’ll be a frustration for those used to set-ups that are far more lenient. Plus, you’ll initially imagine there’s a quirk in the audio side of the system that occasionally kept it from defaulting back to radio when leaving Apple CarPlay. Again, there’s a way around this. But it takes time and a bit of detective work to fathom. 

All the same, the displays are more coherent and even if having three different ways of showing the speed and tachometer is, ultimately, a bit gimmicky, the manner in which that display relates core information is easily understood.

The electronic update also introduces ability to enable remote control access via a phone app, which is probably a first in this price band – certainly, I’ve only previously encountered it in far more expensive fare.

Three choices of instrument display …..

Change doesn’t stop there. The VRX also takes an electronic tailgate – if you’re tall, watch your head when loading up the rear, as the max height setting is still a touch low for the lofty – and while it still doesn’t access the same level of snazzy driver assists that Ford delivers to the Everest, that the VRX also includes a 360 degree camera, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring and an adaptive cruise control for a whole lot less money makes the absence of even more complex aids easy to accept.

Claim that the cabin has more room before seems based on a myriad of millimetric alterations here and there. The front seats seem to have changed in shape – again, for the better – and storage space has also increased, though the choice of handy slots and flat spots for holding keys, sunglasses, your wallet, mobile and other paraphernalia is still modest. 

Sense that Pajero Sport (and Triton) has always looked a touch narrow for its height hardly disperses when you sit in it. The cabin simply feels a touch narrower that most. In saying that, there’s no actual shoulder-rubbing and it’s hardly lacking for length, with good knee and lower leg room in the second and third rows. For sure, that seven-seater format is more adult-adult-kid, but given that an elevated mid-row bench and rear-set chairs are an unavoidable compromise (because of the suspension and floor design) that means taller passengers’ in the second row might find their heads close to the sunroof lining than they might in a car-based SUV, it’s acceptable overall. For the most part it makes sense to drop the third row seat as you then get a fairly decent, if somewhat high-set load area. 

Driving-wise, it’s much the same experience as ever, but with tangible improvement to the ride quality, wrought purely from some suspension tune amendments and switching to another brand of tyre, which also seems to produce less road noise and has better gravel surface qualities.  

The drivetrain element that has most potential to be beneficial remains the Super Select 4WD II system. Four-wheel-drives that are actually all-wheel-drive all the of the time are a great thing, especially for those who adventure trek only occasionally, and it’s astounding there aren’t more of them.

There’s never an issue of ‘should I, shouldn’t I’ about Mitsi’s system, which provides ability to drive on high-grip surfaces in high-range four-wheel-drive mode without trashing the transmission.

There are also four driving modes - gravel, mud/snow, sand and rock – tailoring toward more specialised operation, all accessed via a rotating dial on the centre console, plus an electronic locking rear differential – always a good ‘last resort’ when the wheels start churning uselessly - and a hill descent control.

That’s a comprehensive fitout that will doubtless offer a lot of reassurance to owners who might tend to only venture off seal occasionally or will need to make prudent use of the traction when towing. 

In saying that, it’s by no means an elevated Quattro. You’re always aware of its mass, so driving does ask for a more thoughtful approach than can be entertained with a monocoque SUV. It’s not a nervous type, but definitely isn’t in any way car-like, either; it might be a wagon, but those ute genes still show through. Push too hard and the stability control will be intervening as a last resort to a situation you won’t want to be in.

On the other hand, take it off-road and it’s eminently friendly. The increased length from the enlarged bumpers hasn't affected the approach angle, still an impressive 30 degrees, and only fractionally diminishes the departure angle and ground clearance of 218mm is awesome.

The Pajero Sport uplifts the Triton’s 2.4-litre diesel four-cylinder and, frankly, it’s not going to be an obvious selling point. As neither the most powerful nor the most refined in the category; it requires working to get the best out of it – peak torque doesn’t occur until 2500rpm, which is bit high for a diesel - and when driven in that way, you do occasionally tend to hear all about it, though the eight-speed transmission at least removes a lot of the rough spots and enables the power delivery in unflustered (meaning highway) driving to be fluent and relaxed.

A relatively handy 11.4m turning circle and reasonably good visibility – apart from the restrictions imposed on the rear three-quarter view by the small, tapering rearmost side windows – are factors that play positively for urban use, less so the steering, which still feels slow, and the overall length. Sometimes you’re not so much parking as berthing.

The Pajero Sport certainly isn’t the most polished choice to settle on by any means. Even within its sub-category it is more relaxed about refinement than others and, frankly, if you’re of the mind that a snooty badge and a swankier ambience are keys to SUV success … well, it’ll struggle.. 

Keep an open mind and acknowledge and admire the sheer honesty of the concept. Fact is that, if you only have so much to spend and all you want is competence, with good quality build and a level of engineering that, while perhaps not quite leading-edge, is at least extremely reliable and failsafe when it matters most, then it still stands scrutiny. All the moreso now that the only like-sorted (and even cheaper) rival in this small family, that Trailblazer, is about to leave the scene. A rough diamond, perhaps, but still a gem if your SUV intent is genuine.