It would be foolish to assume that a vehicle with a short 106.3-inch wheelbase would ride like an E-Class or S-Class, but the GLA lacks the smooth, composed road manners I’m accustomed too. It’s choppier over broken pavement than I expected and delivers a ride that doesn’t feel any more refined than compact crossover offerings from more attainable segments.
The GLA 250 4MATIC may be a “soft-roader”, but it does feature some off-road hardware, even if it is equipped with a slip-and-grip all-wheel drive set-up. Besides eight-inches of ground clearance, it comes standard with downhill speed regulation, an off-road drive program and an off-road display. Sadly I did not get to test any of these systems out and although I doubt the GLA is ready to climb the steepest trails of Moab, it would be interesting to see what exactly this little crossover is capable of when the pavement ends.
