Launched yesterday in India, Mercedes’ GLA Class compact SUV has already garnered 600 pre-launch bookings within 18 days before the launch. This indicates the anticipation for the vehicle among luxury car enthusiasts. Now that the vehicle is available for sale across Mercedes Benz India outlets the booking number is expected to shoot during the festive season. Priced at Rs 32.75 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the SUV will take on the likes of Audi Q3, BMW X1 in entry level luxury SUV segment.
New GLA is conceived on the same new front wheel drive MFA platform that underpins A and B Class vehicles from Mercedes Benz. Mercedes Benz has rolled out two-wheel variants only for now, however four wheel drive trims will soon be introduced. Other than the four-wheel drive variants, the company will also launch performance oriented AMG variant of the vehicle this month.
For the domestic market, Mercedes has enhanced ride height of GLA by 30mm, the ground clearance stands at 183mm that aids to handle road conditions in India. Features like panoramic sunroof, sat-nav, rear parking camera with parking sensors, electric driver and passenger seats, tyre pressure monitoring sensors, attention assist and seven airbags have been equipped in the SUV.
Under the hood is a 2.0 litre, four cylinder petrol engine that is good for 184 PS of top power and 300 Nm of peak torque. The engine enables the vehicle to rush from 0 to 100 kmph within 7.6 seconds and attain a top speed of 205 kmph. Diesel range is employed with a 2.1 litre, four cylinder engine that engenders a pinnacle power of 136 PS along with maximum torque of 300 Nm. The engine takes around 9.9 second to reach 100 kmph from zilch. A seven-speed dual clutch transmission is matched to both the engines; paddled shifters are also incorporated as a standard fare. On the fuel efficiency front, petrol powered GLA is claimed return 13.8 kmpl on the other hand diesel variant is vouched to offer 17.9 kmpl.
