[gla45life]

... but it isn't my GLA45.
For reasons I'd rather not go into (Oh, ok, I scuffed a wheel and felt it detracted from the looks so I had it fixed by the local MB dealership), I had the "pleasure" of driving a C220 cdi for a week.
OMG. It's awful. First off, there's the ugly backend, then there's the shiny piano black plastic for a console.The steering feels "woolly" even when in "SPORTS" mode and it wafts around corners.
Its quieter than my GLA45 (quelle surprise), and does a few more miles to the gallon. It's hard to believe they came from the same manufacturer.
An ex-colleague is swapping fro a 520 to a C class.... I wonder if I should tell him to give the C220 a miss.....

 

[roytheboy]

The C-Class and the GLA are different types of car for different types of punter. The C-Class (I've owned a few) is quiet and comfortable - perfect for eating up miles without being too big for town ...with passengers. The GLA, on the other hand, is basically a hot-hatch (with the better engines) with off-road abilities (with the 4WD). If you just want to cruise up and down duel carriageways and motorways, the C-Class is a damn fine car; but I have to admit that having now owned a GLA250, there's no other car I would rather have, even though some, like the Evoke, do look better IMO.

 

[GLA UK 45]

I know where you are coming from, my daily cars are 2015 E Class and S Classdiesels, former already has 10500 miles in a month, avery dull drive, rather drive my GLA 45 any day such aspirited drive... yes the Evoque Dynamic 2013 was a great car which we had for 9 months, ableit let down by a very old engine ... not really in the same mould, totally different car altogether and would not change even it was cheaper to run or buy.

 

[roytheboy]

I never got round to taking the Evoque for a test-drive, because it is too wide for my garage. But I did watch a very thorough off-road comparison with a non-4WD GLA, and the GLA did better on sand and gravel tracks with 2WD. Obviously the Evoque would do better on rocky terrain, because of the ground-clearance, and presumably it's much more rugged (?), but as I have found out, the 4WD GLA is seriously good on sand and snow, which is what it was designed for, and what I bought it for

 

[gla45life]

I totally get that the C class and GLA are aimed at different markets.
I was just so surprised how different it behaved, not only to the GLA45, but also to the CLS that I drove for 4 years.
I just felt that this new invocation of the C-class isn't in the same league as the older cars.
... and nothing will convince me that the rear view is "pretty".

(Tried looking for a picture, but they all look ok online.. must have been the dark blue.. was it blue? Or was it grey.. it's been 24hrs, I forget)

 

[roytheboy]

I know what you mean about the dash. I'm very used to my lovely black leather-tex-stuff dash with its red stitching, chrome and brushed aluminium panels, so when I got into my mate's new C-Class, I nearly chocked at how naff the dash looked. MB have gone very up-market with the GLA (with the fancy dash), but downhill with the standard C-Class dash. I can't comment on the driving feel, other than my previous-model C-Class felt fine, albeit not as good as the GLA.

 

[gla45life]

Quote from Auto Express:
"Handling is OK but no match for the BMW 3 Series.Unfortunately, the steering is a letdown. The wheel feels extremely light, especially around the dead-ahead, while Merc's Direct Steer system adjusts the power assistance according to speed and driving mode. Although the response is weightier in Sport modes, the variable-ratio rack is inconsistent and has hardly any feedback."
I only just looked for a review of the UK 2015 C-class and this matches my experience of the steering.
The steering in the GLA feels so much more "heavy" ; getting electronically controlled steering to feel like the old mechanical setup is a must (for those of us used to "the old ways")

 

[Thirty]

Didn't it win car of the year? The rear is awful, reminds me of the old 5 / 6 series from BMW.