Mercedes-Benz CLA250 vs Mercedes-Benz GLC200

What's the difference?

The CLA 250 Sport is really only let down by the rugged ride and some hard plastics and interior detailing. The ride is a matter of choice but some of the half-hearted plastics, especially on the seat controls, mar an otherwise excellent car.

If you want to stand out from the crowd in the looks department, the CLA is the most dramatic and not at all displeasing to the eye. The drive is certainly no let-down, but the BMW will eat it for breakfast and the Audi is faster while being $5000 cheaper.

But above all, the CLA is a Mercedes so is topped by that very desirable three-pointed star.

The GLC200 is an accomplished family SUV and not a bad start to the range. I guess some folks will be upgrading from high-end Japanese and Korean SUVs, or defecting from another German,  and it's unlikely you'll be disappointed unless you have a particular aversion to the brand.

It's well-equipped, safe and, without options at least, competitively priced (for a Mercedes), if not especially cheap to service. 

The CLA looks terrific – short, squat and pulled low down over the 18-inch alloys, it looks ready to rumble. The detailing in the head and tail lights, most obvious at night, gives the car a strong presence and unmistakeable Mercedes air, something buyers at this level probably appreciate – a base model CLA-Class almost feels like biggest-brother S-Class.

Inside are rich materials, with leather (some real, some not) covering the dashboard, doors, seats and the steering wheel. But, once the centre stack meets the console however, the plastics suddenly go decidedly grainy and low-rent. The fit is typically excellent but the feel is at odds with the rest of the cabin.

The darkness of the materials is offset by the gigantic sunroof (and the perforated, rather than solid blind) letting in a ton of light to really set off the bright red seat-belts.

Front seat passengers will find it easy to get comfortable but if that requires putting the seat back, rear passengers will fare badly – there isn't a lot of leg room and that diving roofline robs much of the A Class' headroom. Three small kids across the back will work, but otherwise two shortish adults.

The boot is huge, with some extra space beneath the floor where you will also find the goo pump for tyre mishaps. There's a reasonable amount of storage around the cabin, too.

While probably unintended, the sheer honesty of the GLC wagon's design is almost refreshing. Bonnet, doors, tailgate, it's obvious what this car is for. Simple surfacing, excellent build quality, the GLC says, "Here I am, fill me with people and stuff. I won't let you down." Nothing in this sector is particuarly out there (more's the pity), but compared to the Audi Q5's subtle prettiness and the BMW X3's creases and snarling front end, the Merc is a study in restraint. Apart from the pizza-dish-sized, grille-mounted logo. Ooh. I almost forgot the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, which is definitely a looker. But that kind of proves my point.

As part of last year's mild in-and-out update, the cabin scored a new touchscreen and control pad and little else. It's pretty much the C-Class's cabin, in vibe if not design. There is some nice wood - one of the few times you'll read me say that - with Merc's trademark texturing rather than nasty, over-polished (or obviously plastic) slabs of the stuff. I still don't like those cheap-looking Burmester speaker covers.

The GLC200 kicks off at $67400, the entry-level, rear-wheel drive four-cylinder version. The starter spec comes with 19-inch alloy, a mere five speakers in your stereo, dual-zone climate control, around-view cameras, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, sat nav, auto LED headlights, auto wipers, fake leather interior (not that there's anything wrong with that), auto parking, powered tailgate and run-flat tyres.

The new touchscreen hosts the modern MBUX media platform which is so much better than COMAND. That system's wacky controller was getting there, but it seems Mercedes wisely diverted attention to this new get-up. The sat nav is much easier to use, as is the whole interface, and it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for good measure. The new control pad is miles better, too, and the DAB+ interface is a vast improvement.

This car had just about everything loaded in, bringing the total cost to $83,900. Starting with the rather lovely (but expensive) Iridium Silver Metallic pain ($1600), Mercedes loaded on the Driving Assistance Package ($2600 - active lane assist, blind spot monitoring with active assist, active cruise), AMG Line (20-inch alloys, various mats and tints, sports wheel and pedals and side skirts), Vision Package ($5200 - head up display, sunroof and 13-speaker upgrade), Night Package ($700 - gloss finish window surround, body colour mirror caps, painted wheels) and Seat Comfort Package ($1300 - electric and heated front seats, power door mirrors, powered steering column adjustment).

An eye-opening 6.6 second dash to 100km/h comes courtesy of a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder developing 155kW and 350Nm of torque. All four wheels are driven by a seven-speed twin-clutch transmission with paddle shifters.

Mercedes claims a combined cycle figure of 6.0L/100km, but given the willingness of the 2.0-litre to rev and the sweet-shifting transmission, you're unlikely to see less than 11.0L/100km. We certainly didn't, but it spent most of its time in Sport mode for the engine and transmission, which meant the stop-start was off. The weather was also disgustingly humid so we kept the engine running to keep the air-con pumping.

The GLC200 carries a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder called M264. Sending power through all four wheels, you'll have 145kW and a healthy 340Nm at your disposal. Which is just as well, given it weighs 1800-odd kilos before options.

The GLC comes with a nine-speed automatic transmission, which you'd think would be better than seven or eight but isn't. In the 200, only the rear wheels are driven, you need to step up to the 250d or 300 to get all-wheel drive.

The 250 is basically a hot hatch with a boot – its power figures are well below the (cheaper) all-wheel drive Audi S3 and rear wheel drive M135i. The numbers are much closer to VW's Golf GTi.

That aside, the CLA is an excellent car – quiet and for the most part very refined, it's a real urban warrior. The wheel feels positive in the hand and you can sling it in and out of corners with great confidence - the all-wheel drive grip is tenacious and drama-free.

While the engine isn't a high revving unit, it does rev willingly and smoothly, with the transmission shifting like the ticking of a clock. In Sport mode the ticking is accompanied by an exuberant crackle from the exhaust.

A downside is the ride – with the sport suspension of the Sport designation, it is one rocky rider. Naturally on a good surface it will behave much better, but when the rains come and the roads fall to pieces, potholes become a mortal enemy, particularly for rear seat passengers.

The ride does mean that it is less liveable than you might otherwise imagine. You'd be mad to upgrade to the 19-inch wheels unless you had excellent chiropractic cover.

When you fire up the Merc CLA, you're always in the most economical mode. It takes two separate buttons to get to maximum attack and those buttons are in a place you might not expect. When you've sussed it out there the steering adds weight and reduces its lock to lock, giving you a heavy but responsive feel.

The brakes are excellent and resisted the pounding we gave them, while the engine's light theatrics on the up and downshift kept us giggling.

I was pleasantly surprised at how sprightly this car is - the 2.0-litre spins up very nicely and is pretty smooth most of the time. The nine-speed transmission could probably be a bit more decisive, which is why I spent more time in Sport mode than perhaps was necessary. It certainly sharpened the transmission up a bit, but I think nine gears is probably too many, especially given Audi's and BMW's expertise with "just" eight.

For most drivers this won't be a problem - a less probing examination of the transmission's performance will find it quite capable, if occasionally clunky.

The last non-AMG GLC I drove was not a comfortable rider and I'm pleased to say that things have improved. They just haven't improved as much as you might want. Where the BMW X3 in particular is quite comfortable in its basic form, the GLC is firm to start with, then when you throw in the 20-inch wheels from either the Night or AMG packages, things get a bit bumpy on the suburban bash.

Apart from that, it's a very pleasant place to spend time. It's very quiet and composed and if the surface is right, will float along in traffic, helping to keep you calm. All the controls are nicely weighted and for the vast majority of owners, a well-specced GLC200 will do just fine, with no need for bigger engines or a loftier badge.

I would, however, like to see the end of those silly side steps. They'll get grotty in winter or the rain, which means when you slide out, your calves get grotty, too. Unpleasant and unnecessary.

All GLCs have nine airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, traffic-sign recognition, around-view cameras, reversing camera, reverse cross traffic alert, blind-spot monitor, forward AEB, forward-collision warning and tyre-pressure monitoring.

As Mercedes did on this car, you can boost the safety gear with packages.

There are also three top-tether mounts and two ISOFIX points.

The GLC scored a maximum five ANCAP stars in January 2016.