 What is up, you guys? I'll go back to another one. If you're new to the channel, I'm GoPony, as a new car truck SUV reviews on YouTube. And today, we're in the brand new 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLA-250 courtesy of Mercedes-Benz of Hagerstown in Hagerstown, Maryland, for more information on their inventory. Please feel free to check out the link in the description box below. And so we are in this one today because this actually gets decent MPGs for an SUV. Not only that, this is a Mercedes-Benz SUV that starts at under $40,000. So that is pretty exciting as well. So ultimately in this video, we will be testing out and going over everything about this one from acceleration to braking, steering feel, ride quality, sound system, exhaust clip, all that fun stuff. So having said all that, what do you guys say? Let's just go ahead and jump right into it. And as always, let's start with pricing. So essentially there are two different configurations for the GLA-250. You got the front wheel drive set up, starting at $37,500. That's excellent there. And the formatic all-wheel drive starting at $39,500 then. But regardless of which configuration that you go with, the power plant on the GLA-250 will be the same. Powering this little beast is a two-liter turbocharged inline four cylinder, 221 horsepower, 5,500 RPM, 258 pound-feet of torque coming in at 1,800 RPM. Power sent to front wheels or all wheels through an eight-speed dual clutch. I love that with paddle shifters, which we will be testing out here in a little bit. Zero to 60 time is gonna differ amongst those two configurations. 6.8 seconds for the front wheel drive, 6.6 then for the all-wheel drive with MPG numbers coming in at 24 city, 34 on the highway for the front wheel drive. That's very impressive. Then 23 in the city, 32 on the highway. Still impressive for an all-wheel drive SUV. That's pretty cool, taking premium on LED fuel. And so before we do any kind of fun acceleration or paddle shifter test here in the GLA, wanted to mention to you guys the drive modes. There's actually a dynamic button that stands for Dynamic Select. Through that you're gonna be able to select between Eco, Comfort, Sport, Off-Road and Individual, adjusting things like the shift points, the throttle response, steering sensitivity, the Eco Start-Stop system. And actually with that Off-Road mode, that actually sets you up with a 50-50 torque split for the ultimate traction off-roading. So that's pretty cool. And actually in individual mode, you can set it to manual shifting through the paddle shifters, which is pretty cool as well. So now we've got all of that out of the way. What do you guys say? Let's put it in a sport driving mode here. Let's find a straightaway and let's put the acceleration and paddle shifters here to the test to see how quickly we can get this thing up to speed and let's see how quickly these paddle shifters are going to react to us here. All right, here we go. We are in first gear. Hang on. First gear. Go, baby. Whoa, six quick. Paddle shifters are instantaneous. That was nice. All right, so as expected with the dual clutch, typically you're gonna get that insanely quick paddle shifter, so it's the least sent you to the next gear. I absolutely love that. If you wanted to have fun with the paddle shifters, you could certainly do so in the GLA. That was freaking amazing. Not only that, this thing is insanely quick as well. This thing instantly threw my head in the back, so definitely enough to merge you onto the highway, not gonna have any issues here whatsoever. This thing is fine, especially for a small SUV. This thing is dang fun, but anyways, to go along with that acceleration as always, braking is equally important, so upfront you will find 12.6 inch ventilated front discs in the back, 11.6 inch solid rear discs. As far as that six easier stopping distance goes, that is going to commit a pretty impressive 120 feet, actually. Let me go ahead and set the brakes real quick. Yeah, that's on the firm side of things. I absolutely love that. So, firmer braking feels, I always prefer, because it feels like it instantly brings you to a stop. There's so many SUVs out there that give you soft braking feels, or there's a delay to the braking, like a Chevy Tahoe or a Chevy Suburban, something like that. So, I absolutely love the braking feel on the GLA250 without a doubt. Then touching on suspension and handling up front, you're going to get an independent McPherson strut front suspension in the back independent four-link rear suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars. As far as ride quality goes, it's been perfectly fine on my short test drive here today, and let me get reserve fuel off the gauges there. So yeah, it's been perfectly fine on my short test drive here today. Hagerstown's roads are pretty impressive right now. So, I will say that, but still, ride quality is as you would expect the Mercedes-Benz to ride like. I'll just give you that. As far as steering feel goes, it is an instantly noticeable difference depending upon the drive mode that you put it in. Like I said, it is a heavier feel to it when you put it in the sport driving mode, and then when you take it out, put it back in comfort, it instantly loosens up the steering. So, it's kind of something for everybody. Having said that, it's not as heavy as the GLA250. I can say that because I literally just got the driving that one. But honestly, it's as you would expect an SUV to feel like. So, it's perfectly fine for this thing. Touching on cabin noise, I'm going 43 miles per hour right now. It isn't a whole lot of exterior wind noises, a slight bit of road noise, but it's not that bad. It's nothing that would bother me. So, 100% on point there. Touching on visibility, smaller SUV. Definitely not going to have any issues there. So, that is also 100% on point. I definitely like that. And also, pertaining to visibility, rain sensing windshield wipers do come standard across the board. So, that's going to assist with forward visibility. Essentially, whenever the GLA detects an account of mist or rainfall, it's going to automatically turn on those windshield wipers for you. So, just one last thing you got to worry about there. So, it's definitely going to be convenient as well. But, that pretty much rounds out the performance segment of this review, guys. So, now go ahead and take a look at the exterior of our brand new 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250. All right, so here she is, you guys. The new 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 finished in iridium silver metallic, which by the way is a $750 paint option. But, it looks dang good on this thing. And as always, let's go ahead and start up front on the GLA. Horizontal aluminum trim will come standard across the board. Of course, what you guys are looking at. Matte black grille design is going to come standard as well. Also, what we are looking at right now, and I want to specify that because if you were to go with one of those AMG line packages, you will get a diamond block front grille finished in gloss black for the black version of one of those AMG line packages because there are two of them and then finished in chrome for the other version. So, the chrome finish is going to go for $2,340. Then the black version is going to give you $2,740. But, that will give you gloss black accents surrounding this thing as opposed to the chrome. And, of course, you get plenty more than just a front grille with either of those AMG line packages as well, including a completely reworked front fascia going along with that. So, I also should mention that. Aluminum trim found on that front lip. You guys can see that at the very bottom there. You do have LED fog lights down below. They definitely look good as well. Illuminated star is available for $450. I have seen that on Mercedes before. That definitely always looks very good. And, of course, LED headlights to the sides. They do come standard with LED daytime running lights and the automatic feature. But, didn't want to mention there is an exterior lighting package that goes for $900. That gives you adaptive front lighting, meaning when you're going around a bend at night, those headlights are going to swivel based on the direction of your steering angle. Better help illuminate when it's around that bend. So, that's definitely very nice. And, adaptive high beams as well. So, if you have your high beams on at night and a sense of the vehicle coming in the opposite direction, it's going to automatically dim those back to low beams and when that vehicle is gone, it's going to automatically bump it then back up to high beams. So, it's definitely a very convenient feature there as well. But, that pretty much rounds out the front end of the GLA. Let's now go ahead and make our way to the side. All right, so, but now, we are around to the side of the GLA here. Aluminum roof rails do come standard for all trims or all configurations across the board. Rear privacy glass also coming standard along with chrome windows surrounds. Taking a look at the side mirrors. They are body colored power adjustable side mirrors. They will be heated with LED integrated turd signals then as well. And, continuing on with that chrome theme, you're actually going to find some chrome trim accent found on the side skirts down below there. And, actually, there's some chrome accent found on the door handles then as well. So, overall, a lot of chrome trim accents. And, again, if you go with a black AMG line package, all of that is going to be switched out for gloss black. So, I did want to mention that as well. But, then, taking a look at the wheel configurations, there, of course, are several of them. For example, 18 inch double five spoke alloys do come standard. That's what we got here today. 19 and 20 inch designs available though. So, I did want to also mention that in the AMG line packages. They will give you 19 inch AMG specific alloys. So, that is going to be there for you as well. But, that pretty much rounds out the side profile. This one, let's now go ahead and make our way to the back. So, now, since we are around to the back of this one, all the way to the top, there is no shark fin antenna. So, I wanted to mention that because it is a very clean look. Absolutely love that rear spoiler, though, with an integrated brake light just below that. Rear window wiper, affixiated to the rear glass, of course. LED tail lights will come standard for all configurations across the board. You will find some chrome accenting on the bottom portion of that rear bumper as well. And, of course, just below it all, as I get into the weeds here, the tall grass, you will find integrated dual exhaust outlets with chrome tips. So, very awesome look on this thing. But, as always, I do believe you guys know what we have to do next, as always here, is that exhaust clip. All right, so, now, since we are around to the back of the GLA, manual tailgate will come standard. Power tailgate is going to be optional. There are a few different ways to go ahead and open it up. There is a button on the key fob itself. There is a button on the tailgate itself. And, there is a button on the driver's side door, then, as well. But, once opened up, cargo capacity behind that second row comes in at an even 19 cubic feet. If that was not enough space, there is a 40-20-40 split, meaning the rear seats do fall down pretty darn flat, bumping that up to 50.5 cubic feet. There is a cargo cover that comes standard. There's some cargo lighting back there. There are chrome-plated tie-down anchors, which is pretty cool to see. Side pockets with some netted storage. I thought that was pretty cool as well. There is also an elastic strap that kind of holds objects in place back there, so I liked that. Grocer bag hooks do come standard. There is a 12-volt power outlet in the back on the driver's side back there. And, if you were to lift up underneath the cargo floor, you will find a little bit of in-floor storage, as well, to maybe put a small ice scraper or something like that. So, definitely a lot going on in the cargo area there. But, so then, making our way to the rear legroom, that is going to commit at an even 38 inches. So, for reference, I'm an even six-feet tall. This is how much space I have back there. Do you want to mention though, rear center armrest with cup holders is going to be optional. We actually don't have that with us here today. Rear ventilation, though, does come standard. There's a little bit of storage underneath of that rear ventilation as well. Dual phone charging ports also coming standard, and then there is a 115-volt power outlet that is going to be optional that we do have here today. So, that is pretty darn cool and something you don't always find in SUVs. So, I liked that. Then, making our way up to the front seats, eight-way power driver's seat with a four-way power lumbar does come standard. Memory settings for both driver and passenger seats usually don't get that. It's usually just for the driver. So, it's for up to three different positions. Again, for both the driver and the passenger. So, I absolutely love that. MBtex upholstery is going to be the standard finish on the seating. Leather seating, though, is available for $1,450 if you wanted to go that route. Heated front seats go for $500. Heated and ventilated front seats go for $950. Then, multi-contour front seats go for $760. And that's kind of where the side bolsters better hold you in place around the turn. So, big friend of those. Now, ultimately, seating was plenty comfortable, mainly because the lumbar support is pretty darn adjustable. So, no issues with finding my perfect driving position in the GLA. Then, take a look at the steering wheel. It's tilt-end telescoping. It is leather-wrapped. And if you wanted a heated steering wheel, simply add an additional $250 to the mix there. Then, make our way through the startup. Let me start by showing you guys the key here. All of your buttons are located on one side of the key with a nice little matte silver finish on the surrounds there. Lock-on-lock and the button to pop the rear tailgate. But it is all keyless entry with a push button start. So, in this case, all I'm going to do here is simply put my front of the brake and press that black engine start button located just to the left of the air vents there. And so, once started up, there's going to be two different sizes for the digital gauge cluster. You've got a seven-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10 and a quarter-inch digital gauge cluster which comes on the premium package, which goes for $1,850. So, whichever gauge setup that you go with, it's going to be mirrored for the infotainment screen. So, you get seven-inch gauges. You get a seven-inch infotainment screen and vice versa, of course. So, gauges are done very, very well, by the way. My very favorite part of the gauges is if you scroll all the way to the right, there's actually designs and display settings where you can choose between a classic look, sport look, progressive look, and understated, completely changing the look of the gauges, completely changing the colors of the gauges. So, definitely very customizable and pretty much everything you can possibly want on the digital portion of the gauges. That's the best part about digital gauges is there's so many different looks you can really choose to display up here, including, if you go with the adventure theme, it actually shows you your elevation on the right-hand side like it is showing me right now. So, I absolutely love that. But now, let's go ahead and make our way to overall interior quality. Dual-pane Panorama Roof goes for $1,500. We do not have that option with us here today. Universal CrowdStore opener goes for $280. That's going to be found just below the Frameless Rearview Mirror. So, I definitely like that. Wireless Phone Charger goes for $200. This is going to be located just in front of the cup holders if you get it. Dual Zone Climbing Control is going to come standard. 64 colors of ambient lighting go for $310. And that is one I absolutely love. Mercedes-Benz does ambient lighting better than everyone else because it's so much thicker and brighter than most other manufacturers out there. So, huge fan of that. And they're surrounding the air vents too, which is super cool. But Wood Trim available in a matte kind of finish, although I do like the plastic finish that we have here today. It's got that carbon fiber weave-ish look, although it's not authentic carbon fiber, but it still looks good in my personal opinion. Just in front of the cup holders, we've got a little bit of rubberized storage in our case. There's a phone charger port, 12-volt power outlet. Of course, you'll dual cup holders. You've got your touch pad controller and buttons for the infotainment screen. I'll get to that in a second. And within the center armrest, decent amount of storage with the phone charging port actually in there as well. So, overall, everything is finished pretty darn nicely. I like the white contrast stitching found on the doors there as well. But now, let's go ahead and make our way to the infotainment screen. Because like I said, it's either going to be a seven-inch infotainment screen or a 10 and a quarter inch infotainment screen with that premium package. So, you can adjust that through touch screen. It is a touch screen or the touch pad controller. Like I said, that's pretty darn easy when you're driving or you could simply say, hey, Mercedes. How can I help? Change the ambient lighting color to green. Okay, I'm changing the color. That's so cool. And she did it. That's sticking awesome. I love that. Anyways, I can imagine though, if my kids were sitting in the back, they would probably be saying change the color to every single color available. So, let me try something real quick. Hey Mercedes. How may I help you? Change the ambient lighting color to magenta. I'm turning on the ambient light. Magenta, magenta. All right, so that didn't work. I guess it's just the basic colors. But still, that is pretty cool. You could change the color by saying, you know, I'm not going to say it again. Of course you could check out your different themes up there as well as I was alluding to. That's going to be just below everything. And each theme changes basically everything from the ambient lighting colors to some different gauge readouts. So there's a bunch of adjustments that can happen with those different themes. So I'm a big fan of that. Also, of course, your radio information. So when it comes to the sound systems, there's two of them. There's going to be a six speaker sound system that comes standard. That's what we got today. But also a 12 speaker Bermester sound system with 590 watts. It goes for $850 if you wanted that option. So having said that, what do you got to say? Let's go ahead and find a radio station here. Let's turn on the radio. So we've got playing today. And let's test out the clarity of this one. Honestly, that wasn't that bad. I don't remember it being that good in the past, but you could feel a little bit of bass in there. I mean, again, we're talking six speakers in an SUV, but there's a decent amount of bass, decent amount of clarity. Honestly, that system wasn't that bad. I personally would be perfectly fine with that. But anyways, last thing I want to mention to you guys on the infotainment screen is when you do put the GLA in reverse, you will find a rear view camera, very high definition rear view camera coming standard across the board. Couple of different views there. You will get a surround view monitor if you go with the parking assistance package. By the way, that goes for $1,090, which is always is going to lead us into safety. And so to start, front side, side curtain airbags do come standard driver and passenger knee airbags up front as well. In the back, you're going to have latch, aka lower anchors and tethers to children for the rear car seats, rear child door locks, head pressure monitoring system, but also coming standard, active brake assist, Mercedes-Benz emergency call service, attention assist, blind spot assist, and cross wind assist. And then there is a driver assistance package. It goes for $1,700. And that gives you all of the advanced safety. That includes adaptive cruise control, active steering assist, evasive steering assist, reverse automatic braking, emergency stop assist, speed limit recognition, lane keep assist, lane change assist, and group-based speed adaptation as well. So when it comes to my final thoughts here of the GLA, first off, that last safety package I just rambled off, that should come standard. These are safety features that typically will come standard on brands like Hyundai and Toyota and Kia, I know just for example. All of that comes standard with those. So you would think it would come standard on a luxury manufacturer like Mercedes-Benz as well. Also, they'll love the ambient lighting in this thing. Mercedes-Benz, like I always say, does ambient lighting better than any other manufacturer in existence. So I'm definitely a big fan of that. Room for improvement, it can get a little bit pricey with all of the options available for this thing. There's a lot of different packages and options. I don't know, I won't just say that. It can definitely get pricey. Let me end with a positive here. I absolutely love the tech from the, hey, blank option for this. I'm not going to say it again because it's going to interrupt my video to the digital gauges look absolutely amazing. The, all of the different things you can check out with the infotainment screen. There's a lot of very fun tech in the GLA without a doubt. But anyways, let me know what you guys think of the GLA 250 in the comments section below. And that is about it for this one, you guys. Thank you so much for watching for, for to follow me on social media at the bottom of the screen. If you wanted to see what's coming next on the channel before it gets to YouTube, be sure to hit the subscribe, the bell notification button. If you're in the new car reviews that is what we do here on this channel after all, do appreciate you guys watching more than, you know, when I will see you guys all in the next video, stay gold.