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| BMW X1 and Mercedes GLA Comparison |
In this post, I am going to compare two of the famous luxury SUVs from BMW and Mercedes. BMW X1 has been the champion of this segment, Audi's Q3 was there for some time which is currently not available in the market, but now a new rival has come the Mercedes GLA. There is a huge difference between the older GLA and the new GLA, if you look at the older GLA then you'll say that it is looking like a little bit bigger A class. So the new GLA's has come up with many changes in its dimensions, height, etc. because of which it has become much more competitive with BMW X1. Both the cars are front-wheel drive. So let's begin with the exteriors of the car.
Exterior
Mercedes Benz GLA
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| Mercedes GLA 2021 |
If you look at the design of the GLA, on the front side a similar design is maintained on the front grille, headlamps, and the headlamps come with LEDs, overall its styling is better than earlier and the bonnet of this car will somewhat remind you of the GLA A-Class, but differences are there. Overall the biggest change which has been made in it is on the side profile of GLA, it is because the side profile of GLA looks similar with the GLC than actually the A-Class. So because of this reason, it looks a bit bigger. Its alloy wheel is also bigger and the tire profile has been made a little bit smaller, a lower profile has been given to it, because of this, its styling has become more attractive now. On the backside, many changes have been made to it, the styling of GLC, GLS, has been introduced to it. So the character of the SUV by Mercedes is clearly visible here.
BMW X1
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| BMW X1 |
On the other hand, we have BMW X1, this is not a new product in the market. Recently it got an update, but it's not an all-new car, its generation has become older now. The cuts and line of BMW are clearly visible on this car, the typical grille of BMW, LED headlamps, it has the overall style of BMW, but yet it looks different than the X3, and you can differentiate between X1 and X3 because if you visually compare X3 and X5, a layman cannot differentiate between them easily. From the side profile, it doesn't feel like a big SUV, it more looks like a station wagon in terms of styling, when you see them side by side, the GLA has got an SUV-ish family looks, whereas BMW X1 is somewhat not in the SUV-ish design completely. From the rear, the BMW X1 has got a different styling from the other BMW family cars, and it is somewhat understated in its overall design, and GLA becomes more appealing if you compare them in terms of design.
Interior
Mercedes Benz GLA
Its interior looks almost similar to the A-Class, the touch and feel of the material given to it is pretty luxurious, the seats which are given to it are not much firm but they are supportive and you'll enjoy being in this car. If you compare it with the BMW X1, the GLA feels much more premium. Both the screens are joined, one is a touch screen and the other one is your instrument cluster. So overall this car will give a more modern and premium feeling. In comparison with the BMW X1, the touch and feel of the material used in it are much softer in GLA. This car comes with more features like wireless is extra in this car, and other extra features like MBUX which is the connected car technology, and moreover you'll notice that you're getting more technological features in GLA which are not provided in the BMW X1 currently. This car's seat feels the most comfortable in the entire segment. So main problem with the older GLA is the 2nd row was not spacious, but in the new GLA, the 2nd-row seats are spacious and comfortable, thus a person with around 6 feet height can also sit easily there, it might be tough for 3 people to fit in the 2nd-row seat but it will surely be more comfortable than the BMW X1. GLA comes with 3 adjustable headrests, 2 AC vents are given for the 2nd row, charging point, as well as space for phone, is also provided, which makes it more convenient. The GLA recline is lesser than the X1, which could be a game-changing feature for a long-distance trip. GLA's boot space is not as big as the X1 and if a family of 4 members easily adjust their luggage in it, but if you need extra large boot space, then X1 will be better.
BMW X1
The touch and feel of the material of X1 are quite good, and then you'll feel the cabin to be good, but the extra luxury which you'll get in GLA is missing in X1. You might be the design to be a bit old school, as the car is 4-5 years old. You might see that the touch screen provided in it is a little bit small, and you might feel that the instrument cluster is a bit old school also. You'll get many technological features like android auto, and apple car play, which Mercedes is not provided currently. BMW has always been known for being sportier, because of which you get such materials. The seats are quite firm and come with quite good supports on the sides, so you won't face any problem on long trips. The windscreen is quite big, which gives the driver good visibility. This car comes with many storage spaces, underneath the armrest, 2 cup holders on the front, also storage spaces are there in the door pads, and the glove box is quite big enough. This car comes with a panoramic sunroof. Overall you won't complain about anything that something is missing, but if you want that extra set of features, then you might that, wireless charging is missing and etc. On the 2nd row, you might not face many problems with 3 people sitting but the central tunnel might be an issue, it is a bit high, because of which the 3rd person will face the problem. This car also comes with an adjustable headrest. The seats are comfortable and the 2nd row is spacious enough, and when the panoramic sunroof will be open then the cabin will be lit up, so you'll no face any problem in the cabin. This car has a quite good amount of boot space, so you have no problem in all those aspects. At the rear, you get 2 AC vents and 2 type C charging ports, and cup holders also.
Engine
The Mercedes Benz GLA comes with a 1.3-liter turbo petrol engine and a 2.2-liter diesel engine and in BMW X1, 2.0-liter petrol and 2.0 diesel engine are provided. If we talk about the outright performance then BMW nails it in terms of petrol and in diesel, BMW gives a more powerful feel. If you're a crazy enthusiast who likes more power then you should consider the diesel engine on Mercedes or BMW, in both cases. In terms of ride quality and comfort, Mercedes beats BMW.
So which car to choose?
Both the cars are spacious, and both come with good features, and GLA comes with some extra features compared to BMW X1, but BMW X1 has better performance and more driver-oriented fun. So if you want to buy a car from these two, and their price is the same then you know which one to choose, if you want luxury then you should go for Mercedes Benz GLA, and if you want performance then you should go for BMW X1. But the situation is different here, there's a huge difference in the price, and Mercedes is actually much more expensive than BMW. BMW X1 costs around Rs 52.02 Lakhs, whereas Mercedes Benz GLA costs around Rs 57.89 Lakhs on-road in Mumbai. So there's a difference of around Rs 5 Lakhs, which is huge. So in the comparison with GLA, BMW X1 wins, Though it comes with a little fewer features than the Mercedes Benz GLA, the usable feature which you will be needed are available in the BMW X1. Moreover, if you want good performance from a luxury car, specifically from the Petrol engine, that you get from BMW X1 and the diesel variant also gives a good performance, and for that reason, we would suggest BMW X1, If you want an all-round, where you'll get the feature, performance and overall everything and its good in terms of badge value and styling then you can check out Mercedes Benz GLA, but you have pay that extra premium on this.
So this was it for this post. Stay tuned to CERadar for more such content.
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