by Yesterday Mercedes introduced the completely new electric and hybrid GLA, whose interior is adorned with an impressive wall of screens. But a customer who enters the German configurator with €48,599.60 (about $55,640) and dreams of ordering a base GLA 200 immediately gets a reminder that they haven’t spent enough.
What hides behind the glass?
What looks like a single continuous display from pillar to pillar is actually three separate screens placed behind a single glass panel. The digital instrument cluster and central touchscreen are standard, but the passenger display above the glovebox is not.
If you don’t select the option with the third screen, Mercedes fills the void with a glossy black panel adorned with dozens of three-pointed stars. It looks quite elegant, but every time you get into the car and see the constellation of Mercedes logos, you are reminded that you didn’t choose the full equipment.
The GLA 200 with 221 hp (224 hp / 165 kW) is not alone in this feeling. The GLA 250 (268 hp / 272 hp / 200 kW) and even the GLA 350 (349 hp / 354 hp / 260 kW) also do not have the passenger display as standard. However, it is quite possible that the future top-end AMG 45 version, which will get a three-motor powertrain from the CLA 45 with 671 hp (680 hp / 500 kW), may include this screen at no extra cost.
Misleading Superscreen
The MBUX Superscreen option is listed in the German GLA configurator at €1,160.25 ($1,330), and it can be installed on any model, including the base GLA 200. It’s not cheap, but unlikely to significantly affect the monthly payment, so we can imagine a few buyers being interested. However, when adding it to the order, the configurator also requires selecting a three-year Digital Entertainment package for €226.10 ($259) and an Advanced Plus Package with digital enhancements for €2,796.50 ($3,200).
The latter adds more tangible luxury features: flush door handles, heated seats, four-way lumbar adjustment, ambient lighting, and wireless smartphone charging. If you add all three packages together, the so-called superscreen for €1,160.25 actually costs you €4,182.85 ($4,789).
Zero Use for the Driver
The third infotainment display can play video – sound is output via headphones or the GLA’s speakers. But Mercedes does not allow the driver to have an unauthorized movie session behind the wheel. If the car detects that the driver is looking at the video playing on the passenger screen for more than two seconds, the image goes dark. When the passenger seat is empty, the driver can select various background patterns so that this expensive display does not sit idle.
Mercedes
We assume that most buyers will not order the third screen, and it won’t be the end of the world. Those illuminated stars look even better than a boring black panel, and probably better than a screen that goes unused and gets covered in greasy fingerprints. But Mercedes’ glossy promotional images certainly do not show what you can actually get for €48,599.60.
The hidden cost of additional options and the trim strategy is an old game of automakers. In the case of the new GLA, the base price looks attractive, but to get a truly modern interior with all the screens, you’ll have to pay significantly extra. Competitors also offer similar packages, but Mercedes deliberately makes it so that even in mid-range versions, the buyer feels that they saved where they shouldn’t have.
