[sampadroy]

2021 Mercedes GLA, GLA 35 launched in India

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...10-lakh-420911

[Shreyas_H]

Originally Posted by sampadroy

2021 Mercedes GLA, GLA 35 launched in India

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...10-lakh-420911

Expected pricing but a tad expensive IMO.
I would rather pick this in the used car market 3-4 years down the line at 25 lacs - that would be great value!

[sampadroy]

Originally Posted by Shreyas_H

Expected pricing but a tad expensive IMO.
I would rather pick this in the used car market 3-4 years down the line at 25 lacs - that would be great value!

At a starting price of 42.10L (43.60L from July 1st), I really don't know what Mercedes is expecting with this Model! I guess they became too optimistic seeing the X1's success in India.

Already the luxury car market is down and badly hit due to Covid-19 and now such an atrocious pricing of the GLA by Mercedes. Takes a lot of courage, must say!

P.S. These prices are set to increase by Rs 1.5 lakh from July 1, 2021.

BEST OF LUCK MERCEDES!

[Puneet0051]

Prices to increase by 1.5 lacs in next 35 days. They might as well would have launched it on 1st July as if ppl will lineup next month to get hands on these

In 220d guise what does 3 lacs extra gets you?
4*4 and some tit bits

Atleast this GLA is far better than older gen in stance, looks much better inside, outside. Atleast X1 has some competition dont know how much of optimistic pricing will convert to X1 to GLA conversion

[thechinmay]

Very optimistic pricing. I believe luxury automakers factor in a 20-25% discount while deciding the prices. The early adopters are willing to pay full price for the exclusivity, the rest get discounts on prices that keep creeping up constantly.

[ballfry]

Pricing IMO is off by about 20%

A pet peeve of mine is keyless entry. MB India always skimps on this one feature and it drives me nuts!

In the case of the GLA, only the AMG variant gets Keyless-Go. I don't want to bring up the usual "The Koreans offer xyz for 50% cheaper", but consider this: GLE lineup in India doesn't have keyless-go either.

[sampadroy]

Certain quick price comparisons for better understanding:

GLA on-road pricing in New Delhi:


NOW,
330i Sport (enthusiast's favorite) on-road pricing in New Delhi:


Audi A4 (good allrounder) on-road pricing in New Delhi:
(Easily available at good discounts and last December 2020, discounts were in the range of 12-14L!)


Skoda Superb (Best VFM) on-road pricing in New Delhi:


Audi A6 (class above) on-road pricing in New Delhi:
(Last, when I had checked, the A6 was available at a discount of around 7/8L in May 2021 but many BHPians and other customers have also ended up with discounts nearly in the region of 17-19L in December 2020. Also, while talking to different dealers, I was informed that Audi is focussing on sales and the no.1 spot in the chart this year, don't know whether it's possible or not but sure enough we can expect such high discounts again this year, if not more!)


BONUS POINT: VOLVO XC40 now available at 37.99L!
https://www.carwale.com/news/volvo-x...h-in-may-2021/

Now a simple question to Mercedes.... How is the GLA pricing justified??
I'm sure the customers aren't fools, nor blind!

[pk1972]

I was eagerly waiting for GLA pricing & launch. My budget was 45-50 lacs on-road and narrowed down to two choices - GLA and Kodiaq which I will use as spacious 5 seater (I understand the point that it’s not apples to apples comparison). At this price, Kodiaq makes more sense and a clear choice for me. Snob value be damned!!!

[SKA]

Originally Posted by sampadroy

Now a simple question to Mercedes.... How is the GLA pricing justified??
I'm sure the customers aren't fools, nor blind!

First and foremost, you are comparing apples to oranges. That is, comparing sedans with SUVs. There is no point in doing that. Most of the SUVs today command a much higher premium than the sedans.

The ideal comparison would be BMW X1, Volvo XC40 and the Audi Q2.

GLA pricing


BMW X1:

The X1 is decidedly a last gen vehicle due to be replaced next year and has very few bells and whistles. Still it costs 45L for the SportX variant which is a stripped down version whereas 48L and 50L respectively for the xLine petrol and diesel which is exactly what is the asking price for GLA 200 and 220d. GLA trumps it up by adding an optional AWD at a 4L premium for the diesel. Although, I must add the X1 does have a better petrol engine.

Volvo XC40

The XC40 costs a similar 48L on-road (excluding discounts as we are considering direct on-road prices; what you quoted was an ex-showroom price coupled with a discount which is unfair, as the GLA will also have some discounts a few months down the line).

The XC40 is quite a feature loaded vehicle and hard to beat but the GLA ends up offering the more premium Mercedes badge coupled with an option of a diesel engine.

Audi Q2

There is no point in even bringing this up as this must be one of the most overpriced vehicles in the country!! Its also decidedly last gen and also a segment lower than the GLA but still ends up costing much more than the GLA especially in top trims.

Comparing an SUV with equivalent sedans will always be a futile exercise.

A 13-14L Honda City offers more value than a 13L Hyundai Venue.
A 30L Octavia would offer more value than a 30L compass.
A 40L Camry would offer more value than a 40L Fortuner (in terms of on-road characteristics).
An 80L 530d would offer more value than a 75L X3.

Similarly a GLA is bound to offer less value than sedans in a similar price range.

The GLA is not at all a competitively priced vehicle and calling it VFM would be blasphemy but it is not priced foolishly either. It has been priced keeping well in mind the other cars in the segment.

SUVs are in vogue. Hence, they can command higher premiums and we do have many customers who would want an SUV over a sedan.

[AKSarkar1]

Saw this car parked outside the Mercedes showroom here in Mumbai, Lokhandwala. The first thought in my head was that it is definitely doesn't share the road presence as compared to the old GLA. It felt more like a B class over a GLA. Would try to pay the showroom a visit this weekend and see the car from inside too.

I think Mercedes India is going to have a tough time justifying that kind of pricing for the size of the car as Indians always seem to have a direct correlation between the price and length/dimensions of the car (myself included). I personally would choose an immaculately maintained E-Class (Man. Year 2017-19) from the pre worshipped market over a brand new GLA.

[tarik.arora]

Hello

Someone in my known is eyeing the Diesel 2wd variant. Though his annual running (5k kms) does not justify a Diesel, we are unable to wrap our head around the fact that the petrol is a 1.3 litre unit. Spending half a crore and getting a 1.3 does not make sense. Diesel will also have superior performance with 400nm of torque and this also is a driving factor behind his decision. With the 10 year rule in place, do you guys think it will make sense to go ahead with the diesel?

Also, the petrol comes with a dual-clutch gearbox, which are known to be notorious ( not sure about MB though). Should this even be a factor to consider?

The last is pricing. I am suggesting him to wait for a few months and there might be discounts (a question mark, given MB's new strategy). What are your opinions on this?

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by tarik.arora

Hello

Someone in my known is eyeing the Diesel 2wd variant. Though his annual running (5k kms) does not justify a Diesel, we are unable to wrap our head around the fact that the petrol is a 1.3 litre unit. Spending half a crore and getting a 1.3 does not make sense. Diesel will also have superior performance with 400nm of torque and this also is a driving factor behind his decision. With the 10 year rule in place, do you guys think it will make sense to go ahead with the diesel?

Also, the petrol comes with a dual-clutch gearbox, which are known to be notorious ( not sure about MB though). Should this even be a factor to consider?

The last is pricing. I am suggesting him to wait for a few months and there might be discounts (a question mark, given MB's new strategy). What are your opinions on this?

Diesel also comes with a dual clutch gearbox. Honestly get a good test drive of both the cars and go with the one you like. Keeping aside any bias of the displacement.

Diesel will definitely have lower resale value if the car will be registered in NCR as compared to petrol so that is something that the buyer has to decide.
You may also wait and see what kind of discounts you end up with on the variants. For eg, we also have a low running of barely 5k kms a year yet ended up with an X1 diesel for the simple fact that it was 5-6L rupees cheaper compared to the petrol when we got it.

[CEF_Beasts]

Originally Posted by tarik.arora

Someone in my known is eyeing the Diesel 2wd variant. Though his annual running (5k kms) does not justify a Diesel, we are unable to wrap our head around the fact that the petrol is a 1.3 litre unit. Spending half a crore and getting a 1.3 does not make sense. Diesel will also have superior performance with 400nm of torque and this also is a driving factor behind his decision. With the 10 year rule in place, do you guys think it will make sense to go ahead with the diesel?

Since other than one buttered-up media house no one got a chance to drive the new GLA, so can't comment. Although since the A-Class limousine has the same petrol engine, it was still the 200d diesel (148hp) that was recommended in it. GLA gets the higher 220d tune with 187hp so better go with the diesel. The diesel as well as petrol get a DCT, only difference being petrol has a 7spd unit and the diesel is a 8spd unit. The 1.3L engine is from the Renualt-Nissan family and it's punchy and great for a car under 20lakhs but it's not recommended in the case of the more expensive Mercedes Benz cars.

Although petrol will give you 15 years and diesel 10 years, my pick will still be the diesel because it will feel a lot more accomplished.

I believe discounts if and when they are available will be 6 months down the line.

[sampadroy]

Originally Posted by tarik.arora

Hello

With the 10 year rule in place, do you guys think it will make sense to go ahead with the diesel?

Also, the petrol comes with a dual-clutch gearbox, which are known to be notorious ( not sure about MB though). Should this even be a factor to consider?

The last is pricing. I am suggesting him to wait for a few months and there might be discounts (a question mark, given MB's new strategy). What are your opinions on this?

The Diesel engine used in the GLA is the very same engine that is used in the C/E/GLC and even the A-class (lower tuned). The Diesel engine is way superior to the petrol and would offer great performance coupled with the 8G-DCT gearbox. If budget is not a problem, Diesel is the variant to go for, blindly.
Talking about the 10-year rule, I don't think that shouldn't be a concern if you're not worried about the resale value (considering the person would be selling the car well before 10years). The performance offered by the diesel is much superior to the Petrol but still, I would suggest you ask him to take a TD of both the variants and then decide.

Talking about the Dual-Clutch Gearboxes, both the engines are paired with DCT units in the GLA and both units are Wet Clutch Assembly units. The Dry Clutch DCTs/DSGs (eg. VAG DQ200) are notorious and not really reliable.
I personally don't think Mercedes DCTs have any such issues and are pretty advanced and reliable. That being said, there is nothing to be worried about the DCT Gearboxes as Mercedes is providing an 8 years Drivetrain Warranty that covers the complete drivetrain of the car, including the DCT Gearbox. Complete peace of mind!

Talking about the pricing, I would suggest to wait and see. Anyway, the best time of the year to buy a Mercedes is from November-March, depending upon the availability. Right now the car is highly overpriced and no matter what, even with the new strategy, we might see price reductions in the future because honestly, the GLA will have very few takers in the market. So there's no harm in waiting and maybe also saving a few lakhs. If the new strategy is not implemented or is a flop, then the Dealerships would be selling the cars as usual and then one can easily bargain for discounts in the range of 11/12L, if not more, for this highly overpriced GLA. So I would clearly suggest to wait.

[tarik.arora]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Diesel also comes with a dual clutch gearbox. Honestly get a good test drive of both the cars and go with the one you like. Keeping aside any bias of the displacement.

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

Although petrol will give you 15 years and diesel 10 years, my pick will still be the diesel because it will feel a lot more accomplished.

I believe discounts if and when they are available will be 6 months down the line.

Originally Posted by sampadroy

If the new strategy is not implemented or is a flop, then the Dealerships would be selling the cars as usual and then one can easily bargain for discounts in the range of 11/12L, if not more, for this highly overpriced GLA. So I would clearly suggest to wait.

Thank you guys for the detailed responses. I dont know why but I was under the impression that the diesel is being sold with a traditional torque converter. My bad.

Regarding the Petrol vs Diesel debate, even I have asked him to TD both before taking a decision. He knows someone at one of the dealership, so, home TD's are scheduled for tomorrow. Let's see what he has to say.

I think pricing/discounts is the tricky part. He is falling for MB's gimmick of price increase starting 01 July. He fears that if the deal is not closed sooner, he will loose a couple of lacs.

I am trying to convince him on the fact that discounts will surely kick-in around the festive season and year end. I fear that he will be heartbroken 6 months down the line, when he sees discounts to the tune of 5-8 lacs. Guess, heart wins over the head in such situations. He also has a quote for the A4 with about 9-10 lacs off the sticker price. Anyways, cant do much about it.

One last thing- If he decides to go ahead, will it be unfair to expect some discount now as well? Given the fact that the car got launched this week itself. Not sure if I am expecting too much