Mercedes-Benz Driver Assistance Package - Distrionic Plus Lane Keep Assist Blind Spot Assist REVIEW
No crash-test results are available for the 2017 GLA250 from U.S. agencies, but Mercedes-Benz does offer a comprehensive list of standard safety gear. Active-safety technologies are available, but only as pricey options that drive up the bottom line.
What’s New for 2018?
There are no changes to the GLA-class’s safety equipment or crash-test status for 2018
2017 Mercedes-Benz GLA-class
Two agencies evaluate vehicles for crashworthiness in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rates tested vehicles from one to five stars in front crash, side crash, and rollover tests. NHTSA also assigns cars an overall rating out of five stars. The non-profit, independent, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) uses a different set of tests to evaluate front and side crashworthiness, roof strength, headlight reach, and ease of child seat installation. IIHS grades cars on a scale from Good to Poor in each test, and awards the cars that perform best across all its tests with Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick + honors, the latter of which requires that the vehicle’s automated forward-collision-braking system performs well in IIHS’s tests.
The GLA250 has not been tested by either NHTSA or the IIHS; its European equivalent was tested by the traffic-safety agency Euro NCAP in 2014 and received the highest rating (5 stars). The GLA250 hasn’t changed structurally since then, so the agency carried its top marks forward through the 2017 model year.
Child-seat anchor points are easy to get to, but the rear doors don’t open far enough to allow ease of access for a child seat. When a rear-facing child seat is installed in the back, the front-passenger seats must be moved too close to the dashboard for the front passengers’ comfort. A front-facing child seat allows for better front-seat space.
Active Safety Features
Mercedes-Benz offers active-safety technologies as options on the GLA-class, including lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, forward-collision warning, and a much-needed blind-spot monitor to deal with those caused by the GLA250’s wide rearmost pillars. The systems use radar and cameras to keep tabs on nearby traffic and emit a series of visual and audible alerts to notify the driver of impending danger.
In order to possess the adaptive-cruise-control and lane-keeping-assist features, you must order the $1500 Driver Assistance package. That, in turn, requires the addition of the aforementioned $2750 Premium package, which adds blind-spot monitoring, an upgraded Harman/Kardon audio system, a backup camera, passive entry, heated front seats, and SiriusXM satellite radio. However, the backup camera and blind-spot monitoring are available as individual options for $460 and $550, respectively. The parking-assist feature is also available as a standalone option for $970.