Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class VS Skoda Kodiaq

Compared to before, the 2021 GLA is some 122mm taller, so ushers in a higher hip point for loftier seating – reducing that jumped-up hatch feel. Headroom improves obviously, as does rear legroom, a corollary of a 30mm wheelbase stretch (to 2729mm).

Wide apertures also make entry into and out of the German-built GLA child's play, though the solid heft of their doors is serious business at this end of the segment, very satisfyingly Teutonic and totally on-brand. This is something you won’t enjoy in a Subaru XV.

Then you s-c-r-a-p-e the underside of the front doors on the pavement literally every time you swing it to get out, and wonder whether Mercedes engineers have ever been to Australia. This fail drove us spare. Heaven help the GLAs in towns and cities with bluestone sidewalks. Maybe all that extra AMG packaging is the culprit.

Still, most of the other basics are spot-on and can’t really be faulted; cosy yet spacious for four adults – especially up front, ample vision, an excellent driving position aided by heaps of seat and steering wheel adjustability, cosseting front sports buckets that you just sink into, torrents of ventilation from those delectable turbine vents and stacks of storage. Collectively they make the GLA a welcoming, opulent place to travel in. Only the hapless fifth occupant squished between the outboard rear-seat passengers might think otherwise. But nobody buys this Benz for carting people around. That's the GLB's job.

Several years ago, Daimler poached a senior Audi designer and since then Mercedes’ dashboards have morphed into a multi-coloured multimedia diorama of touchscreen technology that threatens to completely take over the universe. Choose the right combination of colours and lighting and it's like your very own White Night on wheels. Starting with 2018’s A-Class, the striking, spangly MBUX system that underpins all this has come to be widely admired and imitated. For aesthetics anyway, with its vivid hues, panoramic displays and simple, tiled applications, it’s been a real trip.

Anyway, back to reality. From a tactility and functionality point of view, there’s still work to be done.

Access to the multimedia (including our GLA's banging optional audio system) and car settings areas is possible via a mildly fiddly finger-pad arrangement down forward in the centre console, or smaller yet much more annoying thumb sensor tabs on the wheel spokes. These are not easy to modulate on the move. Additionally, their menus can be confusing to navigate through and sometimes counterintuitive in operation. Mercedes obviously realises this as a quick-guide pamphlet is provided on old-fashioned cardboard paper. How quaint.

Eventually all areas can be mastered over time, but the functionality is complicated and may overwhelm the not-so-tech savvy. Additionally, the ‘Hey, Mercedes!’ voice control is impressive for getting MBUX to perform basic multimedia and vehicle settings-related changes, but it too-often erratic, unreliable and ultimately frustrating for more complicated commands. Perhaps elocution lessons on behalf of the operator may help.

But not as much as the profound disappointment we endure from the cheapness of some of the materials, the wincing cellophane-like sounds when pressing on some of the surfaces such as the door cards, or that emanate after a particularly bumpy section of bad roads. Sheeny reflections and hard textures in a car optioned with extras that total up to nearly $82,500 just don’t cut it.  

At least in this latest-gen GLA, the rear seat area seems much improved over the previous models, with more space, comfy and supportive seating (remember ours featured the $607 sliding function that ought to be standard) and a reclining backrest. All amenities are present, with deep pockets, fresh air from twin vent outlets, reading lights and thoughtfully placed armrests – but, again, the latter’s extendable cupholders feel brittle and cheap.

Further back, the 435-litre cargo area is sufficiently sized and practical for smaller family use (at last), aided by a 40/20/40 backrest fold and that slide-able cushion to extend capacity further. There is no spare wheel, but a tyre inflation kit is fitted in lieu.

Overall, then, better than before, with that fundamental rock-solid heft, luxurious aura and alluring premium-car aroma. The dazzling MBUX screen-related visuals, too, are endlessly entertaining to explore when the vehicle is not moving, but the GLA’s cabin is still not quite up to Mercedes’ reputation for exacting over-engineered excellence.

Or even to the standards of some mainstream alternatives.

The space inside the Kodiaq feels enormous no matter which seat you’re in, with a tall roof and plenty of width. Up front, there’s a commanding view of the road, while adjustability for the seats seems extensive (although we only tested a high-spec car with electrically adjustable seats).

The new screens offer sharp software which is much better laid out than before. This makes it relatively easy to find all the functions of the car, although the resolution is so high some shortcuts can be a little hard to jab at.

The real win here is the new set of three rotary dials set below the screen in place of the touch-based sliders in other VW Group products. The two outside dials control the temperature of the climate zone, or it can cycle through the heating and ventilation for the outside seats. The centre dial controls fan speed, drive mode, or volume. It’s even customisable so you can remove functions you don’t want if you’re tired of having to press it a few times to get the function you want.

There’s no shortage of storage up front including large door pockets, cupholders in the centre console, and a massive rubberised tray for the wireless charger which disappears below the rotary dials up front.

The centre console is now enormous and features a set of floating trays that can be removed. These feature conveniently-sized brackets for quick access to keys or wallets, and included here is a little suede-style cleaning block for the touchscreen. It’s part of Skoda’s signature ‘simply clever’ features and I must say I’ve never seen it before, so props to the brand for including something new.

The rear seat is, of course, enormous, offering me plenty of room at 182cm tall behind my own driving position. Unfortunately, this car’s platform requires a significant raise in the floor below the centre seat position, which eats into legroom for centre passengers.

Back here, there’s also plenty of amenities. In the car we tested, which is reflective of what high-spec cars in Australia will be equipped with, there's a rear climate zone (rare for the segment) with an independent controller, adjustable air vents, USB-C ports, and even built-in sunshades and heated outboard seats.

Unfortunately I couldn't test the third row in our brief time with the car, although the second row is on rails, so the amount of room on offer isn’t fixed at any rate. Check back for our Australian launch review for a better analysis of the third row.

With the third row seats folded the boot offers an impressive 910 litres of space, or an ambitious 340L with the third row up. It also has its share of ‘clever’ touches, like velcro cargo dividers, an included cargo net (in addition to the sliding cover), and bag hooks on either side.