The Mercedes Benz GLA 180 is a sporty car

German automaker Mercedes Benz has for a long time been known for manufacturing saloon and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) that command a high level of stability on the road. It is believed that even when negotiating a corner at 100km/hour in any Mercedes, you will not feel the bend in your seat.
According to Charles Mugarura, a motorist who has test driven a number of German brands, the above stability feature is not optional to the GLA 180. The GLA180 also comes with a sport button that gives the option of driving in sport mode.

“When you turn on the sport function, it is purely a sports car. Its performance changes from that of a normal Benz or any other car to that of a rally or sports car,” Mugarura says.

However sporty it may become, the GLA 180 does not perform beyond its manufacturer’s 240km speed limit.

Car performance
Nicholas Mwesigye, a Mercedes GLA 180 owner, says the car commands a reasonably better ground clearance, similar to that of a Toyota Premio 2010 model. This makes it driveable even in the rough upcountry roads.

However, you should drive carefully.

Mwesigye reveals that when driving on a murram road, once you press the sport button, its torque and traction abilities in the wheels automatically adjust to the road condition not only to match but also with the roughness of the road to give you maximum off-road performance.

Contrary to public perception that Mercedes Benz brands are fuel guzzlers, the GLA 180 is fuel efficient. This is because it runs on a 1600cc engine that is capable of giving you between 10 to 14 kilometers using one litre of petrol fuel. For instance Mwesigye says he refuels with Shs120,000 and tops up on his way back from Kampala to Mbarara, a distance of approximately 260 kilometers.
Specifications
The GLA 180 comes with instant brake sensors. If for unknown reasons, you are about to accidentally knock something or any other car on the road, the brake sensors automate into parking mode and the engine switches itself off.

“When you open the driver’s door accidentally while driving, the car will park itself and not move even an inch. When you are in a traffic jam, the engine will continue running but will go on hold without moving an inch even if the gear lever is in the drive position. You do not have to step on the brake pedal while in traffic jam,” Mwesigye explains.

Service and maintenance
Much as there are spare parts you may have to import, Mwesigye observes that most of them especially those that are basic such as brake pads, engine oil, transmission fluid, among others, can be locally sourced.

On average, its service will cost approximately Shs2m. And after doing service, you set its computer system and wait until you receive a reminder.

“It is not a car where a mechanic will recommend its service after driving 5000 kilometers. The computer system of the car will alert you when it is due for service.
If it is 10 days to the service date, you will receive a notification from the computer system on the dashboard,” Mwesigye says.

“If the engine oil needs to be changed, it will warn you. Apart from engine oil, the car will warn you about anything faulty on the car that requires replacement even if it is old brake pads or worn out tyres,” he adds.

Before buying
On average, the Mercedes GLA 180 costs Shs180m if you choose to import. Locally, Mwesigye says it may be hard to come by the car in a bond, unless someone has put it up for sale. Lately, Mwesigye says he knows of only four other motorists with the same car, making it a rare model in town. However, there are many more on different car dealing websites and bonds.

The GLA 180 is a classy and respectable car. Mugarura advises that before you fork out money to buy one, understand that it is not a popular car on Ugandan roads, meaning that you have to have many things in consideration, among them, the availability of mechanics who understand such a car.

One of the downsides or disadvantages of owning a GLA 180, Mugarura opines is that its spare parts are not readily locally available. For instance, if its rear or front windscreen is broken, you will have to import them from places such as Dubai, UK or even Germany.

You may need to have a second car without relying on the GLA 180. It does also not share most of its spare parts with some of the Mercedes Benz models locally, except basic few, such as brake pads.