The new Mercedes-Benz GLA, which I grew up growing up on test drives, has impressive Internet of Vehicles features. Autonomous driving assistance still needs to be strengthened.

The global production of the first-generation Mercedes-Benz GLA exceeded 1 million units, which shows that the market has high consumer demand for entry-level luxury SUVs. Therefore, the new Mercedes-Benz GLA has put a lot of effort into the replacement, and has focused on upgrading it to meet the preferences of young people. Its arrival marks the completion of a comprehensive replacement of Mercedes-Benz's new generation car series.

Text丨AutoR smart driving? Zhang Xin

Model: All-new Mercedes-Benz GLA? 200

Intelligent driving level: L1+ (U.S. SAE ?International (International Society of Automotive Engineers) classification standards)

Intelligent interconnection configuration: MBUX intelligent human-computer interaction system

Intelligent driving configuration: intelligent parking system, real-life through navigation, active Brake assist system, voice interaction system

The new Mercedes-Benz GLA is the most affordable Mercedes-Benz SUV. The price of 303,800 yuan is targeted at young people who have just started their careers.

What are the car purchasing needs of this consumer group? Cutting-edge technology, exquisite quality, and brand tone are all necessary, and at the same time, they must be sufficiently attractive in terms of seating space and performance levels.

Therefore, although the GLA is an entry-level model in the Mercedes-Benz SUV system, its cost-effectiveness requirements are not low at all. How to meet as many new needs as possible at an affordable price is the biggest challenge faced by the new Mercedes-Benz GLA when it is facelifted.

Compared with the previous generation model, the new Mercedes-Benz GLA is significantly larger and looks more consistent with the identity of an SUV. The height of the new car has increased by 75mm, the width has increased by 30mm, and the wheelbase has increased by 30mm, laying the foundation for improving the seating space. In particular, rear seat legroom and luggage compartment space have been significantly increased.

For this improvement, Mercedes-Benz officially gave detailed data: the new Mercedes-Benz GLA has an increase of 22mm in front headroom, 28mm in front shoulder room, and 28mm in front elbow room. The space has increased by 34mm, the rear legroom has increased by 42mm, the rear shoulder room has increased by 43mm, the rear elbow room has increased by 45mm, the luggage compartment width has increased by 85mm, and the luggage compartment depth? (rear row folded) has increased. 27mm.

In addition, the new Mercedes-Benz GLA has a higher front seat position and improved all-round visibility; the opening of the luggage compartment is also wider, and an electric tailgate that can be opened by induction is added.

All these improvements have completely changed the attributes of the previous generation model to be more like a crossover model. The genes of the SUV have become purer, and its appeal to the younger generation of consumers will also be improved.

In the cockpit, Mercedes-Benz’s existing youthful design has also been “copied” to the new Mercedes-Benz GLA, including dual 10.25-inch horizontal large screens and 64-color ambient lighting with 10 theme styles. , dazzling air-conditioning outlets that can change colors, Burmester surround sound speakers equipped with 13 speakers, etc.

The addition of these configurations has enhanced the somatosensory feel of the new Mercedes-Benz GLA. Especially when driving at night, listening to the stereo against the background of colorful lights, the car simply becomes a "walking car". Nightclub", which will greatly stimulate young people's enthusiasm for driving.

In order to highlight this advantage, the organizer of this test drive event specially arranged a drive-in cinema viewing experience. Sitting in a colorful cockpit and watching movies, feeling the surround sound quality from the speakers, this feeling is indeed more pleasant than those dark cockpits.

In terms of intelligent interconnection configuration, the new Mercedes-Benz GLA, which is in the entry-level SUV market, cannot use all the current technological configurations of Mercedes-Benz, so it can only make some sacrifices. Judging from its configuration list, the strategy of the new Mercedes-Benz GLA is to focus on the Internet of Vehicles system, followed by automated driving technology.

The purpose of this is to provide young consumers with as many Internet of Vehicles functions as possible on the basis of entry-level prices. This is very critical for providing richer travel services and is directly related to the purchase and sale of new cars. Functional practicality.

The MBUX intelligent human-computer interaction system is standard on the new Mercedes-Benz GLA and can be used through the central touch screen and voice interaction. This system has added a number of China-exclusive services, such as: "Mercedes?me Travel" that can travel in groups, and "Mercedes?me Footprints", an online route book function that can automatically record itineraries and support sharing, which can be listened to with QQ Music songs, and use voice interaction to play Idiom Solitaire.

The voice interaction system of the new Mercedes-Benz GLA has a relatively high awareness of natural speech. When I say "I'm hungry", "I'm sleepy", "I have a stomachache", "I want to go to bed" After the command "toilet", the system accurately understood the meaning and quickly pushed navigation information for restaurants, hotels, hospitals and toilets.

The two most distinctive functions are the "real scene travel navigation" and "car wash mode" options with AR augmented reality technology.

The former achieves more intuitive guidance by superimposing the navigation instruction information with the real-life images captured by the camera; the latter solves all the setting preparations before car washing with one click. The driver only needs to tap once, and the system will Automatically fold the exterior mirrors, close the side windows and sunroof, stop transmitting information from the rain sensor (the automatic wipers will remain off during the car wash), and the air conditioner switches to internal circulation mode. If the car owner chooses to install a 360° camera, the central control screen will also display the picture in front of the vehicle, making it easier to drive the car into the car wash room. When the vehicle completes cleaning and accelerates to a speed exceeding 20km/h, the car wash mode will automatically terminate and all settings will automatically return to their previous state.

As for the automatic driving assistance system, the new Mercedes-Benz GLA is not equipped with much. Its automatic driving level is only L1+, and ACC adaptive cruise, lane keeping assist, etc. are not yet equipped.

However, the new Mercedes-Benz GLA is still equipped with an intelligent parking system and an active brake assist system. Among them, the active brake assist system automatically brakes when encountering obstacles in front of vehicles or pedestrians when the vehicle speed does not exceed 60km/h. When the vehicle speed does not exceed 50km/h, the collision can be completely avoided.

The power system used by the new Mercedes-Benz GLA is a 1.33T gasoline engine, matched with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, with a maximum power of 120kW and a maximum torque of 250Nm.

As to why the term "1.33" is used, Zhijiajun specifically asked the factory engineer, and the reply was: "1.3" can easily make people think that the engine is a three-cylinder engine, and the engine of the new Mercedes-Benz GLA It is a four-cylinder model, so "1.33" is used to indicate the difference.

This engine is equipped with intelligent cylinder closing technology. Under certain operating conditions in the speed range of 1250-3800rpm, the intake and exhaust valves of cylinders 2 and 3 can be adjusted through the valve clearance adjustment function. closure. This allows the new Mercedes-Benz GLA to drive in a more fuel-efficient manner during the cruising stage when more power output is not needed, so its comprehensive fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is only 6.1L.

But in terms of power performance, although this new 1.33T engine has a lower displacement than the previous generation 1.6T engine, its maximum output power has increased by 11%, up to 90.2kW/L. The liter power increased by 25%.

Driving the new Mercedes-Benz GLA on the road, although the power cannot be described as strong, it is completely sufficient. Especially in congested urban traffic conditions, it is flexible enough to find an opportunity to speed up and overtake. This time, Zhijiajun test-drove the new Mercedes-Benz GLA in Changsha, Hunan. The weather was sultry and the air conditioner was turned on. There were three passengers in the car. It was already fully loaded, but the vehicle's accelerator response was still quick enough, and there was no acceleration when it was needed. It gives people a feeling of "waiting". It is naturally not suitable for young people to use it for "driving racing", but it is not difficult to use it to seek driving fun.

This is the new Mercedes-Benz GLA, a model that is "just enough" in terms of autonomous driving assistance and performance, but pursues thoughtfulness in Internet of Vehicles services. Because it combines the two major characteristics of the new generation market and the SUV market, it is also one of the pillar models of Mercedes-Benz, responsible for the entry-level "volume" task.

Just when facing future market competition, Mercedes-Benz should also consider that L2-level automatic driving assistance systems have begun to become popular in the price range below 200,000 yuan. As a luxury model in the 300,000 yuan range, the Mercedes-Benz GLA also needs to strengthen the implementation of relevant technologies, which will become a key upgrade area for the Mercedes-Benz GLA in the future.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.