When the BMW X3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLK launched, they were slightly funky utes at what was then the small end of the luxury-SUV spectrum. Each took a moment to find solid footing鈥攖he BMW in its second generation and the GLK at its midcycle refresh鈥攁nd each now come at prices that leave room for smaller, less expensive newcomers. BMW threw its X1 into that breach for 2013, offering up a decidedly wagon-oid experience in a package that looks like a Bavarian Subaru Forester. Mercedes has responded with the GLA250, a turbocharged hatch-on-stilts built on the same bones as the CLA-class. From the nose, the GLA looks fully Benz modern, featuring a blunt, upright prow, swept-back headlights, and the all-important emblem centered proudly in the two-bar grille. It鈥檚 just a hatchback, one with massive, protruding taillights that look like symmetrical cybernetic boils. As with the B-class Electric Drive, the chrome bar meant to tie the taillamps together instead appears a bit like aftermarket kit. The rear is where this car鈥檚 otherwise handsome exterior terminates with a whimper.

When the BMW X3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLK launched, they were slightly funky utes at what was then the small end of the luxury-SUV spectrum. Each took a moment to find solid footing鈥攖he BMW in its second generation and the GLK at its midcycle refresh鈥攁nd each now come at prices that leave room for smaller, less expensive newcomers. BMW threw its X1 into that breach for 2013, offering up a decidedly wagon-oid experience in a package that looks like a Bavarian Subaru Forester. Mercedes has responded with the GLA250, a turbocharged hatch-on-stilts built on the same bones as the CLA-class. From the nose, the GLA looks fully Benz modern, featuring a blunt, upright prow, swept-back headlights, and the all-important emblem centered proudly in the two-bar grille. It鈥檚 just a hatchback, one with massive, protruding taillights that look like symmetrical cybernetic boils. As with the B-class Electric Drive, the chrome bar meant to tie the taillamps together instead appears a bit like aftermarket kit. The rear is where this car鈥檚 otherwise handsome exterior terminates with a whimper.

34,225. Seventy-one, ah, C-notes will buy a man some quantity of plastic and leather. Benz鈥檚 tagline for this vehicle is 鈥淥ur smallest SUV is the next big thing. 鈥?When it comes to the interior, that claim might be stretching the truth just a smidge. A Buick Encore may not have the fancy leather dash-topper, but its innards feel less hollow. More directly, although the aging X1 hails from an era when BMW still wasn鈥檛 doing fancy cabins, the GLA feels more substantial. Featuring a 208-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder pushing power through a drama-free seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, our all-wheel-drive GLA scooted to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and circled the skidpad at 0.87 g. What those numbers suggest is just about what you get鈥攅asy entry onto freeways, paired with enough passing power and agility to dice through the minivan van squad en route to the lacrosse field. Where the BMW feels stout, muscular, and taut, content to shoulder-check its way through a corner, the Mercedes is more apt to tiptoe.

Its numbers aren鈥檛 far off those of its sedan sibling鈥攐nly one-tenth slower to 60, two-tenths slower through the quarter-mile, and three-hundredths of a g less grippy around our 300-foot-diameter circle. The 70-to-0-mph stopping distance of 155 feet warrants autobahn-worthy accolades, but the pedal went soft after four or five stops and our tester noted moderate fade. So it stops well, as long as you don鈥檛 ask it to do so too often. The thing with the GLA is that it has no particular party favors. It鈥檚 a functional, simple runabout that happens to wear the three-pointed star and is priced accordingly. While bigger-brother GLK migrated into the world of real Benzes, the GLA and its platform-mates are tasked with holding important, ever-shifting ground: the conquest-customer beachhead. With the new Lexus NX and Audi鈥檚 Q3 now here, luxury aspirants are suddenly deluged with choices. If you鈥檙e hell-bent on an entry-luxe small ute, the GLA is a decent choice, but our inner rationalists might posit this pertinent question: Wouldn鈥檛 you be as ably served by a Volkswagen GTI?

The 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA Class may be the first foray for buyers looking for affordable luxury. The small crossover SUV has a three-pointed star up front, and badges in all the right places, but the small crossover doesn't share many similarities with more expensive Benzes on lots. The GLA arrived in the 2015 model year, and for 2018 gets a light revamp. All models鈥攖he front-drive GLA250, the all-wheel-drive Mercedes GLA250 4Matic, and the run-and-gun Mercedes-AMG GLA45 4Matic鈥攚ear new front ends, and top off their cabins with new convenience and safety features. We give the GLA a 6.2 out of 10. It earns great fuel economy, but it rides stiffly, though back-seat space is better than its CLA sedan cousin. Its taut hatchback profile all but unchanged, the GLA gets a new front-end treatment with optional LED headlights and standard LED taillights. Small aero tweaks in front, in back, and underneath give it a smoother shape.