CORNWALL, N.Y. 鈥?The season had changed from late sunlight to early nightfall. We weren鈥檛 moving fast 鈥?about 50 mph, as fast as anyone could safely move in the thick early-evening traffic squeezing out of the canyons of New York City into the suburbs of New Jersey, Upstate New York and beyond. So many cars and trucks 鈥?so many! My mind mixed metaphors. The sea of red lights became a motorized swarm of locusts competing for the same space at the same time, obliterating notions of 鈥渙pen road鈥?freedom and other driving-related romance. There was no open road. There was just this maddening congestion 鈥?all these people in all these cars and trucks desperately trying to get to someplace other than where they were. 鈥淎nd they do this every weekday,鈥?muttered my wife and co-pilot, Mary Anne. Suddenly, the vehicle we were driving, the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic hatchback, made sense to me. When it was delivered to our home in Northern Virginia, I was totally confused.

The Mercedes-Benz people called it the automaker鈥檚 smallest sport-utility vehicle. But there wasn鈥檛 much sport-utility about it. The company鈥檚 marketing people are loath to call the GLA250 what it functionally is 鈥?a small urban station wagon. Nor are they inclined to affix another wholly appropriate label鈥攈atchback. But a small hatchback is what the GLA250 is, and it makes as much sense in urban America as it does on any narrow, clogged road in Europe. Simply put, the GLA250 perfectly fits existing motoring reality in most of the developed world. It consumes a relatively modest amount of space 鈥?14 feet 6 inches in length. 10 extra in some New York City garages. You also can park it without much trepidation on crowded urban streets. Many of my colleagues in this business enjoy extolling the virtues of vehicle 鈥減erformance鈥?and driving 鈥渇un.鈥?You would do well to ignore them. I drive in the real world, of which Interstate 287 and environs, replete with peak traffic congestion and law enforcement officials, are major components.

The all-wheel-drive GLA250 does excellently in that environment. It is equipped with a 2-liter, turbocharged (forced-air), direct-injection, in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine (208-horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque). Linked to a seven-speed automatic transmission that also can be operated manually, that engine moves the car from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds 鈥?make that 7.7 seconds if you are carrying a load of about 200 pounds. It is essentially a nonsense statistic. The GLA250 is not for everybody. If your idea of 鈥減erformance鈥?is integrated with Walter Mitty racetrack fantasies, forget about it. If you have visions of off-road trekking into the undiscovered Great Beyond, think again. The GLA250 will get you through rain, shallow mud and light snow 鈥?but not much else. And with its modest maximum cargo capacity of 43.6 cubic feet, you won鈥檛 be carrying much, either. Bottom line: It is an excellent urban runner. It fits well in the city, can handle most small-to-moderate hauling chores and will do well in the Mid-Atlantic region鈥檚 generally moderate winters.

It is built with Mercedes-Benz quality, but keep in mind that Mercedes-Benz also builds taxis and trucks used worldwide. If you are shopping for status, you might want to shop higher up the Mercedes line, or with a rival luxury brand. Ride, acceleration and handling: Ride is a tad hard, especially for back-seat passengers. Acceleration is highway-competent. You can change lanes without worry, especially if your model is equipped with Mercedes-Benz鈥檚 optional blind-spot assistance system, as was the case with the test car. Head-turning quotient: I am reminded of Edvard Munch鈥檚 鈥淭he Scream,鈥?the way the side panels of the GLA250 seemed buffeted, contorted by some external force. You love or hate it. I have yet to decide. Body style/layout: It is a compact hatchback/wagon/sport-utility vehicle based on the Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan. Current 2015 versions are available with all-wheel drive only. Engine/transmission: The standard engine is a 2-liter, 16-valve, turbocharged direct-injection in-line four-cylinder with variable valve timing (208 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque) linked to a seven-speed automatic transmission that can be operated manually. Capacities: Comfortable seating is for four people. Five, with three in the rear, can work with a squeeze. Cargo capacity is 17.2 cubic feet with all seats in place; it is 43.6 cubic feet with rear seats folded. Fuel capacity is 13.1 gallons (premium gasoline is required). Mileage: I averaged 30 miles per gallon on the highway carrying one passenger and an estimated 200 pounds of cargo. Safety: Standard equipment includes four-wheel anti-lock brake protection, automatic brake assistance, adaptive brake technology, collision-prevention assistance, and stability and traction control. 925 factory-to-dealer shipment charge.