What Car Should I Buy If Not A Merc GLA?

Help me with my thinking here (or point me at a 'reusable what car should I buy?' thread)...

I have a non-urgent need for another car. It's basically replacing an old VW Touareg but doesn't need to be that big - the days of all five of us doing long journeys (Alps or Netherlands) are gone.

Buy not lease.
Not new but only a couple of years old.
Not fully EV (as street parking at home) but would consider PHEV to take advantage of cheap charging at work.

I have tested both the Cupra Ateca and Formentor and was underwhelmed by both. I tested a Merc GLA yesterday and will buy it if nothing better comes up. I'm hoping to test a Volvo XC40 tomorrow and would like to try a DS4 as well.

What else should I be looking at?

I hope you like the XC40. My wife has a b4 mild hybrid and it is a quality car.

Is Toyota a bad word in the UK? It seems you guys will buy anything rather than a Toyota as it never seems to be mentioned

Same for Kia or Hyundai

Cupra? Citroen. Lot of Euro cars couldn't even make in NA that they pulled out and never came back. Alfa is trying again, but I think most just lease and not buy. Same for Maserati.

Rav4 hybrid. Earliest is 2019

Also Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson

DON

I took a 2022 GLA and an XC40 out for a test drive and felt that the GLA was the better of the two. Then I took a GLC and an XC60 out and bought the GLC because I still need to cart stuff around, albeit not as much as I used to. The Merc engine felt way smoother and the interior felt more luxurious for similar money.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MakeColdplayHistory

Help me with my thinking here (or point me at a 'reusable what car should I buy?' thread)...

I have a non-urgent need for another car. It's basically replacing an old VW Touareg but doesn't need to be that big - the days of all five of us doing long journeys (Alps or Netherlands) are gone.

Buy not lease.
Not new but only a couple of years old.
Not fully EV (as street parking at home) but would consider PHEV to take advantage of cheap charging at work.

I have tested both the Cupra Ateca and Formentor and was underwhelmed by both. I tested a Merc GLA yesterday and will buy it if nothing better comes up. I'm hoping to test a Volvo XC40 tomorrow and would like to try a DS4 as well.

What else should I be looking at?

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmarchitect

I took a 2022 GLA and an XC40 out for a test drive and felt that the GLA was the better of the two. Then I took a GLC and an XC60 out and bought the GLC because I still need to cart stuff around, albeit not as much as I used to. The Merc engine felt way smoother and the interior felt more luxurious for similar money.

---

Agree with this; we bought the GLC as it feels so much better than either the old or new GLA.

We have done nearly 90,000 miles without an issue in the five years we’ve owned it. It started life as a glorified van when my daughters bought a hairdressing business and completely refurbished it and it has just seen service again as they moved to a new premises and completely refurbished that place and emptied the old place ready for new tenants.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MakeColdplayHistory

Not fully EV (as street parking at home) but would consider PHEV to take advantage of cheap charging at work.

---

I am not sure I understand your thinking: If you have cheap charging at work, do you really need to have your own power supply to own a full EV? Are there many WE where you're likely to cover a greater distance than your autonomy? Even then, you could top up enough to get you to work on Monday morning.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DONGinsler

Is Toyota a bad word in the UK? It seems you guys will buy anything rather than a Toyota as it never seems to be mentioned
Same for Kia or Hyundai
Cupra? Citroen. Lot of Euro cars couldn't even make in NA that they pulled out and never came back. Alfa is trying again, but I think most just lease and not buy. Same for Maserati.
Rav4 hybrid. Earliest is 2019
Also Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson
DON

---

Your knowledge of cars doesn't apply here. American cars are virtually non existant here as well. Different car cultures mean that the only European cars N. Americans will buy are to show off, whether German or Italian, and the only Americans cars we'll have here have a V8. And that's a reasonably confidential market.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jmarchitect

...Then I took a GLC and an XC60 out and bought the GLC ...

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave+63

Agree with this; we bought the GLC as it feels so much better than either the old or new GLA...

---

Hmmm... I did have the GLC on my list then went for a walk round our local Merc dealer and found a GLA and thought "that's probably as big as I now need". Maybe I should add a GLC back into consideration.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DONGinsler

Is Toyota a bad word in the UK? It seems you guys will buy anything rather than a Toyota as it never seems to be mentioned

---

Not really a bad word but they're not the first maker I think of. We do have a Toyota dealer locally but they never seem to have much (used) stock.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DONGinsler

Same for Kia or Hyundai

Rav4 hybrid. Earliest is 2019

Also Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson

DON

---

I have considered both of those (and not excluded them yet). I might have to have a wander round the local Kia and Hyundai dealers too. I haven't ruled out the Niro or the Kona either.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

I am not sure I understand your thinking: If you have cheap charging at work, do you really need to have your own power supply to own a full EV? Are there many WE where you're likely to cover a greater distance than your autonomy? Even then, you could top up enough to get you to work on Monday morning.

---

Do you always get the same parking spot at your work? Do you ever change job? Do you go into the office 5-days a week? Do you sometimes have holidays?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by M1011

Do you always get the same parking spot at your work? Do you ever change job? Do you go into the office 5-days a week? Do you sometimes have holidays?

---

Well if you're going to change job in a very near future getting a new (to you) car may not be your priority; besides the OP states he'd like a hybrid because he can charge at work.
Furthermore you do not have a petrol station in your living room yet you manage to use an ICE. The same must be possible with an EV.

There's a plugin hybrid Ford Kuga which seems to review well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

I am not sure I understand your thinking: If you have cheap charging at work, do you really need to have your own power supply to own a full EV? Are there many WE where you're likely to cover a greater distance than your autonomy? Even then, you could top up enough to get you to work on Monday morning.



Your knowledge of cars doesn't apply here. American cars are virtually non existant here as well. Different car cultures mean that the only European cars N. Americans will buy are to show off, whether German or Italian, and the only Americans cars we'll have here have a V8. And that's a reasonably confidential market.

---

Interesting. I figured that American companies didn't want to bother with the conversion of left to RHD, but some do through subsidiaries. Ford being the best

Also found a UK company that does conversions of US cars and a nice job of it. Even a RHD Hellcat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Furthermore you do not have a petrol station in your living room yet you manage to use an ICE. The same must be possible with an EV.

---

If needed an ICE can be topped up from a jerry can at the side of the road; and the can be easily topped up and kept in the garage/shed.

How long is the commute as a round trip? Are you bothered about mpg when you've no battery power left? Latest Merc GLC diesel hybrid does 80 battery miles on paper...previous version about half that and there are some reasonably priced cars about.

2nd hand EV prices are dropping like stones...could you get one of those within budget? If so I'd be looking at warranty and potential extensions.

Ian

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MakeColdplayHistory

Hmmm... I did have the GLC on my list then went for a walk round our local Merc dealer and found a GLA and thought "that's probably as big as I now need". Maybe I should add a GLC back into consideration.

---

There’s nothing wrong with the GLA, it’s a good car; it’s just that the GLC is a definite step up in quality for not a massive premium.

We had a '73 Merc GLA 220d as a loaner while our GLA45 was in for a service last month. Really nice. The only negative for me was the digital dashboard arrangement and some of the controls were a bit hard to fathom but I overcame that using voice control.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DONGinsler

Interesting. I figured that American companies didn't want to bother with the conversion of left to RHD, but some do through subsidiaries. Ford being the best

Also found a UK company that does conversions of US cars and a nice job of it. Even a RHD Hellcat

---

It's not so much the conversion: If they knew they'd sell loads, they'd do it. Ford Europe produces (mostly) very different cars to the ones they make for the NA market (and they sell very well); think of them as a different company to the American Ford.
Most of the American cars sold in the UK do not get converted to RHD. Just like continental classic cars.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stanford

If needed an ICE can be topped up from a jerry can at the side of the road; and the can be easily topped up and kept in the garage/shed.

---

Do you do that? I trust my fuel gauge and fill up when it's time. I know where my local petrol stations are. I believe there are apps for EV that shows you where the (working) charging stations are around you, across Europe.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stanford

If needed an ICE can be topped up from a jerry can at the side of the road; and the can be easily topped up and kept in the garage/shed.

---

You are Francis Maude and I claim my £5.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/...s-firefighters

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Do you do that? I trust my fuel gauge and fill up when it's time. I know where my local petrol stations are. I believe there are apps for EV that shows you where the (working) charging stations are around you, across Europe.

---

I do, and always have, stored a certain amount of fuel for domestic use - mowers, chain saw, motorbikes etc. most of which don't have fuel gauges.
It just so happens that, if needed, the same fuel (pre addition of oil for two strokes) can also be used in the car.
I understand (anecdotally, not through experience) that cold snaps have demonstrated one of the shortcomings of EVs and that is the inability to keep the passengers warm should they get stuck in traffic or a snowdrift for a protracted period...the EV charging station app and the close proximity of a charging station won't make much difference whereas an ICE can stop and start with reasonable reliability when cold, plus ICE fuel is transportable in a can from the handy petrol station or from another vehicle.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JGJG

You are Francis Maude and I claim my £5.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/...s-firefighters

---

I don't store petrol in my house, so you don't get anything.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Furthermore you do not have a petrol station in your living room yet you manage to use an ICE. The same must be possible with an EV.

---

We've built a country around ICE infrastructure and started selling EV's without any infrastructure. There are probably 10 ICE filling stations within less than 10 miles of my home where I can fill my car up in less than five minutes. To my knowledge there are no working public EV chargers within the same distance and even if there were, how long would they take to fully charge an average family saloon? A colleague of mine has an EV with a home charger simply because he can't rely on the local infrastructure.

Slightly left field suggestion.. even to just go look at and discount it. The 2023 face lifted MG HS, in Trophy trim.
Sat in one of the facelifted ones last week and was pleasantly surprised at what you get for the money. I’d never considered one before, but it’s now on the radar.
7yr warranty too.

Wife has just moved from a XC90 to Merc GLS.

Night and day comparison. You’ll not go wrong with Merc - hopefully!!!

Jim

Jaguar E-Pace P300E plug in hybrid. Had a MY18 diesel and it drove really well so guessing these go very well indeed. Try driving one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by theancientmariner

We've built a country around ICE infrastructure and started selling EV's without any infrastructure. There are probably 10 ICE filling stations within less than 10 miles of my home where I can fill my car up in less than five minutes. To my knowledge there are no working public EV chargers within the same distance and even if there were, how long would they take to fully charge an average family saloon? A colleague of mine has an EV with a home charger simply because he can't rely on the local infrastructure.

---

Which is why it might not be a consideration...if he didn't have access to a charging point during his work week.

Look I am sure there are many good reasons/excuses to choose an ICE, an Hybrid or a EV depending on your circumstances. Total lack of access to a charging point could be one (unless if for example you have a Tesla and a fast charging station nearby) but that is not the situation the OP is in. So I asked why.

The usual suspects then decided the question was not to their liking. One even argued he'd rely on a small jerrycan for the mower he keeps in his shed to get him out of an empty tank rather than check his gauge and fill up on his way home the day before. Most of the bikes I've owned didn't have a gauge either and still managed. I won't even go into the fact that garden tools don't work well with diesel and E10 won't keep well in a jerrycan.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gorrie

Slightly left field suggestion.. even to just go look at and discount it. The 2023 face lifted MG HS, in Trophy trim.
Sat in one of the facelifted ones last week and was pleasantly surprised at what you get for the money. I’d never considered one before, but it’s now on the radar.
7yr warranty too.

---

I’ve a 22 plate pre facelift- it’s a very comfy ride
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cfed3c25_c.jpgUntitled by biglewie, on Flickr

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

The usual suspects then decided the question was not to their liking. One even argued he'd rely on a small jerrycan for the mower he keeps in his shed to get him out of an empty tank rather than check his gauge and fill up on his way home the day before. Most of the bikes I've owned didn't have a gauge either and still managed. I won't even go into the fact that garden tools don't work well with diesel and E10 won't keep well in a jerrycan.

---

"The usual suspects"; pot and kettle comes to mind - do get over yourself.
I did not say I'd rely on a small jerrycan for anything; size was not mentioned and did I say anything about using diesel in my garden tools?
Also, might it be possible that I use E5 rather than E10 and also an additive to protect against the effects of ethanol?

You do seem to like to make assumptions about people and distort what they say.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by theancientmariner

We've built a country around ICE infrastructure and started selling EV's without any infrastructure. There are probably 10 ICE filling stations within less than 10 miles of my home where I can fill my car up in less than five minutes. To my knowledge there are no working public EV chargers within the same distance and even if there were, how long would they take to fully charge an average family saloon? A colleague of mine has an EV with a home charger simply because he can't rely on the local infrastructure.

---

That’s just rubbish; your colleague has a home charger because that’s the best and most convenient way to charge your EV.

Once you have a home charger (or even a 3 pin EVSE), you don’t need to concern yourself with local chargers, it’s chargers further afield that you’d be most likely to use.

And before you counter the point about your colleague, who in their right mind would choose to pay 75-85p/kwhr when with the right tariff, he can pay less than 10p?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lewie

I’ve a 22 plate pre facelift- it’s a very comfy ride
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cfed3c25_c.jpgUntitled by biglewie, on Flickr

---

My only 2 issues with the facelift model are:-
1. Power boot lid is only available if you get the auto box (why ??).
2. They’ve removed the Pano roof.. no longer even a cost option.

Apart from that, value for money seems very compelling… particularly a year old one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gorrie

My only 2 issues with the facelift model are:-
1. Power boot lid is only available if you get the auto box (why ??).
2. They’ve removed the Pano roof.. no longer even a cost option.

Apart from that, value for money seems very compelling… particularly a year old one.

---

I bought mine( admittedly from my brother) he was going to px it -6k on the clock £15500 - it’s the exclusive

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by oldoakknives

Jaguar E-Pace P300E plug in hybrid. Had a MY18 diesel and it drove really well so guessing these go very well indeed. Try driving one.

---

I like the look of them - possibly bigger than I want - but the big issue is there isn't a dealership near me (or at least I don't know where it is).

Lots of questions/comments not all of which I can answer but to answer a couple...

My commute is less than a mile each way (and I used to walk) but I now need to go somewhere either after work or during work hours that's a 23 mile drive (each way) about 3 times a week. I also do the same trip once a weekend and on the other weekend day will often drive 20-200 miles. So I don't expect I'll be doing all my miles on (work subsidised) electric.

Why not full electric if I have charging at work? Apart from the street charging thing, I am not that far off retirement - it's a few years (approx 4) 'til planned retirement date but if I was offered early retirement (which is a realistic possibility) I'd take it tomorrow. I don't want to end up with an EV that I can only charge at Tesco. Also I only work on the office 3 days a week although I guess 3 full charges could be a lot of miles.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MakeColdplayHistory

I like the look of them - possibly bigger than I want - but the big issue is there isn't a dealership near me (or at least I don't know where it is).

---

That's a pity, I think they perform well for the size.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Which is why it might not be a consideration...if he didn't have access to a charging point during his work week.

---

In this instance I quoted your comment purely as a follow up point and not a contradiction. I agree with much of what you have said but I'm also aware that different parts have the country have a significantly different charging infrastructure. My brother wanted an EV but purchased a hybrid due to concerns about charging away from home. I quite like the idea of an EV but both cost and logistical issues prevent it. I've travelled to London where many of the local delivery vans are electric. Move to the north, out of town and electric delivery vans would make the RAC feel like the NHS, completely overwhelmed.

I know that I'll be driving an ICE car for the foreseeable. I would consider a hybrid car but an EV is going to quite literally be a non starter for many years to come.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave+63

That’s just rubbish; your colleague has a home charger because that’s the best and most convenient way to charge your EV.

Once you have a home charger (or even a 3 pin EVSE), you don’t need to concern yourself with local chargers, it’s chargers further afield that you’d be most likely to use.

And before you counter the point about your colleague, who in their right mind would choose to pay 75-85p/kwhr when with the right tariff, he can pay less than 10p?

---

I didn't realise that you knew my colleague, apologies for that.

Fyi, he wasn't going to get a home charger because the 'fuel' is all paid for through his wife's work when using public or works chargers but not a home charger. He got the home charger well after the car had been allocated. I think that she'd been driving it for several months.

As for your last point, the OP mentioned that he has on street parking. So gratefully you've explained another good reason not to purchase an EV - public charging costs are apparently horrendous.

I am not familiar with the charging network in the rest of a country so will defer to your knowledge.
To be clear, I don’t like the anti EV knee jerk reactions from some here, but I still drive a diesel: the initial outlay is still too much to justify switching (10 yo BMW) so we’re stuck with it for a while [it’s also a nice place to be stuck in].
Will I consider an EV? Oh yes. But I cannot use man maths to get one. And that includes the insurance.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by theancientmariner

I didn't realise that you knew my colleague, apologies for that.

Fyi, he wasn't going to get a home charger because the 'fuel' is all paid for through his wife's work when using public or works chargers but not a home charger. He got the home charger well after the car had been allocated. I think that she'd been driving it for several months.

As for your last point, the OP mentioned that he has on street parking. So gratefully you've explained another good reason not to purchase an EV - public charging costs are apparently horrendous.

---

You don’t need to justify your decision not to purchase an EV to anyone; if you don’t want one, that’s fine by me and probably everyone else.

You don’t need me to give you reasons not to buy me, you’re a grown man who can make your own decisions.

As far as public charging costs go, it’s akin to buying fuel on the motorway, you only do it if you absolutely have to, unless someone else is paying.

How is that a response to my post that you've quoted? Did you read my post before that one? Probably not.

I hadn't actually realised that unleaded petrol is around £12 per litre on the motorway? It's £1.60 at my local garage and if public EV charging at 75p (quoted) per kWh is akin to buying fuel on the motorway vs 10p home charging, well who knew!?

I would happily buy an EV if it cost the same as an ICE car and could be charged to full in less than 5 minutes at a forecourt of my choosing. Otherwise, as has been much discussed in the media, it's just not a viable solution - yet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by theancientmariner

I hadn't actually realised that unleaded petrol is around £12 per litre on the motorway? It's £1.60 at my local garage and if public EV charging at 75p (quoted) per kWh is akin to buying fuel on the motorway vs 10p home charging, well who knew!?

---

I think you are missing his point here: it wasn’t about an equivalent multiplier, it was about the fact it’s an expensive commodity that you use in exceptional circumstances. And the price you quoted will fall as the number of charging stations on and off motorways increases, precisely for the same reason motorway petrol isn’t £12.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Well if you're going to change job in a very near future getting a new (to you) car may not be your priority; besides the OP states he'd like a hybrid because he can charge at work.
Furthermore you do not have a petrol station in your living room yet you manage to use an ICE. The same must be possible with an EV.

---

Why near future? Surely it applies in the time he intends to own the vehicle. My point is being able to charge at work is a good bonus, but unlikely to be a viable option to rely on for all the reasons stated previously; guaranteed space at work, moving job, down-time, time off work etc.

I'm not anti-EV, I just think you made a flippant remark in dismissing the genuine concern that without off-street parking at home it's difficult for many people to run an EV. It's the reason I don't have one either and went for a PHEV, whereas I almost certainly would have gone EV if I had a driveway.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Saint-Just

I think you are missing his point here: it wasn’t about an equivalent multiplier, it was about the fact it’s an expensive commodity that you use in exceptional circumstances. And the price you quoted will fall as the number of charging stations on and off motorways increases, precisely for the same reason motorway petrol isn’t £12.

---

Not really. A public charging point is the electric equivalent of going to a petrol station. It has to be as there are so many people without the ability to charge either at home or at work. The analogy of motorway service fuel costs is a bad one as it's horses for courses. Motorway service fuel costs are high because of the rules governing motorway services but they're still no where near is high, for ICE cars, as public electric charging (apparently)

You don't honestly believe that the costs of public charging for electric vehicles will come down as the number of chargers marginally increase? People get used to a certain price level. Remember the trucks blockading the motorways when diesel broke £1.00/litre. You don't see much of that now at £1.30-£1.50 per litre.

It’s interesting that the last 2 posts are answering mine in opposing way.
First, I say “near future” because a cheap access to power at work would make a substantial saving over an hybrid if the future was more distant, by which time it would still be possible to reassess. The OP has answered and explained his choices so the point is now moot anyway. I shall just add that the remark was not meant to be flippant and that your reasons for not having an EV are as valid as you want them to be. The OP mentioned he had access to a cheap charging point at work which in my mind expanded the possibilities. If you don’t have the same facility the problem is different.

On the second answer I am not sure we actually disagree, it’s more a different perspective. I don’t think the reasons as to why petrol prices on motorways are higher are relevant: they just are, and drivers are using them accordingly. I also don’t believe the price of public charging will come down a lot because the government will have to find a way to make up for the loss in revenue from petrol taxes as more people use EV. However I do believe that the multiplier between current public charging and home charging will come down; that will come with a multiplication of public charging point, including in the street, for all those who are unable to charge at home. Who knows, we may even get contactless charging in the future, from most public parking spaces.

Short version: I bought the GLA
Slightly less short version: I drove an XC40 and it was very competent but didn't do much for me. I couldn't sort out a test drive in a DS4 with loads of other **** going on in my life. I decided the GLA was a nice place to be, a good drive and did everything I need. So I bought it.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...19e87ff7_b.jpg

Congratulations. Hope the rest improves, too.

Congratulations, which engine did you go for?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave+63

Congratulations, which engine did you go for?

---

250e

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MakeColdplayHistory

250e

---

[emoji106]