Japan has giant robot status and futuristic trains that run at fighter jet speeds. They invented the digital lifestyle, will spend literally billions to make humanoid robots and some of them will even marry digitally-created women. It's thus extremely difficult to impress them with something new.
That's why Mercedes-Benz chose something old, something everybody grew up with, for the Japanese debut of the GLA-Class Crossover. They collaborated with legendary game makers Nintendo to give us a truly original ad campaign which features everybody's favorite plumber, Mario.
Rescuing princess Peach from the turtle monster Bowser will now be extremely easy, since Mario no longer has to walk all the way to his castle. The GLA is ideally suited to crush mushrooms and pick up flower power ups, but only if you can afford to pay the full list price.
Prices start at a reasonable 3,440,000 yen for the GLA 180. This particular model is kind of a surprise from Mercedes, since it's not
offered in Europe right now. Power comes from a 1.6-liter turbo engine that's been de-tuned to 122 hp and 200 Nm of torque. Only available with front-wheel drive, it can still easily squash some mushrooms.
The only other model in the GLA range is the 250 4Matic, fitted with a 211 hp 2-liter turbo and all-wheel drive and ranging from 4,590,000 yen to 5,490,000 for the sporty looking GLA 250 4Matic Edition 1.
For the boss fight with Bowser, we suggest picking the AMG model, which comes with a powerful 2-liter turbo making 360 hp, the highest specific output for such a displacement. The GLA 45 AMG starts at 7,302,000 yen, but can go as high as 8,100,000 for the AMG Edition 1. You can pick up a GT-R for that kind of money, but then a Nissan won't impress the princess as much as a Mercedes-Benz.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
offered in Europe right now. Power comes from a 1.6-liter turbo engine that's been de-tuned to 122 hp and 200 Nm of torque. Only available with front-wheel drive, it can still easily squash some mushrooms.
Google News