I’d find out about how much maintenance is before you do this. Also Starting in 2016, they are made in Brazil.

I looked at a GL450 before buying my Sequoia, but given my experience with BMW I’m not buying any Euro cars.

The gla is barely taller than the cla that it’s underpinnings are based on. It is more hatchback than CUV. It is also front wheel drive. Maintenance and reliability comes up way more expensive in any German car than the prius. That is why it is better to lease German cars unless you can wrench yourself when the car is out of warranty. There is a reason that more than half the German luxury cars are leased.

The Audi a3 is a better hatchback at a similar price point if you wanted something that size. Just avoid the diesel or get the e-tron version that is almost out.

If you are about premium performance than there is the Infiniti q40 or cadillac ats. If you want better luxury, but want something similar to the Prius go buy the Lexus ct200h.

If you are really a treehugger and you have a set drive everyday below 70 miles, lease a small electric car (focus electric, spark EV, 500e) while renting cars for long distance travel.

Most people seeking car advice though have already made up their minds and want confirmation from others that it is a good buy. Then sure, it is a good buy. Just be careful of adding features because the price can balloon significantly. As for leasing, you can negotiate the selling price of the car. Know how many miles you drive yearly to a lot the appropriate mileage allowance. Put no money down on the lease. You can put security deposits to lower the money factor (interest rate).

Front wheel drive serves its purposes if you are just after fuel economy and more space, but if you want driving dynamics then rear wheel drive all the way.

[quote=treehugger]”Most people seeking car advice though have already made up their minds and want confirmation from others that it is a good buy.”

This is very true 😉

I am going for it, we are getting the AWD version, although coming from a Prius nearly any car would be a “sportier” drive.[/quote]

Hey treehugger, IIRC, you sold a (non-4WD) 4-Runner (1-2 yrs ago?) to purchase the Prius (can’t look for the thread right now). I remember this because I had been considering buying a decent (used) 4WD 4-Runner for several years and they are very scarce (for good reason). You then posted here that yours was not a 4WD model when I asked but that you liked it a lot because your two big dogs fit in the back nicely.

I wondered how you were going to get those guys in and out of the back of a Prius, especially if you also had a bike rack installed on it, but didn’t say anything :=0

IMHO, the current year 4-Runner (ESP the 4WD model), which is an actual 4WD is highly preferable to an AWD CUV or any car-like SUV, imho. Does this Mercedes model happen to have a CVT transmission? If so, do you think you would be okay with having $2000+ transmission jobs done every 2-3 years, depending on how and where you will drive it? This may very well be what you will be signing up for by buying this Mercedes (not to mention the huge amount of $$ you’re going to lose if you attempt to trade your Prius in at a dealer which is not a Toy/Lexus dealer).

The new real 4WD Toyota 4-Runners are only about $3-$8K more than this Mercedes and are luxurious and very safe because of their weight and you and your humans and dogs will be sitting high up off the road. It also comes even more lifted with a TRD pkg, which runs it up to ~$50K.

Also, have you thought about a (hybrid or non-hybrid) Lexus F-Sport model with paddle shifters for mtn driving (auto/manual 6-8 spd transmission)? The small ones start at about $10K less than this Mercedes (they’re about the same size as a Prius). These models come with AWD. Some have FWD and some have RWD (although the RWD models likely cost more than the Mercedes, as do the larger RX’s).

I’m with spd and Boomer on this one. Do NOT get a FWD vehicle. A RWD/4WD has much better handling and performance for the “adventurous type” such as yourself.

[quote=treehugger]BG I actually really disliked the 4-runner! It had been my dream car for so long, then I drove it for a year and it was an uncomfortable tak! I had bought that one used at a good deal and turned around and sold it, so no money lost there. Bought the Prius trying to be practical, actually it has been a great car and other than me being completely SoCal frivolous and deciding I want this Mercedes I would keep it! The dogs fit really well, I put a hitch on it for the bike rack and I really would say it has been a great car(hint hint anybody want to buy a Prius). My hubby has a SUV AWD work car, so it is paid for (all gas and maintenance and insurance) through his work and we take it everywhere.

I think maybe I am having a midlife crisis.[/quote]

What’s uncomfortable about the 4-Runner, treehugger? I once had a 1990 4WD Toy Hilux SR-5 P/U (loaded w/dbl cab) with a matching shell and carpet pack. It had the same chassis as the 4-Runner did/does and has since been renamed “Tacoma.” I/we took many, many road trips in it for 10 years (lots of skiing, etc) and I absolutely loved it! The dash was like a cockpit, it had a Sony 6-disc CD under the back seat, fantastic speakers and I loved being up high over the road (almost to the level of comm’l truck cabs) and loved the granny gear for the snow (it had a 5-spd manual transmission). To some, its ride may have seemed little bouncy but I liked it … plus all that (expensive) rubber under it.

I don’t like the tires on most newer vehicles today. Most of them look like they’re only going to last 20K miles at the most before they need replacing. It just doesn’t look to me like there is much air in them. I wonder how much these newer tires cost in relation to “old school” tires?? In July, I paid about $775 for 4 new “old school” Michelins plus a 3-yr alignment for my 21+ yo Lexus sedan and it still drives like a dream. I’ll be taking another (3500 mi RT) trip to “flyover country” with it next month.

As you may surmise, I’m partial to Toyota products as I have driven them all my life. I have found them to be extremely reliable and cost effective to maintain.

I’m surprised that your dogs actually fit in back of the Prius. I assume they have to lie down so it can’t be used to take them on longer trips. It’s good that you also have an AWD vehicle for your use (even thought it is a primarly business vehicle).

Before you make a decision, why don’t you test drive this? It’s just a little bigger than a Prius and about the same size as the Mercedes. It comes in AWD, AWD Hybrid ….

http://www.lexus.com/compare/series/NX

… and F Sport (AWD) models:

http://www.lexus.com/compare/NX/competitor/40439/

I haven’t yet but my mechanic has one and he loves it. I would rather have the RX F Sport (larger, more expensive) which has not yet been released for 2016, due to a complete redesign. I’m seriously considering buying one in the last quarter of next year and giving my car to my youngest kid. (It also has those thinnish tires I don’t know much about so will have to learn more, of course, lol.) As a person who learned to drive in the snow with a stick shift, those paddle shifters look very enticing to me as well as the two-tone interiors of many of the newer Lexuses!

Why don’t you test drive the NX and come back and give us Piggs an update? In my second link, the NX appears to be in direct competition with the Merc GLA 250 you are considering.

[quote=spdrun]Why does anyone need an soft-roader EthYooVee in San-damn-Diego?[/quote]

Actually, I agree spdrun. They’re not necessary in SD. I’ve never owned an SUV (or a minivan) in my life (even when I was raising kids)! Of course, no one could ever accuse me of being the “soccer mom” type, lol …

If would be GREAT to have one for the road, though … especially the mountains … namely the rocky mountains. Even a Jeep Cherokee or Toy 4Runner would be nice. I saw the new luxurious “Grand Cherokee” models online (too big for me) but wonder how the jeep will hold up on maintenance through the years as opposed to a Toyota.

I didn’t actually notice the Lexus RX 350 F Sport until the summer of ’13 when I saw them out on the road in AZ and CO in a very striking WHITE color with all black grille. (This was apparently their debut year.) I was SHOCKED at how gorgeous they were out in the bright sun with their big wheels glistening out on the open road! I could tell they were a Lexus but didn’t have a chance to research them further until I arrived back home. They are undoubtedly the most beautiful vehicle I’ve ever seen. I DID drive my boss’s 2001 RX 300 around dtn SD back in 2002 and loved it (same color int and ext as my car). Then I drove a friend’s 2007 RX 350 (w/NAV) around the block and parked it in my garage just to see how it looked in there, lol. But neither of these vehicles hold a candle to the Lexus RX 350 F Sport:

Here are the exterior and interior pics of the upcoming 2016 incarnation of it. It has a “floating roofline:”

[img_assist|nid=25511|title=Side view|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=55]

[img_assist|nid=25513|title=Front view (F Sport model)|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=300|height=199]

[img_assist|nid=25512|title=center console|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=56]

It’s hard to see the paddle shifters, but they’re behind the steering wheel on the right:

[img_assist|nid=25515|title=Front interior cabin (F Sport model)|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=67]

[img_assist|nid=25514|title=Cranberry interior (back seat)|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=67]

Here’s the sun/moonroof:

[img_assist|nid=25516|title=Expansive sunroof|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=67]

Well, this vehicle is probably too impractical for me … but I just LOVE the H@LL out of its looks (not necessarily in ultra white/cranberry, though).

I’m well past the “midlife crisis” stage, lol … but should I ever buy another vehicle newer than the one I own, I’ll likely drive it until I’m unable to drive anymore or until I die … whichever happens first :=0