Compare the2024 Buick EnvistaVS 2023 Mercedes GLA

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Envista are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Envista’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLA.

Both the Envista and the GLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Buick’s powertrain warranty covers the Envista 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLA ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Envista’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the GLA’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 5 times as many Buick dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Envista’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 39 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 48 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Buick 13 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

On the EPA test cycle the Envista gets better mileage than the GLA:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Envista uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLA requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Envista has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The GLA doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Buick Envista higher (7 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLA (5). This means the Envista produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLA every 15,000 miles.

For better traction, the Envista’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLA (245/45R19 vs. 235/55R18).

The Envista has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The GLA doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Envista has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the GLA; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Buick Envista may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 400 pounds less than the Mercedes GLA.

The Envista uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLA doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Envista has .4 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room and .7 inches more rear legroom than the GLA.

The Envista has a much larger cargo volume than the GLA with its rear seat up (20.7 vs. 19 cubic feet).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 23% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Envista’s available exterior PIN entry system. The GLA doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.