Compare the2025 Mercedes GLAVS 2025 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLA have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The GLA’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Stelvio doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The GLA’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The GLA offers an optional Post Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The GLA offers an optional Surround View System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Stelvio only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the GLA and Stelvio have rear cross-traffic warning, but the GLA has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Stelvio’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

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

There are over 3 times as many Mercedes dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the GLA’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Alfa Romeo vehicles. With 20 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Alfa Romeo.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Mercedes GLA is faster than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio:

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

Regenerative brakes improve the GLA’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes GLA higher (6 out of 10) than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio (4). This means the GLA produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Stelvio every 15,000 miles.

The GLA offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Stelvio doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The GLA stops shorter than the Stelvio:

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the GLA can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Stelvio doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The GLA’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Stelvio doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the GLA’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Stelvio’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.5 feet).

The Mercedes GLA may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 pounds less than the Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

The GLA is 11 inches shorter than the Stelvio, making the GLA easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Mercedes GLA amounts to more than styling. The GLA has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .3 Cd. That is lower than the Stelvio (.32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GLA get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the GLA uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Stelvio doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The GLA has 4.4 inches more front legroom and 6.1 inches more rear legroom than the Stelvio.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the GLA’s rear seats recline. The Stelvio’s rear seats don’t recline.

The GLA has a larger cargo volume than the Stelvio with its rear seat up (19 vs. 18.5 cubic feet).

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Stelvio, the GLA has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLA offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

If the windows are left open on the GLA the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Stelvio can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLA’s standard Keyless-Go allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless-Enter-n-Go standard on the Stelvio doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLA to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Stelvio doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its standard heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

The GLA’s LED headlights produce a white, bright light using less electricity than the Stelvio’s xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. HID headlights can be slow to reach full brightness or power cycle, causing issues when flashing them to signal other vehicles; LED headlights light instantly. LED lights also last about three to four times as long.

When the GLA is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Stelvio’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The GLA’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Stelvio doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The GLA is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Stelvio doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the GLA owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the GLA will cost $1705 to $3510 less than the Stelvio over a five-year period.

The GLA will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the GLA will retain 53.93% to 54% of its original price after five years, while the Stelvio only retains 51.75% to 52.66%.

The Mercedes GLA outsold the Alfa Romeo Stelvio by over two to one during 2023.