Compare the2026 Mercedes GLAVS 2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale

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 Tonale doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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

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 Tonale 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.

Both the GLA and Tonale 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 Tonale’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the GLA and the Tonale 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

There are almost 4 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 rated the GLA third among small premium suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Tonale isn’t in the top three.

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

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

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 Tonale doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the GLA’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Tonale:

For better traction, the GLA has larger tires than the Tonale (235/55R18 vs. 225/55R18).

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 Tonale 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 Tonale doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLA’s wheelbase is 3.6 inches longer than on the Tonale (107.4 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better maneuverability, the GLA’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Tonale’s (37.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

The GLA is 4.4 inches shorter than the Tonale, making the GLA easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 Tonale doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The GLA has .2 inches more front headroom, 3 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more front shoulder room and 3.8 inches more rear hip room than the Tonale.

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the GLA. The Tonale doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the Tonale, 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’s standard easy entry and exit feature glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Tonale.

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 Tonale doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Tonale doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its standard heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

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 Tonale’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The GLA has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Tonale doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The GLA’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Tonale’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

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

The Mercedes GLA outsold the Alfa Romeo Tonale by over five to one during 2024.