http://www.autofocus.ca/cars/mercede...45-amg/reviews
Not so long ago, it used to be that if you aspired to owning your first performance car, you would lust after a Volkswagen Golf GTIor Subaru WRX STI.
Or, if you were truly deranged, you wanted a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.
Those are machines for young hooligans. They promise speed and power and instant celebrity (at least among your group of nerdy car-loving friends). These cars have wings. They have stickers. They have strangely-coloured alloy wheels which clash with the paint.
Recently, premium automakers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi decided they want a piece of the My First Performance Car market. They charge a significant premium, but offer higher quality interiors and more luxury.
From Mercedes, we have this little monster: the 2015 GLA 45AMG.
Pros & Cons
- + Interior materials
- + Sharp handling
- + Styling
- - Transmission
- - Ride comfort
- - Value for money
- Walkaround
If you gave your 10-year-old nephew a pack of markers and told him to draw the Awesomest Car Ever, he would probably hand you back something that looked like the GLA 45. Overkill just wasn’t enough for this kid. He comes from the “MOAR!” school of design.
If you find it distasteful, you will be happy to know the red-striped rims, sticker pack, and rear wing are all optional. Strip all that away, and the GLA 45 actually looks like a relatively subtle performance car — especially compared to the highly-winged Subaru and Mitsubishi.
Certainly, an all-black GLA would look less out of place in the parking lot of a law office than a blue and gold Impreza STI.
7.1VERY GOOD- Interior
Think of the GLA as the more practical version of Benz’s baby sedan, the CLA. The GLAoffers very similar interior space, with the added benefit of a hatchback trunk and a bit more ground clearance. (Very useful on deeply-potholed city streets.)
The interior is of a surprisingly high quality for a budget Benz. The carbon trim looks decent, and the leather feels just as nice as it does on an E-Class.
6.3GOOD- Tech
AMG takes the regular GLA and fits lowered performance suspension, aggressive bumpers and side skirts, a chrome-tipped sport exhaust system, 19-inch alloy wheels, performance tires, stainless steel pedals, a leather-covered steering wheel and the all-important red-painted brake calipers.
The GLA 45 is also fitted with the 4Matic all-wheel drive system as standard. In normal driving, power is sent to the front wheels. Push harder though, and up to 50 percent of the torque gets sent to the rear.
The infotainment system consists of a 4.5-inch colour screen mounted high on the middle of the dash, and an easy-to-use control-wheel type interface. We prefer this type of setup to the touchscreen systems currently on the market.
6.5GOOD- Driving
The GLA 45 gets the same manic 2.0-litre turbocharged engine as the CLA 45. Churning out 355 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, it is the most powerful production four-cylinder ever made. Certainly, it’s more powerful than any of its rivals.
No, it doesn’t sound as good as any V8-powered AMG, but it can slingshot the GLA from 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds.
On the road, it never quite feels as quick as the numbers would suggest. It’s quick, rather than downright fast. The ride is firm, but enthusiasts will put up with it because it ensures theGLA is the best-handling little crossover, well, ever. It doesn’t do tail-out antics; rather, theGLA prefers to grip, and grip and keep gripping the road. It actually feels a bit like a hot-rodded VW Golf. You steer, and it goes there like it’s on rails.
The only bit of the drivetrain that can’t quite keep up is the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Shifting gears with the steering-wheel mounted paddles isn’t as snappy as it should be.
7.2VERY GOOD- Value
Starting at $50,500 in Canada, the GLA 45 is significantly more expensive than the likes of the Subaru STI and VW Golf GTI. But, you get that big Mercedes badge, and a better interior.
Our tester, fully loaded and including all those stickers and wings, came to $64,890.
Its closest direct rival is probably the Audi S3 sedan, which comes in at $44,000. The BMWM235i only comes in two-door coupe form and is significantly less practical.
Pricing for the all-wheel drive VW Golf R hasn’t been announced yet, but this hottest Golf may prove to be the GLA’s Achilles heel.
4.0OKAY- Conclusion
The GLA 45 AMG makes more sense than its sedan cousin, the CLA 45 AMG. The extra practicality of the hatchback trunk makes it easier to justify, and its handling hardly suffers despite the extra height.
Is it worth the extra cost over the Audi S3, or upcoming VW Golf R? If you really must have the most powerful car in its class, then I suppose it is. But for most people however, those less expensive alternatives would provide just as much fun.
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Originally Posted by exist
