Mercedes-Benz GLA Forum banner

Dashboard fake- Carbon - love it or loathe it?

5K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  Wayne 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
OK, maybe it's just me.

AND.. apologies to anyone who loves the carbon-fiber "look" on the GLA 250

Let me start by saying -- the GLA 45 sounds awesome -- and the carbon fiber dash, which a couple of Canadian reviewers have described as "a dash designed by an eight year old boy but approved for production by a 40 year old man -- bless you 40 year old man!" looks ridiculous and awesome.

Yep. I agree, if I had a GLA45 I would WANT THIS DASH!



But there's a problem... I have a GLA250. It's a wicked good car, but it's a "winter beater". My "summer car" is a Porsche. But Macans are just too **** expensive... and a little too big. The GLA 250 is a perfect "winter car" for the northeast.

Except.....

That Dash....





Everything else on the dash is leather or metal (or fake-metal or in some cases wood or fake wood).... why did they introduce the "fake carbon fiber" look into the GLA 250? I H8t it --- and I don't even have the wonky wavy beige stuff, I have the darker silver/black version which kinda matches my black interior!

They has a perfectly serviceable metal version (Mercedes PN 117-680-17-01) that could be inserted -- and it apparently came with the GLA 45 previous to the Ritalin-assisted bonkers GLA 45 dash. Why didn't they make this a standard in the GLA's?

What was the point of the two version of fake Carbon fiber dashboards? (Three if you count the GLA45 version)

Yes, I just spent $250 to replace the CF in my car with Metal and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to @GLA415 who provided excellent instructions on how to do so at https://www.glaowners.com/forum/exterior-interior/17137-dash-trim-replacement-instructions.html.



IT.LOOKS.GREAT!

No more fake carbon fiber, just a swathe of brushed metal......ahhhhhhh.....The way God intended it!






It finally all makes sense (again, apologies if you're a fan of the CF look, I'm just glad there was an alternative)
 
See less See more
3
#2 ·
Hey ... As long as you're happy!!!

Pam loves her 45 fake carbon dash although the upgrade price was absurd. But if we didn't have different tastes we'd all be driving Volkswagens.

I couldn't agree more on the Macon. I tried to get Pam to go that way but bigger size and poorer gas mileage were problems. And the only Macon that would have matched the 45 performance would have been the Turbo S (twice the price).

FWIW on almost any road I can speed match my 997.2 (911) with the 45. And really the 250 is pretty quick too. Impressive IMHO.
 
#3 ·
Absolutely agree on every point. I had a Macan for a week and was not impressed. Nice interior, good acceleration, "OK" handling, but the GLA is better. I definitely would have gone with the GLA 45 as a daily driver if I lived in CA. As it stands, with the addition of a sprint-booster, the GLA250 is, indeed, pretty quick and can satisfy as a daily commuter. Not a match for handling - but that's largely the all-season run-flats. A set of Michelin PS's would fix that.....gotta stop thinking that way :) It's a WINTER CAR!

lol!

I do dearly love the interior on the 45's and I think the CF looks great in there with all the weird wild red-stripey stuff. But for a more sedate (but not boring) 250, the "Fake CF" (which is difference than that found in the 45's) made it feel somehow cheap (the original part is $259, vs the actual CF which is $1920 -- yikes!)
The aluminum trim suits it better - I also have brushed aluminum trim in the 981, which was an insanely expensive upgrade so now "they match" :)
 
#4 ·
I'm enjoying your views!!!

It's not possible to compare the handling of the mid engined 981 to the rear engine of the 997. So the following isn't one to one for your situation.

But in comparing your cars, luggage and versatility also comes into play.

A 997.2 driving friend moved from the SF Bay Area to Seattle last September. We were going to follow him (in his 997) in our 997.2 but the moving van was way undersized. So we packed the 45 front to back and to the roof with items and headed through a Sierra pass and up into the south eastern corner of Oregon on the way to some excellent driving roads.

Even loaded the 45 held with and led the 997 through the curves while equally accelerating and driving at high speeds in the remote areas.

Then we loaded three of us into the 45 and drove back south through the night to pick up a Penske truck to complete the move.

There's no way the 997 could have been used to that!!!

In other words, don't relegate the 250 to winter only chores. It may not be your 981 but it is nonetheless versatile ?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top