When I was shopping these small utility vehicles, I was REALLY hoping I could have my cake and eat it too. I had my eye on the GLA45 because I've owned several AMG vehicles in the past, but I was hoping to have one as an everyday driver, it has decent gas-mileage, but LOADS of power and AWD...
Now, I am in NO WAY speaking negatively about the GLA45, it is an AMAZING, VISCERAL car, however, here are some points to consider for those on the fence.
These are reasons that only went on in my head, and if they align with someone else's thoughts/perceptions, than I'm glad I could be of help.
The GLA45 has 4-inches of clearance. Roughly the same as about any 'car.' Numerous off-road reviews showed the GLA45 could 'handle' the rough terrain, but they destroyed a lot of front bumpers and skirts on that platform
The GLA250 has 8-inches of clearance. (Mine currently has 10 inches) I have tackled massive drifts, gone on rocky trails etc with my GLA250 already, and it truly does a great job.
AMG styling: Now, this is ALL ABOUT PERCEPTION/OPINION. I love the STANDARD/BASE bumpers with the silver, they look really cool, aggressive AND they have an up-turned nose for better clearance. The giant faux air ducts on the GLA45 were the FIRST parts to get ripped off or damaged the car in off-road testing and curb checks. I also think the AMG styling looks really weird on sport GLA250's that are sitting up at that 8" of height. It makes the vehicle look like a 'scared cat' as the styling cues are meant for a LOWER vehicle. It reminds me of when people were putting bodykits on a Chevy Tahoe or something. Again, just my weird perceptions.
Power:
GLA45 is awesome. A STOCK high 12-second 4-cylinder car running at 26lbs of boost! NO ONE in the industry has done that from the factory. Truly mpressive.
GLA250 has 'plenty' of power for what it does, however, you can easily add a piggyback tune to the GLA250 for $800 that takes the horsepower from 208 to 250hp and 310ft/lbs torque. (VR Tuned) That will put the 'lighter' GLA250 into the High 13's or low 14's depending on what you are transporting, or how you are modded.
Now, 13's is not 'ridiculously fast,' but those are numbers we do in-fact associate with entry-level sports cars like the WRX, G37 coupe, etc. there is also a Carlsson C-tronic tuning box that will add 325ft/lbs torque, and Carlsson takes over your warranty. I'm still waiting to see what HG Motorsports rolls out with. Also, eventually high-flow downpipes and complete turbo-back exhausts will be released for the GLA250, which will bring these tuned numbers even HIGHER. I spoke with one tuning company who claims that close to 400ft/lbs is not an absurd notion for the 250 down the line as long-term testing is in effect right now..
We can 'armchair race' the notion of 13's all day about this platform, however, 320ft/lbs in a 3,318lb vehicle is not hard to deduce from comparing platforms of similar numbers and weight. Remember, all that torque hits as low as 2200rpm, so 0-60 jump will be exponential from the stock 258ft/lbs.
This is not about racing either, it's about upping the 'standard' of acceleration to that of a 'pricier vehicle,' which can be done for as little as $800. [/U]
Weight:
The GLA45 weighs in at 3,495lbs.
My Base GLA250 weighs 3318lbs. That's over a 100lbs lighter, plus, I added lightweight wheels to increase acceleration and improve braking and handling. With an ECU piggyback tune, a lighter car will feel significantly faster with added mods, and it will climb better and save more fuel. I'm also doing a muffler-delete soon that will shed another 20-25lbs off the rear.
Potholes:
My other complaint with the GLA45 is the skinny tires on the 20" wheels. If I am in an SUV, I should not have to worry about dodging potholes so much.
...Let me put it this way, if I had my druthers, I would buy a GLA45 with an 'off-road package' that made it the same height as the GLA250 and also added the standard bumpers or a variation of them. However, no such thing exists, so I would have to pay out-of-pocket for thousands of dollars of base-model suspension and bumpers to make it work for me in the city and in the mountains.
I'd be spending close to $70,000 for a GLA...
Let's look at cost analysis:
GLA45 AMG - $63,685 average cost
GLA250 base- $33,000 average cost
That is a difference of $30,000!!!
Now let's factor in my mods:
Tune: $800
Lightweight wheels and new tires: $1800
Aftermarket cross drilled rotors - $223 (Edited, I later found the CLA sport rotors for $223)
HG Engine damper - $199
Total after modded: $36,023, and ready for the trails as well as the city.
Even if i bought some really SICK Recaro racing seats to mimic the AMG, I'd still be under $40,000. I could enhance the whole interior with carbon bits, suede headliner etc. And still be significantly less money than the AMG.
As it sits, the GLA45 truly is a badass Hatchback 'car' with really big wheels and wheel-wells. I would LOVE to track this car, or use it as ONLY a 'city car.'
But if you are looking to get some SUV benefits out of the GLA platform, I would suggest going with a thoughtfully-planned GLA250.
Hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this, and I hope it was helpful for those shopping. Again, my intentions are not to besmirch the GLA45, it's an incredible vehicle.
Now, I am in NO WAY speaking negatively about the GLA45, it is an AMAZING, VISCERAL car, however, here are some points to consider for those on the fence.
These are reasons that only went on in my head, and if they align with someone else's thoughts/perceptions, than I'm glad I could be of help.
The GLA45 has 4-inches of clearance. Roughly the same as about any 'car.' Numerous off-road reviews showed the GLA45 could 'handle' the rough terrain, but they destroyed a lot of front bumpers and skirts on that platform
The GLA250 has 8-inches of clearance. (Mine currently has 10 inches) I have tackled massive drifts, gone on rocky trails etc with my GLA250 already, and it truly does a great job.
AMG styling: Now, this is ALL ABOUT PERCEPTION/OPINION. I love the STANDARD/BASE bumpers with the silver, they look really cool, aggressive AND they have an up-turned nose for better clearance. The giant faux air ducts on the GLA45 were the FIRST parts to get ripped off or damaged the car in off-road testing and curb checks. I also think the AMG styling looks really weird on sport GLA250's that are sitting up at that 8" of height. It makes the vehicle look like a 'scared cat' as the styling cues are meant for a LOWER vehicle. It reminds me of when people were putting bodykits on a Chevy Tahoe or something. Again, just my weird perceptions.
Power:
GLA45 is awesome. A STOCK high 12-second 4-cylinder car running at 26lbs of boost! NO ONE in the industry has done that from the factory. Truly mpressive.
GLA250 has 'plenty' of power for what it does, however, you can easily add a piggyback tune to the GLA250 for $800 that takes the horsepower from 208 to 250hp and 310ft/lbs torque. (VR Tuned) That will put the 'lighter' GLA250 into the High 13's or low 14's depending on what you are transporting, or how you are modded.
Now, 13's is not 'ridiculously fast,' but those are numbers we do in-fact associate with entry-level sports cars like the WRX, G37 coupe, etc. there is also a Carlsson C-tronic tuning box that will add 325ft/lbs torque, and Carlsson takes over your warranty. I'm still waiting to see what HG Motorsports rolls out with. Also, eventually high-flow downpipes and complete turbo-back exhausts will be released for the GLA250, which will bring these tuned numbers even HIGHER. I spoke with one tuning company who claims that close to 400ft/lbs is not an absurd notion for the 250 down the line as long-term testing is in effect right now..
We can 'armchair race' the notion of 13's all day about this platform, however, 320ft/lbs in a 3,318lb vehicle is not hard to deduce from comparing platforms of similar numbers and weight. Remember, all that torque hits as low as 2200rpm, so 0-60 jump will be exponential from the stock 258ft/lbs.
This is not about racing either, it's about upping the 'standard' of acceleration to that of a 'pricier vehicle,' which can be done for as little as $800. [/U]
Weight:
The GLA45 weighs in at 3,495lbs.
My Base GLA250 weighs 3318lbs. That's over a 100lbs lighter, plus, I added lightweight wheels to increase acceleration and improve braking and handling. With an ECU piggyback tune, a lighter car will feel significantly faster with added mods, and it will climb better and save more fuel. I'm also doing a muffler-delete soon that will shed another 20-25lbs off the rear.
Potholes:
My other complaint with the GLA45 is the skinny tires on the 20" wheels. If I am in an SUV, I should not have to worry about dodging potholes so much.
...Let me put it this way, if I had my druthers, I would buy a GLA45 with an 'off-road package' that made it the same height as the GLA250 and also added the standard bumpers or a variation of them. However, no such thing exists, so I would have to pay out-of-pocket for thousands of dollars of base-model suspension and bumpers to make it work for me in the city and in the mountains.
I'd be spending close to $70,000 for a GLA...
Let's look at cost analysis:
GLA45 AMG - $63,685 average cost
GLA250 base- $33,000 average cost
That is a difference of $30,000!!!
Now let's factor in my mods:
Tune: $800
Lightweight wheels and new tires: $1800
Aftermarket cross drilled rotors - $223 (Edited, I later found the CLA sport rotors for $223)
HG Engine damper - $199
Total after modded: $36,023, and ready for the trails as well as the city.
Even if i bought some really SICK Recaro racing seats to mimic the AMG, I'd still be under $40,000. I could enhance the whole interior with carbon bits, suede headliner etc. And still be significantly less money than the AMG.
As it sits, the GLA45 truly is a badass Hatchback 'car' with really big wheels and wheel-wells. I would LOVE to track this car, or use it as ONLY a 'city car.'
But if you are looking to get some SUV benefits out of the GLA platform, I would suggest going with a thoughtfully-planned GLA250.
Hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this, and I hope it was helpful for those shopping. Again, my intentions are not to besmirch the GLA45, it's an incredible vehicle.
