Mercedes-Benz GLA Forum banner

GLA45 Steering Wheel

21K views 23 replies 18 participants last post by  bader 
#1 ·
Hey guys, the lease on my mercedes is up soon and I was thinking of grabbing one of the GLA45s my dealership has. I was wondering whether the 2015 GLA45s came with the new AMG steering wheel found in the 2015 CLA45 or if they came in the old AMG steering wheel previously offered in the 2014s.

Thanks

The new one:


The old one:
 
See less See more
2
#12 ·
I was looking at a '15 that one dealer had and it was close to what I wanted with exception to the steering wheel. For kicks I called them to see what it would take to replace the standard steering wheel for the AMG one. They quoted me $2,040 USD. $470 for the wheel, $170 for labor and a whopping $1400 for the airbag which has be to bought and installed separately (according to them). I say "according to them" because they also admitted that they aren't really sure of how to do it and have no idea what it would actually take once they got in there to do the replacement.

All that to say this: Make sure you get what you want installed from the factory (either off the lot or through ordering).
 
#14 ·
This is a clear case of "each to his own"… I saw (in the real) the 2016 AMG wheel and immediately noted how much more the air bag sticks out from the steering wheel where as the 2015 IMO blends more WITH the wheel. The 2016 definitely has a more bulbous look to it.
 
#20 ·
I know this question was asked a year ago, but since it hasn't gotten a reply yet, I'll answer for anyone in the future seeing the thread.

My GLA45 2015 has the older wheel pictured in the first post. You are correct that there are no dedicated buttons on the wheel for fast-forwarding or skipping to the next track. However, when you look through the steering wheel at the instrument panel, between the two gauges there is a small display that can be in one of several modes. One of the modes is an audio system mode that shows the current track being played and the progress into that track. When you are on that screen, you can hit the up arrow on the steering wheel and it will either skip to the next track or it will skip ahead 30 seconds (depending, I think, on the audio source).

I have a podcast app on my iPhone called Downcast, and I routinely listen to podcasts via Bluetooth in my GLA45. When I start the car, on the larger Nav/Command display in the center of the dash I see a prompt to "Connect to last device", which not only makes the Bluetooth connection to my iPhone but also starts to play whatever had previously been playing. Then I hit the up arrow on the steering wheel to skip ahead and the down arrow to skip back.

The downside to this, of course, is when you want to have some other thing displayed on the instrument panel you can't instantly skip with up or down. For example, I like to see the MPH displayed on that panel most of the time. But I know that the MPH display and the Audio one are only two steps away from each other, and that I can switch between them with three button presses on the steering wheel (first right arrow press shows the menu to switch screens, then two more presses of the same button to get from MPH to Audio in the display...three presses to the left to switch back to the MPH screen from the Audio one). So, not ideal, but also not too bad and it can be done without taking your eyes off the road.
 
#18 ·
The steering wheel and new command doesn't make a difference to me. What did was the steep discount I got on a '15 since they need to clear them off the lots.
 
#19 ·
Just curious if anyone with a 2016+ GLA45 has found a good steering wheel cover solution. I love the wheel, but I worry about inevitable wear and tear over the years. I can definitely see the suede being the first to go. I'd rather not worry about it too much if I can find something that fits nicely and looks good. TIA
 
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