Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S: The Odd (But Fast) One Out
Our love for Mercedes-AMG's 45 4MATIC+ drivetrain isn't something we hide, but how does that mix with our outspoken opion about crossovers?
In the past 7 years, Mercedes-AMG has rapidly expanded their portfolio of lower tier cars. Never before has AMG offered such a vast amount of cars, ranging from the A35 all the way up to their top tier Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series. With this many cars, their chances of something dislikeable being developed grows. On paper the GLA 45 S looks like one of those cars. It rises 10 centimeters higher than its A 45 sibling, with an equal change in up right position. There's the fact that it's slower too and the fact that it doesn't have the infamous drift mode. So with all that adding up, who on earth would skip the A45 S for this car, and pay extra for it too!? That question had me from the start of this test and I tried my very best to find out just why this car exists (other than the expansion drift of Mercedes-AMG).
What is it?
If you spend some time on our socials or on this website, you'll have come across either my GLA 35 or GLA 200d review. This car, the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S 4MATIC+, is the top tier of the GLA line up. Build quality is on point yet again. And like its 45 siblings (review of the A 45 here and review of the CLA 45 here) it houses Affalterbach’s in-house-built 2 liter master piece. Identical in every way, it still gives off 421 horsepower at 6750 rpm and torque keeps building through the rev range to a maximum of 500 Nm. Mercedes-AMG's fully variable all-wheel-drive system, 4MATIC+, works its magic in this car too, albeit without the driftmode I mentioned earlier. Weighing around 1.5 metric tonnes, the drivetrain pushes the car to a hundred in 4.3 second and two hundred KPH is met in just over 16 seconds.
Being an 'S' it not only gains more power but it gets the 6 piston setup in the front callipers, something one can recognise by the red paint on them. These 360 x 36 millimeter brake discs offer more braking power than your passengers appreciate. Believe me.
Aesthetically confusing
Unlike its brothers and sisters, the GLA 45 S doesn't gain a wider track compared to the less potent versions, making the stance it gives off less impressive. Nor does it have a radically different facia like the other two have. It's a rounded, compact car that looks cute from many angles. That changes when you rotate the steering wheel and the fat tires start poking out. Or when you look at other details hinting towards its true nature. This confusion dissipates when you climb inside. When opted as an S there's no room left for confusion: you're inside an AMG. The steering wheel with mode selectors comes as standard, along with a load of yellow details.
Right to exist
Back to the question I dropped earlier: does the world either need or want a Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S? Yes and no is the easy answer. During my first days with the car I was unsettled by it, I'll admit that. Where the A45 was flat through corners, this felt saggy. Where the CLA made you look like you were driving a smaller AMG GT, the GLA made me feel like people wanted to comfort me over my bad choice in cars. Slower, less communicative, less cool to look at, and no driftmode... I was struggling to get why, other than the before mentioned expansion urge, AMG created this crossover. They did their best reinforcing the shell for more rigidity, and by giving it a unique suspension setup with less travel. But it will always be a crossover.
It was only at the end of the test that I realised I was benchmarking it against cars it could never be. This isn't an A-Class, this is a crossover albeit a small one. It is good at a lot of things and that always means it can never be the best in one specific thing. Following that logic made me realise it could never have the same dynamic properties as cars that have a lower center of gravity. Nor could it be as neutral through corners. I was taking this car way too damn serious from the start, something I did not with the GLA 35. That 35 version was a mix between a performance and a practical crossover that was easily grasped. Label something as a top tier 45 and other expectations come into play. Expectations that were unjustified, unfitting to the true nature of this car: not to be the best at one thing, but to be the most entertaining all-rounder crossover on the market, and beat plenty of fast cars in a straight line while at it.
Some things in life just need time
But does that justify its existence? I wasn't sure with only 2 days of testing left. As with many tests, bravery takes the upper hand after a few days with a car and thus I tapped deeper into the potent performance mixture it offers.
It was only then that the GLA 45 S started making sense. It offers a spectrum of character that I didn't consider possible. It comes down to this: the modes aren't just tweaks of throttle and spring ratio, no they're almost offering different cars in every single mode. Comfort gives you a docile GLA that rides evenly so. Sport adds more power and sacrifices some comfort. Sport+ even more so, but beyond that the GLA 45 S turns into a whole other car. This has everything to do with the AMG Dynamics, a system dictates the settings of various hard- and software components of the car. Damping, steering ratio, ESP, and even the 4MATIC+ either offer you comfort or are set to weaponize the GLA 45 S for performance.
Act of war
But you don't tap into that performance easily. Why not? Because the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S only turns on when you deliberately want it to. AMG Dynamics needs to be put into the highest setting for this, Master it is labbeld. You can either turn it on in Individual mode or by switching ESP to sport handling when in Race. I wish turned on this setting earlier. Really, this where the car redefines the abstraction of an all-rounder. Torque control, ESP and the 4MATIC+ system now allow for slight (controllable) oversteer. Steering becomes communicative and you literally feel like you're driving a different car. One that is very enjoyable.
Too far apart
Concluding this test I realised the GLA 45 S might offer too big of a spectrum. It is in fact frustrating to some part that the biggest amounts of fun only come at the most extreme of its settings. That it only becomes addictive when you take it to roads you won't commute on. It is a brilliant mixture but if you want easily accessible performance, look elsewhere. If you want everything in one package, this is the exact car for you. A trip to go skiing or a day at the track, it will do both for you brilliantly. Not as the best at one thing, but a very good attempt at everything.
But there's one thing that annoyed me heavily. Who decided to put the control buttons in a place you can't see them!? It's almost as if Mercedes-AMG wants you to opt for the S model or the base version with the performance steering wheel and mode selectors. Then again, it is in line with what the GLA 45 S is: a bit of everything, the good and the bad.
