I just requested an hour test drive of the Mercedes GLA 45 AMG courtesy of the internet startup dealership SHIFT. I am shopping for a fun runabout for my in-town errands, and the Mercedes AMG’s mini-small SUV is actually the closest approximation to a hot hatch that the company offers in America. (Europe gets a true hatchback in A45 AMG.) If you see it like I do, a hot hatch in heels, then the GLA is noteworthy as it packs the best power—360 hp—and refinement of its competition. It would make my wife happy if this became our second family car, as the GLA only comes with a DCT gearbox, and she’d find it comfortable for her commute too.
The SHIFT salesman, or “enthusiast” as the company calls him, brings the GLA 45 to my door at precisely the promised time. He introduces me to the car and then hands me the keys. It is up to me to pick my test route; little does he know I am about to beeline for the closest Malibu canyon.
Leaving my fair city, I find that the little AMG pulls well off the line. The GLA 45, like my old Evo IX, uses a four-cylinder 2.0l turbo for motivation. However, there is not as much similarity between the two cars as the spec sheet might suggest. The Evo was always a bit sluggish away from a stop sign as its boost threshold was up closer to 3k rpm, but the GLA has grunt down low. The engine note is not too loud but distinctly 4-cylinder. Frankly, it is not an exciting sound after all of the V8s I’ve been driving recently, and I am happy this car does not have AMG’s performance exhaust to turn up the volume because I’d rather this engine’s song be played quietly. The Merc’s dual-clutch transmission is as refined and responsive as I’d desire out of such a gearbox too.
The steering wheel and shift paddles are pleasant to use, but the seats (base seats in this case, not the optional upgraded Recaros) are too wide for my slender frame, and the torso bolsters do not hug me at all. The seats are firm, accentuating the firm ride rather than softening it. I believe the seat material is MBTex fake leather, and it’s fine to touch but not the most supple material. MBTex also appears to cover the dashboard. The cabin has a staid, grownup appearance, with a look of quality but without much spark of creativity. The materials feel okay to the touch but not buttery soft and luxurious.
There are three drive modes: C (for Comfort) turns on the start/stop system and lightens the steering, S (sport) firms up the steering, juices up the throttle mapping and holds gears longer, and M (manual). Manual mode is my favorite.
The steering response is pretty immediate, and the turn-in is good. The steering feel is far from silent but not the most talkative either. The 328i M Sport had slightly better communication, but the GLA 45 roughly in the same ballpark. There is no significant body roll when cornering. The ride is on the firmer side and lacks some of the suppleness found in the M3‘s suspension.
On Hwy 1, I play with the SUV’s power. There is sufficient urge at low RPM, but the turbos really work from 3k rpm and up. The car feels torquey, and the DCT’s snappy upshifts are accompanied by an engineered burping-noise from the exhaust. Audi and VW have this burp on full-throttle upshifts too. Some reviewers reported occasional sloppy shifts and denied shifts from the GLA, but I’m not experiencing any of these hiccups myself.
Climbing into the mountains, the GLA 45 tracks well and takes corners smoothly. This Mercedes has the time-tested combination of AWD and a highly-boosted small displacement engine. It delivers the expected excellent grip out of the corners, followed by the surge of torque as the turbo spins up. The Merc has poise in addition to grip; adding power while the car is turning does not induce understeer. Since I have SHIFT salesman Eric in the right-hand seat, I am not pushing very hard—I’m maybe at 6/10ths—so I don’t really know how the vehicle feels at the limits of traction.
I have to stop for construction on a very steep segment of the road. The GLA gets started with ease from this severe hill-start. I mention this because in my Evo IX, which also had a 2.0l turbo engine, I once got stuck trying to start on a severe slope on the Mount Washington road, and I had to back up and angle across the slope before I could get going! No such problem in the GLA.
At the Saddle Peak’s summit, I stop driving to take in the view and inspect the rear cabin. The GLA is small for a Mercedes, and while I can squeeze behind the driver’s seat, it’s not very comfortable in the back with my legs splayed around the front seat. My eyes are higher than the rear window, so visibility is poor too. Sliding the driver’s seat forward one inch or so fixes the rear legroom issue, but it compromises my driving position. I don’t have it to test, but I am a little dubious that our Britax BSafe rear-facing infant seat will fit behind the front seat. (Update: when we were at the OC Auto Show, we did fit the BSafe behind Kay in a standard GLA, but the BSafe was mounted without its base, and Kay’s knees were just a few finger-widths away from the glovebox when she sat ahead of the car seat.)
I take fast, sweeping Stunt Rd to test out the suspension composure. Stunt Rd has revealed suspension compromises and quirks in many cars I’ve tested, but the GLA 45 handles Stunt flawlessly. The AMG is hunkered down on the road the whole time, completely unperturbed by the dips and rises. Driven uphill, Stunt has one particularly severe surface lump that can throw a car up on its heels; the GLA 45 powers over this bump at full throttle and maintains complete composure. My passenger has no sense that this bump is a giant slayer for many cars.
I take it easy while descending Saddle Peak on Schueren and Las Flores Canyon roads. Poor Eric had been white-knuckle gripping the door handle earlier and asked me to slow down. I am not really taxing the brakes, but they are firm and unfazed on the way back down the mountain.
Here is the thing about the GLA 45: it has 55 more horsepower than its competitors and is supposed to be the wild child of the hot hatch world, but I am not finding any unruly behavior at all. Where is the hair-on-fire driving experience? I’m not struck silly by its 355 hp, though I am a bit jaded when it comes to power after two years in with a 414 hp M3 and a very recent 200 miles in the 460 hp C7 Corvette. At the moderately quick speeds I was driving (7/10s or so), the GLA handles capably, firmly buttoned to the road and willing to turn. But it is not exuberant or hoontastic. Instead, the GLA feels a bit clinical with more grip than power. I feel robbed of the choice of power-on rotation. It’s possible that the GLA 45 is a dual-personality car that comes alive at its limits, but I was not testing those limits today.
I have test driven seventeen cars in the 18 months. The best cars—STI and Corvette—had me grinning even as I was just pulling out of the parking lot. Other standout cars—M4 and Cayman GTS, plus Mustang and 997 Turbo to a lesser extent—all had one or more points of excellence where they felt brilliant beyond doubt. The AMG GLA 45 did not reveal any points of brilliance today. The GLA is potentially fun for around-town use with its turbo punch, quick transmission and belching exhaust noise, but it failed to surprise me in any way or emotionally hook me as a car enthusiast.
Mike's Steering Column 