A45 or GLA45?

[Duke of Kidderminster]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 22 May 2017 at 11:04

[Captain Smerc]

I'm considering a GLA 45 at the moment . Had a go in Southends demo model last month and was impressed , goes well , sounds angry and a nice interior , I thought . Think it's the best out of all the A series cars , and I hear they respond very well to a remap

Edited by Captain Smerc on Saturday 18th March 20:44

[RedAMG45]

I have had two A45 hatchbacks I had the non facelift for two years and picked up the facelift version from december.
The link to forum will help you
The GLA is rare bird
http://www.aclassclub.co.uk/forum/a45-amg-forum_fo...
I am very happy with my hatchback I do not have a family but GLA would be suited for family but it looks like it is on steriods
I have never got bored with mine I went for stealth for my first one standard wheels no aero
My second for 19s black but no Aero
It is great car seen as marmite car on forum because of price and people who do not get it
Performance is great I like that you can have best of both worlds and grip is amazing
Couple of thing are must
Performance exhaust
Adaptive dampening I went for the LSD as well
I did not go for the paneramic roof on my second car because it adds fair bit weight and never used it
I not sure what I would replace mine and that is why I got another one

[Webdunk]

Very pleased with my GLA. Many packs optioned - I think it's only missing Comand and ILS. The ride height was part of my decision making given the Highland roads the car lives on.

[Captain Smerc]

Webdunk said:

Very pleased with my GLA. Many packs optioned - I think it's only missing Comand and ILS. The ride height was part of my decision making given the Highland roads the car lives on.

Very tasty indeed !

[Dave Hedgehog]

GLA every time

I drive both back to back and the GLA offers 99% of the performance but with more space and a much better ride

Get all the performance mods incl the diff, mag ride (must have IMO) and sports box, race mode is hysterical

i had an RS3 before this, and whilst i miss the epic 5 pot, the A45 4 pot defies science (its also returning 25% better mpg), the turn in and responsiveness of the 45's really show up how badly setup the RS3's are

They are not really crossovers since AMG rip off the suspension, its no higher than a focus, they are 100% real AMG's thou even without the V8 sound track

Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Monday 20th March 16:18

[Dave Hedgehog]

Duke of Kidderminster said:

:-) I'm pretty sold on the GLA now.

But where did the 1% of performance go? And is it in straight-line speed or cornering? The dealer told me the cars are identical performance wise!

only a pro on a race track would notice, the extra space comes at a slight 30kg weight penalty, on an uneven back road the more supple and compliant suspension would more than make up for the added weight

[Webdunk]

Dave Hedgehog said:

Is that Cavansite Blue or is it just a trick of the light/photo flipping black paint?

[Dave Hedgehog]

Webdunk said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

Is that Cavansite Blue or is it just a trick of the light/photo flipping black paint?

yep caravansite blue with all the black trim and rims optioned

its a hard colour to photo as the paint really pops in sunlight and looks stunning in this combo IMO

[Webdunk]

Dave Hedgehog said:

yep caravansite blue with all the black trim and rims optioned

its a hard colour to photo as the paint really pops in sunlight and looks stunning in this combo IMO

It'd be interesting to see some more shots if you've got them? If I'd ordered from new, I would have optioned Northern light purple on a Phase 1 but this would have been my choice on a phase 2.

[don16]

Just after thoughts on ownership? I was originally considering a pre face-lift CLA45 but I have been put off by the apparent ride quality being way to firm. I was wondering what the quality is like in the GLA does it ride better? I guess all three of the As are the same inside including seating? Yet to drive myself so any advice, tips and things to look out for would be great.

[Dolf Stoppard]

There's a GLA in Jupiter Red on eBay and it looks immense!

[Jdjd1]

Could take afew more of you like, Only extra I don't have is the LSD

Fuel economy is what you make it I'm afraid

I have a Litchfield tuning box attached to mine and it makes the car fly, I would map it with DMS as they seem to be the go to guys. But the box allows me to keep my warranty and is removed in 2mins if needed

But the tuning box removes the lag and expands the power band massively. I would expect it to make short work of a standard 45

Edited by Jdjd1 on Friday 16th March 11:50

[Jdjd1]

[Webdunk]

don16 said:

Just after thoughts on ownership? I was originally considering a pre face-lift CLA45 but I have been put off by the apparent ride quality being way to firm. I was wondering what the quality is like in the GLA does it ride better? I guess all three of the As are the same inside including seating? Yet to drive myself so any advice, tips and things to look out for would be great.

Ride quality will be subjective; I came from the Cayman R and find it excellent. However it does improve when I switch from OEM 20" summers to 18" winters which would suggest some may still find it a little firm. I've got selective suspension on mine so can firm up further if I want.

I believe the most recent A45 could be optioned with adaptive suspension rather than selective so that should ride quite well for a sporty hatch. That option didn't make it to the GLA45. Unsure of the CLA45's options in that regard.

Ownership-wise the GLA has given me no problems. As alluded to earlier fuel economy is down to journeys and right foot. HIghest I've seen is 36mpg when trying very hard indeed. Cold start is brutal on fuel and as soon as the turbo's in the game the car drinks like a fish. Aerokit / big wheels can chop 2-4mpg off so smaller wheel'd / non-aero cars may do better.

If you're looking at pre-owned, watch out for tyre wear. As you would expect, it can be high and there have been some reports of odd patterns of wear although most of these have been attributed to hooliganism / dodgy alignment.

If you're hunting down info online, you may come across reports of gearbox issues - mostly reported on A45s. There was a fix released by MB (although knowledge of this at MB dealers / MB UK seems poor) and the issue was more about a nasty grinding sound in a specific set of circumstances rather than anything more serious.

[don16]

Webdunk said:

Ride quality will be subjective; I came from the Cayman R and find it excellent. However it does improve when I switch from OEM 20" summers to 18" winters which would suggest some may still find it a little firm. I've got selective suspension on mine so can firm up further if I want.

I believe the most recent A45 could be optioned with adaptive suspension rather than selective so that should ride quite well for a sporty hatch. That option didn't make it to the GLA45. Unsure of the CLA45's options in that regard.

Ownership-wise the GLA has given me no problems. As alluded to earlier fuel economy is down to journeys and right foot. HIghest I've seen is 36mpg when trying very hard indeed. Cold start is brutal on fuel and as soon as the turbo's in the game the car drinks like a fish. Aerokit / big wheels can chop 2-4mpg off so smaller wheel'd / non-aero cars may do better.

If you're looking at pre-owned, watch out for tyre wear. As you would expect, it can be high and there have been some reports of odd patterns of wear although most of these have been attributed to hooliganism / dodgy alignment.

If you're hunting down info online, you may come across reports of gearbox issues - mostly reported on A45s. There was a fix released by MB (although knowledge of this at MB dealers / MB UK seems poor) and the issue was more about a nasty grinding sound in a specific set of circumstances rather than anything more serious.

Thanks, I hear the GLA45 suspension is much more compliant and less harsh than the A/CLA45. I would be looking at a 14/64 plate GLA45 Aero. Good to hear there are no issues, I did look into MB extended warranty but its like £2700 for a year. But if its a reliable car then doubt I would need it,.

re the gearbox issue, is this fix being offered outside of warranty also? Any major things to look out for? I would be looking at a car with around 30-40k on the clock and with as many options as possible within my budget.

[alanyork]

Some good info above, Ive just got a 2017 AMG pleased with it, Up to now.

[V10 SPM]

Jdjd1 said:

That can't be a realistic expectation for mpg though can it? That is very low!

[donkmeister]

V10 SPM said:

Jdjd1 said:

That can't be a realistic expectation for mpg though can it? That is very low!

Absolutely not. That's a good thrashing. Jdjd1 hasn't explained what type of journey that was but I guarantee the answer is somewhere on the spectrum of "track day" and "good thrap across the twisty B-roads".

On a different note, some people do get off on claiming low MPG as a badge of honour; I have a friend with a Focus ST, which is showing a long-term average of 30MPG every time I ever go in it, but according to him it only delivers 15mpg.

[L33]

I really miss my A45 - after all, owning it "made" me sell my SLS Gullwing (the A45 was a lot more fun).

It was a very well spec'd 63 plate car. I had the sports exhaust which was not switchable on the pre-facelift. If I'm honest there were times when I had the wife and kids in the car when I wanted to turn the noise down a little.

I also had the AMG sports suspension upgrade - again being pre-facelift it was "on" all the time. You do get used to it but it is an option I would avoid next time.

The pan roof made the interior light and airy BUT was the source of a many rattles. Luckily MB sorted this under warranty.

As for MPG, my 20 mile each way daily commute saw an average of 28mpg with 14 miles of normal motorway speeds and 6 miles town driving with no traffic and a fairly easy right foot.

Other than the daily commute, a spirited drive saw MPG in the mid teens, whereas a prolonged motorway run could see high 30's.

I've never driven the GLA45 but did have a GLA250 as a courtesy car once - not a big car but so much more room than my A45 - I'd go GLA45 given the option next time around.