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The Mercedes GLA45 AMG offers terrific performance while also being practical, says Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com.
2014 has been Mercedes' year in the premium luxury car space because the automaker not only launched a slew of models in the country but also brought in quite a few AMG models.
The performance arm of Mercedes-Benz, AMG cars are tuned to offer mad levels of performance and the latest to join the lineup is the GLA45 AMG, the go-fast version of the GLA crossover.
The GLA45 AMG is based on the regular GLA but gets quite a few exterior enhancements to go with its fast motives.
The wheels are bigger at 19-inches while the vehicle sports an all-round body kit.
The bumpers are more aggressive and the car is lower by 15 mm compared to the regular model.
That's not all, the GLA45 AMG also gets red brake callipers and AMG badging on all sides.
The interiors of the GLA45 AMG are similar to the regular version of the car.
However, AMG has given some sporty touches like the flat bottom steering wheel, red stitching on the dashboard (and also the seats), proper gear lever instead of a column mounted one, climate control AC (and
rear AC vents), a bigger display screen for the COMAND system and most importantly body hugging bucket seats for front passengers.
The car also gets red seat belts for all passengers and all this does induce some sportiness inside the cabin which has decent space for four adults.
The Mercedes GLA45 AMG draws power from a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine which is a turbocharged unit and belts out a massive 355 HP of power and 450 Nm of torque.
With so much output on offer, the GLA45 AMG takes off in an instant, reaching 100 km/hr from standstill in a mere 4.8 seconds.
The GLA45 AMG has three driving modes - C, M and S. In Comfort mode, everything is done with calm like gear shifts and exhaust noise.
In Sports mode, the urgency is evident while in M mode, one can take control of cog swapping.
The GLA45 AMG pulls like a locomotive till 200 km/hr with absolutely no signs of giving up.
The 7-speed gearbox offers smooth shifts but could do with quicker downshifts.
One can expect a mileage of 6-7 km/l from this car.
The GLA45 AMG is a 4-wheel drive vehicle and uses Mercedes' 4MATIC system to smoothly transfer all that power.
The car handles nicely and has stiffer springs and an anti-roll bar over the regular GLA.
Even at high speed, this AMG is firmly glued to the tarmac.
The ground clearance is decent too so one need not worry about scraping its underbody anywhere.
Ride quality is on the firm side but still compliant enough for our roads.
The Mercedes GLA45 AMG might be among the more affordable AMGs but is still quite expensive at Rs 90,24,000 (on-road price in Mumbai).
While it does offer hooligan performance and better practicality than the CLA45 AMG, it still costs twice as much as a regular GLA.
However, if performance is what you are looking for, coupled with the desirability of a Mercedes, then the GLA45 AMG is a car worth considering.
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