It’s hard not to love a good sleeper, a car that just looks like regular traffic until it locks its Crocs into sport mode and books it toward the horizon. However, we’re living in an era when people know what’s crazy fast. Your average broccoli-haired TikTok yob knows that a late-model BMW M340i with a tune is properly quick, as is an Infiniti Q50 with the twin-turbocharged V6, as will be any half-ton truck with a GoPro on the rear window. So what about something truly underrated? I’m talking about the Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG.
Sure, it’s technically a crossover, but only in the same way a Subway Tuna Melt is technically food. The fact is, this thing’s only six-tenths of an inch taller than a new Volkswagen GTI, or nine-tenths of an inch taller than a Nissan Versa. It’s physically lower than a BMW 7 Series, which makes it basically a hot hatch.
Actually, hot is underselling it. The GLA 45 AMG won’t just perk you up, it’ll set your tastebuds on fire. When it launched, it featured the most powerful four-cylinder engine available in a mass-produced U.S.-spec car. A decade later, it’s still a force to be reckoned with, especially now that it’s downright cheap.
What Are We Looking At?
The Mercedes-Benz GLA isn’t the obvious choice for a performance machine. Or a luxury car, come to think of it. It’s a mildly jacked-up variant of the entry-level, Golf-rivalling A-Class hatchback, which means it’s a bit cost-cut and aimed at people who want to look richer than they are. Some of the plastics aren’t what you’d expect from, say, a C-Class, for example. Then, however, the nutjobs from AMG got their hands on Mercedes-Benz’s littlest crossover.
Under the hood of the GLA 45 AMG, a two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine is fed 26.1 psi of boost to produce 355 horsepower and 332 lb.-ft. of torque. Hitched up to a full-time all-wheel-drive system via a seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle and saddled with fewer than 3,600 pounds, the GLA 45 is like a four-wheeled M80: Shockingly, hilariously explosive. When Car And Driver got one in to test, it ripped off a 4.2-second zero-to-60 mph run on the way to a 12.8-second quarter-mile. For those of you keeping track at home, that’s quicker off the mark and nearly as quick through the quarter as a V12-powered Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.
That nutjob pace is just part of the reason why the magazine dubbed this thing the “Mercedes-Benz WTF45 AMG.” Dropped suspension starchier than your granddad’s dress shirts, 13.8-inch front brake discs, and proper summer tires all helped this steroidal little crossover turn and stop like a Mitsubishi Evo for middle managers. Middle managers with exceptional dental plans, because over potholes? Ouch, check those fillings. Still, I have fond memories of the original GLA45 AMG just because of how rabid and ridiculous it was. We’re talking about a gentrified hot hatch that could be specced up to cost as much as an M-Class, which was a bit sleepy around town due to turbo lag, but would eat the cat’s eyes off the tarmac on a mountain pass. You’d have to be a bit mad to buy one new, but now that they’re heavily depreciated, the GLA 45 isn’t just for upper-middle-class lunatics. It’s for all lunatics.
How Much Are We Talking?
If you’re looking at a gently used automatic Nissan Versa with just a few thousand miles on the clock, expect to shell out around $20,000. That’s not small potatoes for a subcompact car, and it’s not difficult to find a first-generation GLA 45 AMG for less than that, provided you know where to look. This 2016 model is up for sale right now at a Jaguar dealer in Florida for $14,271. That’s quite inexpensive, so what’s the catch? Well, it’s not moon mileage because just under 80,000 on the clock seems reasonable for a nine-year-old car. Mind you, it does have a minor claim on its Carfax, but that’s not a huge deal when we’re talking about a daily driver that’ll see the brunt of parking lots. If you’re willing to live with that, you could get an enormous amount of car for your money.
Looking for a higher spec? This 2016 GLA 45 AMG is up for sale at a Mercedes-Benz dealership in St. Louis for $16,010 and seems like a possible winner. Sure, it might have done 110,000 miles, but it has a clean vehicle history report, the big multi-spoke alloys, a panoramic moonroof, carbon fiber interior trim, and a power liftgate. Loads of toys, yet if you debadge it, nobody will know of the power under the hood.
Unsurprisingly, if 355 horsepower isn’t enough juice for you, there’s a quiet modification scene around these cars. This 2015 GLA 45 AMG that recently sold on Cars & Bids features Weistec’s hybrid turbo, downpipe, intake, and tune. Total output? Around 500 brake horsepower. That’s a lot of thrust for $18,200 with 68,900 miles on the clock, although two damage entries on the Carfax probably didn’t help this thing’s resale value.
What Can Go Wrong On A GLA 45 AMG?
Obviously, the GLA 45 AMG isn’t a garden-variety economy car, which means it’ll have some particular maintenance requirements. Two main concerns are the turbocharger and the differentials. Some owners have reported wastegate actuator wear at higher mileage, but the more concerning issue is just how hard the driveline is on gear oil. It’s generally a good idea to change the diff oil every 10,000 miles at the very longest. Go too long, and you could run into oil shear, which can ruin a differential in short order.
Beyond that, any bucking under acceleration is likely a crankshaft position sensor; you will want to stay on top of the DCT fluid, and crankcase ventilation systems are starting to age as these cars age. However, for such a highly-strung machine, the GLA 45 seems to be aging far better than expected, provided you stay up on common maintenance points.
Should You Buy A GLA 45 AMG For The Price Of A Used Versa?
If you’re a typical Nissan Versa shopper, don’t buy an AMG Mercedes-Benz. The fuel economy alone is comparatively brutal, and the maintenance costs certainly aren’t trivial. However, if you are an enthusiast who wants a brutally quick daily driver that’s easy to parallel-park downtown and quite unassuming, the GLA 45 AMG definitely deserves a look. So long as you’re aware of the upkeep, it’s one of the greatest second-hand sleepers right now.
Top graphic image: Autotrader seller
YO! This isn’t even a beige car! This is like, the anti-beige! It’s slept on, sure, but not the melted-soap-shaped woe I hate so much!
Wasn’t this co-developed with a Nissan version? Not the AMG of course. Just the base GLA. I can’t remember its name. It wasn’t a Rogue. 10K mile diff lube changes? That’s crazy!
Pity, seems there isn’t one within 250 miles of me.
I bought one of these recently. Paid a little more for a top spec car since I’ve wanted one for along time (mid cycle refresh car with 375hp, big wing, LSD track package, Recaros) and it’s a hoot. Cost was same as a used Veloster N w/PP. Dimensions are nearly identical to a Focus RS in all directions. The big wing gives it away, I get more car dorks giving me thumbs up than I can count. I’ve had plenty of cool cars but people flip over this one.
Minuses are it doesn’t really feel like 375hp until 3rd gear, the AWD is fwd biased, and the tiny screen isn’t touch controlled.
But the car is hilarious, I have no idea how it got greenlit by Mercedes since it’s so childish. Race mode with the exhaust open and the shocks in stiff is not really streetable, full comfort mode is just “sporty,” totally livable.
No issues so far but I’m sure I’ll get there. Worth it.
I like the looks of these and even considered one last year until I sat in one and realized it is much smaller inside than it seemed like it should be. I’m not sure how Mercedes did it, but the exterior dimensions indicate it should have a healthy size second row, yet that back seat is cramped on both head room and leg room. If I didn’t have kids to shuttle around, I might have one in the driveway now, but that second row really is only good for pets.
Does the Mercedes logo light up? How about the Versa’s?
Are light-up emblems the new pop-up headlights? Automatic cool points!
Only on the Versa.
I’d be a little intrigued if they’d given the GLB the full AMG with the third row seat, cause a small 3 row hot hatchback is basically unprecedented. This thing…modern Mercs haven’t been interesting for a while. If I’m budgeting/risking that level repair cost it’ll be an E class wagon.
There was suppoed to be a GLB 45, but either never was, or never got brought to the US. the 35 that did come had top end issues, I think piston rings necessitating rebuild. I don’t know if those issues got rectified eventually. It’s still possible to get a ’22 or so GLB AMG CPO with two years of warranty, in that 30-35k range. I don’t know how much you’d get back in two years though. Maybe 25?? You’d be covered though.
A thought or two. If Mercedes Benz is so good why can’t they build a hot hatch on their own instead of needing a shop? Also why can’t they build a reliable inexpensive car if they use VW quality material where it doesn’t count?
Diff oil changes every 10k? Never heard of any other car needing that frequent, but I guess kinda works, just do it every other oil change while the car is off the ground…unless its like some of their 4matics where you have to pull the axle to refill it. Just did that on a buddy’s GLK (yes, I know there’s an unofficial workaround using a trans one-way valve on the drain plug hole but we already had the axle off for motor mounts).
BMWs have had their fair share of front diff explosion issues with M5/50/M8/50s as well.
so $15-20K used, and $15-20K in maintenance/repairs in the first year of used car ownership. nah.
I’m guessing the first repair will be more expensive than a used Versa.
lol looking at this thing is like Leela in that Futurama episode, looking at the “Filthy Filthy Chat Room”. No thanks, I’ll stick with my “Filthy Chat Room” Mini
Surprised at no point the article made a mention of how these are basically Nissans, for better or worse. The Infiniti Q(X)30 is the exact same car.
My GF wanted one of these but the cabin was a bit cramped. Not too bad for what they are but these are not Mercedes in ride quality and materials. A good car as long as you don’t overpay for them.
Other way around – the QX30 is all Mercedes GLA underpinnings – part numbers, stampings, infotainment, etc. (my wife just traded hers in).
Honestly, it would have been better if Nissan designed/built it. Overall build quality was meh. Tons of road noise, squeaks and rattles began within 10k miles, tinny doors. Between all of that and the lack of space, we were not sad to see it go.
Agreed. As long as you don’t approach it like a Mercedes, but a Nissan, it’s fine. Especially with how far in price it has fallen.
I mean, we liked the ones we saw (lesser specs of course) but in the end we chose a Volvo XC40 EV.
Agreed. We purchased CPO, so the initial hit was softened. Given our use case, we got decent value on trade-in, but I definitely learned that one should never buy a bottom tier offering from a luxury brand with the expectation that you will get an actual luxury car.
Can’t speak for other manufacturers, but the 1G GLA/QX30 is an econobox with good engineering under the skin (drivetrain was excellent), and some flashy makeup.
These are absolute garbage.
They make owners look like a cheap D-bag, and the maintenance will make you wish you had a Mazda. The interior plastics of a Mazda are much better too.
Stay far, far away.
Are you sure it’s not the owners who make themselves look like cheap D-bags?
These were going for a lot more money until very recently. At this price they’re downright appealing and probably won’t be any more trouble than a similar vintage of Golf R or Evo or whatever. As I’ve said many times, I love the idea of a premium hot hatch. I think it’s an underserved niche for *checks notes* upper middle class management types like…myself? Oh god what have I become? I’ve been looking at Les Pauls for the last week too….
But anyway, this engine is pretty well respected and, as Thomas mentions, will take well to mods. That being said despite the fact that I drive a nuclear crossover I’d probably rather have a CLA45 because damn do they look the business. But I certainly wouldn’t begrudge someone for choosing one of these…and an updated version of the engine is now the standard motor for the C and GLC35s if for whatever reason (I don’t think this describes anyone here) you specifically want a rabid tunable 4 popper in your luxury whip.
That being said it IS a full handmade AMG engine with a signature on it so you’ll be able to impress your less knowledgeable friends!
Real shame we don’t get the RS3 hatch in the states.
BMW has a 1 series M Lite that I wish we got over here as well. It would also be nice if their M Lite CUVs didn’t such so much. They could be appealing little luxury hatches but instead they’re a dynamic mess. When every publication says to skip the “performance” model you have a problem….
Im so mad we didn’t get the A class hatch version of this. That plastic wheel well filler all these mall crawling suvs get bothers me to my core and it benefits it in no practical way.
I didn’t realize that they had fallen so far in price. This car is suddenly short listed for me lol
Diff oil every 10000 miles makes me laugh as it’s such a weird thing to need to constantly refresh.
I’m impressed that these things seem to hold together as well as they did, I figured the combination of neglectful soccer mums and batshit specific power output would have killed them off earlier in spectacular fashion.
I think the soccer moms passed on these because they were so much more expensive than the GLA 250 that they probably upgraded to the GLC 300 instead of this beast.
My MIL has the garden-variety model and it bothers me on a fundamental level — the dimensions of a hatch, but you trade headroom for ground clearance….because reasons. It’s so raked both front and rear, you can’t really see well out of it, which is another hallmark of a hatch that they missed. It’s not as rage-inducing as all the big German SUV/coupes, but it’s pushing pretty close. The rear seat is good for a small dog.
On top of that, the tight packaging makes it almost difficult to clean inside, to say nothing of under the hood. It feels a lot like “All the problems of a proper Mercedes, but without the luxury, proper RWD bias, and all the other things that Mercedes is known for.” It definitely seems well built, no shade there.
And also, just in case it bothers you, it’s the twin of an Infiniti (since they co-developed the two, IIRC). A lot of traditional Merc folks would balk at that — including my MIL who actually owned the exact Infiniti for about 6 months before “trading up” on the GLA.
They sold the same car as the CLA, CLA Shooting brake, A-Class and the GLB.
Now if only they offered the GLB in AMG 45 S 4MATIC+ form…
This is just furthering my theory that Mercedes is turning into luxury Subaru
Luxury Subaru sounds pretty great tbh
Seconded
I remember being totally gobsmacked when these came out. That much power out of such a small package… I had assumed they all died a shameful Acura RSX/Integra style death of neglect, poorly done modifications, and catastrophic failures under broke third owners.
I’m quite pleased to see so many have survived!
355 hp from a 4 banger sounds properly batty. Sounds like a hoot.
And the one they had listed for sale was tuned to 500 hp? That’s pretty absurd for the size. Not something I’d trust for reliability, but still cool!
Bombardier Seadoo PWC’s have had 300ish in 3 cylinders for a long time. They don’t go boom that often. But, summer toys instead of a daily driver. Some get used daily but those are rare.
What displacement? That is impressive!
1630 cubic centimeters, or 1.6 liters. Supercharged and boosted to the moon. Just over half a liter per cylinder. Bombardier has had a 215 hp 3 cylinder 1.5 liter supercharged engine since 2004. The redline is 8000 RPM. Interesting little engines.
Seems very apples to oranges to me.
The Seadoo is driving a water pump with essentially no inertia or torque shock/loads. It’s being cooled by the water from whatever body of water you are riding on… so like 85*F max if you are in the tropics. That’s just off the cuff, there are a lot of other application unique design factors.
With that said, it’s very possible to build a reliable engine with 100HP/cylinder. However, it will be expensive, and very low volume (relative to automotive sales volumes).
My point was that it’s been done before on a production scale, even if small scale and not meant to last thousands of hours.
Yes, but your example is not applicable. Cooling an engine of that power density using <90* F water is VERY different from water at ~200*F.
It’s just a bad example, but if you can’t see that I’m not gonna waste any more of my time trying to help you.
Closed loop cooling on a Seadoo.
Also, that personal attack is uncalled for.
Drove one of these and it was way better than I expected, a total hoot but perfectly civilized to crawl around the burbs in. If it had 3 or 4 more inches of rear legroom it would be in my garage. Thing even has pretty good engine bay space to work on the motor.
The facelifted models in ~2021 have way more rear legroom (and hp)! I bought a CPO ’22 for a great price that has more than enough room for 2 kids in car seats.