Photos by MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
EXCITING driving and Mercedes-Benz might seem somewhat of a mismatch but that staid perception wouldn’t hold water when AMG is in the picture.
Those three letters refer to “Aufrecht, Melcher and GroBaspach”, with A and M being the initials of the surnames of the two engineers who founded the Mercedes-AMG performance division and GroBaspach being the birth place of Aufrecht.
And that founding goes back to 1967 when Aufrecht and Melcher started AMG off as a Mercedes-Benz racing engine forge.
Along the way, Mercedes-Benz decided to put these engineers’ experience on the race tracks to spruce up dedicated road cars to give them an exciting bite that appeals to younger customers.
When the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S 4Matic+ came our way, we were fully prepared for some exciting driving under real-world road conditions.
The first sensation of power was the firm body-hugging front seats (AMG Performance Seat Package Advance) with red stitchings that were complemented by the Manufaktur red seatbelts.
You could easily imagine being the ferocious bull seeing red, including the brake callipers – large ones in front and smaller ones at the rear — and raring to burst forth.
Just hit the accelerator and you are off chasing the wind as the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine unleased its output of 421hp (310kW) and 500Nm of torque.
This is where self control comes in, along with the presence of a wife who wasn’t too amused at the quick burst of speed.
But you get the drift; this GLA 45 S would please most power-hungry young hotheads with its 4.3-second 0-100kph sprint performance.
That is just a second slower than most low-slung sporty supercars for a compact sports utility vehicle (SUV).
For sure, you couldn’t say driving an SUV is no fun in a straight line as you whizzed past the traffic as if they were standing still.
Its top speed is given as 270kph but with more rigid traffic camera enforcements to be introduced soon, it wouldn’t be a good idea to give that a try!
And we enjoyed ‘piloting’ the GLA 45 S through our favourite bends and winding stretches; the weighted steering was just as fluid in movement as we took to the corners with some abandon.
The fully variable all-wheel drive AMG Performance 4MATIC with AMG Torque Control played its part keeping us glued to our chosen line through corners with only a slight hint of understeer.
The 255/35 ZR21 Yokohama Advan Sport complemented the suspension set-up and dynamic system control well for us to explore its limits through bends.
We could hardly feel the body lean when taking corners, which was fully appreciated for a taller vehicle.
There is adaptive damping for the suspension with three modes — Comfort, Sport and Sport+ — and we were mostly on Sport mode.
The real-world part came in driving the GLA 45 S on urban roads; despite selecting Comfort mode, we could virtually feel every road ripple and potholes.
We found it best to drive on the less than perfect roads at a slower speed to reduce the jolting impacts, especially so over the many speedbumps.
Still, it was a small sacrifice to pay for the breathtaking acceleration that we enjoyed every now and then, especially on open highways.
We appreciated the firm stance as the GLA 45 S knifed through the air on highways, with wind noise pretty well subdued.
The GLA 45 S boasts an AMG Aerodynamics Package that was developed in the wind tunnel to improve handling at high speeds and excel in greater driving enjoyment.
The road noise, however, depended a lot on the road surface and the roar could be rather intrusive over the not-so-well compacted tarmac sections.
Here was where we wished that more of the highways was laid with better road surfaces for some quiet and fast driving.
The engine too was quite a noisy fella in the morning as it revved up before settling down to a more likeable note as it warned up.
The fuel consumption would vary with how you use the accelerator as always; we found that we could increase road mileage when we drove more normally along heavy traffic sections of the highway and in urban centres.
But use the accelerator aggressively and you would see the road mileage gained erased just as quickly.
The latest GLA 45 S is updated in body styling and this is highlighted in the newly shaped front apron and the AMG crest on the bonnet.
This is supported by the fresh light design for the multibeam LED (light emitting diode) headlamps and LED rear lamps; the Adaptive Highbeam Assist is said to deliver main beam without dazzling oncoming traffic.
Lateral updates are focused on the wheel arch extensions, which are seen to emphasis this SUV’s powerful character, being painted in the body colour.
We noted a little bib by the side of the front wheel panel that appeared to have some kind of aerodynamic function; tiny but no less integral to overall body aerodynamics.
Inside, we have two 10.25-inch displays to glean whatever information we want; one serves as the centre display and the other is the driver’s instrument panel.
Speed is given digitally while engine revs is provided via coloured curves that sweep out on each side; our favourite is the head-up display, which is simpler and less colourful.
Among the list of AMG features is the AMG Real Sound Performance with which one could determine how the turbo engine sounds in the interior; there are four options – sporty, medium (balanced) or motorsporty and emotional (powerful).
There is also an AMG Track Pace item that provides lap, sector and acceleration times along with selected telemetry data for you to analyse and improve your driving skills at the race circuit.
All these features are controlled via the AMG Performance steering wheel with buttons that stand out with bright displays and an “intuitive operating logic”.
The GLA 45 S comes standard with a 12-speaker Burmester surround sound system and panoramic sliding sunroof.
It is what you would expect of a Mercedes-Benz except that this SUV has the heady performance to measure up to its AMG status.
As an imported vehicle, the GLA 45 S comes at a very premium price to command exclusivity at RM539,888 on the road without insurance.
SPECIFICATIONS
Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S 4Matic+
Engine: 1,991cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged
Maximum power: 421hp/310kW at 6,750rpm
Maximum torque: 500Nm from 5,000 to 5,250rpm
Transmission: AMG Speedshift DCT 8G
Acceleration (0-100kph): 4.3 seconds
Top speed: 270kph
Features: AMG-specific grille, new signature Multibeam LED headlamps and LED rear lamps, AMG Seat Performance Package Advance, AMR Performance steering wheel, AMG crest on bonnet, AMG Real Performance Sound, AMG Ride Control, AMG Torque Control, AMG Track Pace, AMG Night Package, MBUX infotainment system, Burmester 12-speaker surround sound system, Star pattern backlit interior trim, panoramic sliding sunroof
Price: RM539,888 (on the road without insurance)
