How much power should a premium subcompact crossover
pack? If you ask Audi Sport, they’ll tell you that 400 PS and
480 Nm of torque is enough. That’s how much the 2.5-liter
turbo-five found in the new RS Q3 makes.
Mercedes-AMG’s answer to that question will come in
the form of the next GLA 45 that we’ve spied here testing in Europe.
Affalterbach’s model will pack the same 2.0-liter four-banger as the latest A45
hatchbach and CLA 45 coupe-sedan models, and that means it will be both less
and more powerful than the RS Q3.
Let us explain; in those two siblings, the
four-cylinder develops 387 PS and 480 Nm of
torque in standard form, and 421 PS and 500 Nm of
torque in flagship ‘S’ guise. Unsurprisingly, the 2021 GLA 45 will retain the
same output as well as the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and
4Matic+ all-wheel drive system with AMG Torque control found in its A45 / CLA
45 brethren. The more potent GLA 45 S should return a zero to 100 km/h acceleration time of around four seconds, while also featuring a Drift Mode
function that will feed most power to the rear wheels.
You won’t confuse it for anything else, except
perhaps for the new A35, as it will sit closer to the road than the rest of the
regular GLA family. Further differentiating it from the other GLAs will be
AMG’s new Panamericana grille at the front with vertical slats and a sporty
body kit, complemented by large wheels, which in the case of the prototype we
spied, were 20-inch shod in 255/40 ZR 20 rubber. You can add the quad exhaust
pipes to the list too.
The cockpit layout will look almost identical to its
A45 AMG hatchback sibling, with a dual-screen infotainment system and digital
dials with a unique to this model graphics dominating the dashboard. Front
body-hugging sport seats, a thick rimmed flat-bottom steering wheel wrapped in
Alcantara, contrast stitching and piano black inserts find their way inside as
well.
Mercedes hasn’t said when it plans to launch the new
GLA 45 AMG, but unless they surprise us at the LA Auto Show this month, we will
see on or before next year’s Geneva Auto Show in March.
