schorert1

I had my name on the first GLA45 to my dealer, I was salivating over this car, we took it out for a ride and that crackling exhaust note was getting to me, a fullsize bmw pulled around me and I felt kind of silly in it. If it had a turbo v-6 I'd be driving it today, my initial impression was "buzzy".
MB is promising a GLC63 but that looks to be summer of '17. I'm an empty nester now, no more hockey bags or bunches of kids to haul...don't really need an suv, the wife likes the ride height
I've never driven it with the top up. I guess I could bundle up!

it's really the quintessential mid-life-crisis car, or it used to be, seems the Tesla might be it now. It's fun in the snow...but again, I have a beater F250 when things are really bad

yuritx

When was the last time you tired to get a cab at any large German airport or City? Of the places I've traveled in Germany 99% of the Taxi Cabs are cream colored Mercedes Benz E type vehicles, they have a virtual monopoly for Taxi Cabs in Germany. There was only one instance when my wife and I got a cab to go to the Berlin Airport when the cab was NOT a Mercedes Benz (it was a BMW).


The first large contract for Carl Benz was to produce Taxi Cabs for large German Cities. Do some more reading on the subject.

I got my GLA45 when I retired and I'M LOVIN' EVERY MINUTE OF IT! I was driving on the Autobahn south of Stuttgart trying to catch a GLA45 and decided when I couldn't with the rental Jaguar XF that was it and the GLA45 is with me. On the highways now people try to catch me to look at the car. If you are serious about the car enroll in the AMG Driving Academy and compare the AMGs you'll be driving to solidify your decision and you'll have the time of your life.

I posted this yesterday and the response from the initiator of this thread was the GLA45 "entry level."

What is arrivedness?

schorert1

Funny, a Bently popped up on a search just the other night, talk about not nimble.
It sounds silly, immature, childish, insecure whatever, but there's a reason I'm not buying a Hellcat or a GT-R. I want to LIKE the car I drive, I want to like the sound of it, and I want to like the look of it and most importantly I want to like the environment I'm sitting in.
One could make a very strong case that that there are better hot hatch's out there for significantly less than the GLA45, so for the most part the tri-star plays a factor in the decision. Your point about Germany actually makes sense, where (from what I gather) hatches, and small cars in general, have a much broader appeal.

nycphotography

Trust me, it's just as much fun with the top up!! (maybe even more fun as you can enjoy the radio)

I would drive the CLK every day it's not icy (which so far this winter is like 99% of the time) and use the truck when it snows or is icy.

Last year I had to use the CLK for 4 weeks in JAN/FEB when the minivan lost the tranny and I was dealing with it / shopping for a new work truck.
The CLK got the job done. Nicely in fact... but I didn't have to drive on the ice. I generally waited until the day after.

If I had to (got to?) drive daily rather than weekends, I'd be putting 15k a year on the SL63 and loving every mile of it. I'm going to eat a fat turd of depreciation on the SL if I don't drive it, and just a little gravy on top if I do. I say drive the hell outta the thing, rain or shine.

schorert1

I'm not saying a hot hatch isn't fun. The AMG brand was not built on high output 4-cyls. It's not built on front wheel drive or FWD biased AWD.
The mercedes brand was not built on cars like the A class, the cla's or the gla's. And it's mentioned on these boards and elsewhere that "Real" Mercedes begin with the CL, S, SL, G Class etc. You cannot deny that MB, like Audi and BMW are drilling down into the market with entry level cars like the A's, the CLA's, the GLA and even the C class, and now they're further *******izing their brand with "AMG-Sport" models, yeesh. These are smaller cars designed, styled, and priced for younger buyers. You want taxi cabs, the C class loaners I get from my dealer are NO different from a toyota camry.

For practical daily driving purposes, the GLA would function much like the 911T, it would be sporty, it would be quick, it would handle great, and it would haul two cases of wine easily. the term I would use is not "arrivedness" but "gravitas".
Why buy a GLA over an STI or the very potent Ford Focus RS and pocket twenty thousand US dollars? You could throw a tune on that Focus that would have it eating that GLA alive and still pocket enough cash to take a cruise around the world.

nycphotography

It's a made up word used to indicate the degree to which a parvenu has arrived.

schorert1

I love that SL. My wife and I were out in Hollywood a week ago and I could not get over the number of MB's on the street, fully one car in four was a MB...and those SL's, I just don't see them in new england, they're a regular occurrence out there and they are spectacular.

I can't believe MB went back to a ragtop for the S63. The CLK is worth so little now there's almost no point in selling it. It's so strong and just a fun car to have.

Parvenue is going to be my vanity plate....fan *******g tastic (PARVNU is available...)

yuritx

So I guess that makes you the arbiter elegantiarum.

nycphotography

I guess. lol

nycphotography

Dare you. lol

spdrush

I'm 74 and coming from a Subaru STi.
Loving my Renntech tuned GLA 45 although it isn't as capable in the curves as was the Subi.

No one points and makes fun, the pointing is for the 20" wheels and red calipers and jaw dropping exhaust farts.

Andrewwilson

I was 21 when I bought the first GLA45 in Alberta - black edition one. I was not a fan at all. The car was really slow (especially for its price tag) and it was kind of embarrassing to drive with the stickers and winglets and loud farty exhaust - It was like a rice rocket. It was good on the track and in the corners, straight line it suffered.

On a side note I got a ton of thumbs up from civic owners and cobalt SS guys drooled, SRT4 guys always wanted to race.... I ended up selling the car 5 months after buying.

nycphotography

I guess the moral of the story is that by 74 you learn not to care what other people think, but at 21, not so much? lol

tpkoenigsr

Oh ! Please ! What a "Boring" conversation !! My Ninty year old Mother just purchased a new GLA 250 with all luxury/safety options and loves it !!! Myself, just purchased a new Torch Red C7 Z06/7 Corvette Roadster ... and I'm only Seventy years old !!!

yuritx

Awesome! I'm going to use that when I cut the cheese at home... . As a matter of fact when my wife were in Affalterbach visiting the AMG facility I got this great AMG pen when you press down on the top it makes the exhaust noise so I can use that as a cover, but I need to work on the smell.

yuritx

I've seen a similar Black GLA45 with the rear wing in Campbell River, British Columbia. I stared at it for 10 minutes and got home sick for my GLA45.

msheredy

I'm 37 and I wouldn't even look twice at ya .

Now if you were buying an RS or STI I would

schorert1

interesting!

Andrewwilson

Might have been my old one? They said there were only 50 edition 1's in Canada, I don't think the dealership sold mine local, went out of province

spdrush

This thread has devolved from a "How money old guys dive a GLA" to "How I hate my Gla because it isn't a real Mercedes".

Some of the posts aren't even understandable. I have a modded C5 and since I live in Northern Ohio there are many months I can't drive it. Granted the FWD GLA45 is not symmetrical AWD it is better than a two wheel driver.

My favorite car ever and I have owned many is my old STi. With heavier sway bars and track tires it is faster than the GLA. Its ride was rough on broken roads and the interior was Spartan - less than Spartan. It was a blast to drive.

I would have bought another one but alas no hatchbacks.

The Gla looks more like the hatch STi than any other car and is faster off the line especially with the intake and Renntech tune. Its not perfect but it is damn fun to drive.

Still looking for a Focus or R to run - Where are they?

Lets see a light 2 liter with 355 plus horsepower versus a heavy traditional AMG with a v8 and a thousand pounds more bulk I'll take the light weight.

I'm 74 and having a blast driving fast and taking the apexes hard.

So there. Welcome flamers and trolls.

Mr. J

Have you thought about a C450. Seems like it would fit all your criteria.

slyck

I'm over 50 and absolutely love mine. It is the perfect blend of power, handling and size. The ML's (GLE) are too large, and the GLC's just don't have the appeal of the GLA45. I find the hatch to be very practical, and a sedan just isn't right for me.

Bottom line, drive what you like. Who cares what others may think.

Agingracefully

I just turned 68 and have been driving my GLA 45 for about 18 months. Great car in metallic grey, black leather, no wing or nite option. Before that, I had a number of AMG's and Porsche's, but I needed a car that would hold my gun cases, etc. as I had a c63 and, most recently, a CLA 45, I can say that the GLA is superior to the CLA and, in most circumstances, more fun than the 63.
When I got the GLA, I first tried the Renntech piggy-back tune but found the harness to be glitch prone. When I complained to Renntech, the were very helpful and offered a tuned ECU as a replacement. Great results and a big boost to 426hp.
I take delivery of a C450 in about 2 weeks and will go the Renntech route as well. Better interior and a more rear-biased drive balance. I would not hesitate to recommend either car to someone well over 50 if they enjoy performance without the low slung seating of a 911. If my back were in better shape, I would still be racing PCA and driving my GT-3 on the street, but the back is shot. Hoe this helps.

Jupiter Red

53 and love my GLA45.

Mr. J

The GLA45 is a neat concept but the amount of space behind the hatch is just too small for my needs. I have a giant furry beast that resembles a dog and I must occasionally take him places or he will curse me with guilty stares.

Before anyone suggests that there is plenty of room back there for a dog, you need to know that my dog happens to weigh in at 140lbs

When I trade the grocery-getter in it will probably be for a 335 GT or maybe a Ford Edge Sport. If I had a little dog I would be drooling over a GLA45 right now.