VATH Tunes GLA45 AMG to Preposterous Numbers

By Jonathon Klein - October 26, 2015

VATH Mercedes GLA 45 AMG

The GLA45 AMG is an interesting piece of engineering. It uses a turbocharged, 4-cylinder engine, and sends its power to all four wheels. Some folks have come to the conclusion that both the GLA45 AMG and the CLA45 AMG are Mercedes’s answer to the Mitsubishi Evolution, and they’re not that far off.

Stock, the pair make around 350 horsepower, and really great sounds under hard downshifting. The problem though is that neither are actually as fast as their competition. Both the GLA45 AMG and the CLA45 AMG are slower than the Focus RS and the Golf R. That is until VATH gets a hold of them. Then they become very different animals.

While you can get a Stage One upgrade from VATH, the real tower of power comes from the company’s Stage Two kit. This upgrades a whole host of systems, but the real takeaway is that you get 445 horsepower from the little four-banger. That’s a hell of an upgrade for the pint-sized Mercedes.

The problem though is the cost, which is around $8,000. And compared to the other two competitors, you can get that same amount of horsepower for quite a bit cheaper. But what do you all think? Is VATH on the right track?