Hello everyone I'm new to the Mercedes world and am looking to buy my first!
Currently I am between two options
1) 2019 C43 wagon with 64,000 km $59k
2) 2021 GLA 45 with 34,000 km for $49k
The prices for a wagon in Canada are quite high given the rarity, but this may help with eventual resale value!

​​​​if anyone has experience with both the c43 and gla45 any insight would be great on daily driveability and reliability!

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The C 43 is likely made in Germany while the GLA 45 might not be (I forgot if it is).
Will need you to list all the options in order to decide if it is worth it, for example is the GLA 45 loaded?
I am biased but personally will go with the C 43 with the V6, the engine is better (in my opinion), it is a C-Class vs GLA so there are build quality and comfort differences.
Both have potentially jerky transmission.
Recommend test driving.

 

I am also not sure if you are into the one man one engine thing, if so the 45 offers that.

 

Thanks for the response!
Both are pretty much fully loaded, with the only real difference is the c43 has the AMG Recaro seats! The other options seem mostly similar, AMG performance exhaust, drivers package etc. the GLA does have the Aero package.

​​​​​Have you been able to drive the GLA 45 ? Does it suffer in the low end quite a bit ? My main worry is longevity of the GLA pushing that much boost.

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You're welcome, happy to reply, did you have a chance to test drive both yet?
I still think you will enjoy the 43 engine more with the M276 that is known to be reliable as far as MB engines goes. That said, the performance seats might not be the most comfortable on long trips for some people but it certainly looks good.
The 45 is go-kart like and a more modern interior than the 43, it also gets a newer version of infotainment. COMAND vs MBUX.

 

The A45, Cla45,Gla45 they all feel to me like front wheel biased to drive.
specially the A and Cla, had bad torque steering if the road is not smooth.

Test drove Cla45 first and then C43 and the later was the omg I want this.
One man one engine, what if that one man had a bad day?
If Mercedes saw it fit to slap an Amg badge on it, who am I to question that?

 

Let me take a step back and ask what is it you are looking for in a car? These two cars are fundamentally different from the ground up. The GLA is a transverse entry level FWD platform. Think VW Golf, Audi A3. They are all based on the same kind of architecture. They are primarily front wheel driven cars with the rear wheels added as necessary based on traction requirements. This platform comes with inherent understeer characteristics if you push them around corners.

As for the GLA 45, the 4-cylinder engine is renowned for being the most powerful production 4-cyl engine, but that comes at a price. It's very high strung with a large turbocharger and that means a ton of turbo lag down low. I'm personally not a fan. I've driven the A45S, which is essentially the same car in a different body as the GLA 45, many times at AMG events and it's my least favorite AMG. It pushes over the front wheels if you attack a corner a bit too spirited and as said it has turbo lag the size of Texas. The A, CLA and GLA are unlike all other Mercedes models in this regard.

The C43 on the other hand is a longitudinal RWD platform as all other Mercedes are and it's the platform that Mercedes is known for. Front engine, rear wheel drive like BMW. Then in case of the C43 it is AWD, but the opposite of the GLA. It's rear biased with the rear wheels getting most of the power/torque, whereas the GLA sends most of the power/torque to the front wheels, so that gives the C43 more of an oversteer characteristics. The engine in the C43 is also a different animal. Its larger displacement and the Hot-V turbo configuration makes it much more responsive with virtually no turbo lag like the V8 in the C63. The difference being the engine in the GLA 45 is an AMG handbuilt engine, whereas the 6-cyl in the C43 is a regular Mercedes engine with an AMG tune, but as opposed to the GLA 45 engine, it doesn't have to work as hard to make the power. For a handbuilt AMG engine, though, you have to step up to the C63. In terms of positioning, the GLA 45 is to the GLA what the C63 is to the C, so within their segment, they are at different levels. The equivalent to the C43 for the GLA is the GLA 35.

So one of the questions you have to ask yourself is whether you want the top trim in the GLA segment, or if you want the entry level AMG in the C segment. The former is what many refer to as a true AMG, because it has an actual AMG built engine, whereas the latter is by many not considered a real AMG, because it doesn't have an AMG engine. One thing to keep in mind, though is that the 45 and 63 are mainly built for higher speeds. They are not particularly at home in slow city traffic and such. Once on the boil, the turbo lag in the GLA 45 doesn't matter as much anymore. It's when you are tooling around at low speeds around town that the turbo lag becomes annoying and gets in the way. The 35, 43 and 53 models are supposed to be the more livable AMGs that are more suited for commuting and everyday driving. For example I don't daily drive my C63S Coupe. I love the car, but it's much more at home out on the open road where it can stretch its legs. It can be a bit of a handful in city traffic and such. I tend to take my wife's normal hatchback for around town errands. Also, we both don't have a commute.

 

No disrespect, but the hot V does little to turbo lag, it is mostly for compactness.
And second point C43 engine is not a hot V arrangement, but conventional turbos on the side of the engine.

 

For some reason I thought it was Hot-V, but I must have had the Audi V6 in my head for a moment there. As for your claim regarding turbo lag, admittedly it's a combination of things. Most Hot-V setups also tend to be biturbo setups, so one smaller turbo with less inertia for each bank, but the shorter distance the exhaust gases have to travel definitely helps with turbo lag. Not sure if you've driven the C63 with the M177 for example, but its responsiveness if often lauded as being as close to a naturally aspirated engine as a turbocharged engine can be w/o electrical assistance. I can certainly catch it with turbo lag if I'm in the wrong gear, but coming from naturally aspirated high revving engines, the M177 is one of the few turbo engines I can stand and that virtually has no turbo lag. The MCT certainly helps with its quick shifts to always be in the right gear and the lighter startup clutch vs a heavier torque converter.

 

With a moderate tune the C43 is virtually lag free, if you drop below the threshold where the turbos won't pickup instantly you have missed a gear.

But that can't happen as the trans force shifts down despite using manual shifting.
It's just about as good as it gets for a turbo car.

For the power and reliability the M276 offers, I could care less if its factory engine with some Amg trickery.
I could have bought C63 for a daily, but I want Awd and this was the best option.
had an E class but I like the sportier feel of the C
And what comes to 4 cylinder Amg, it doesn't count, not a V engine.

 

The car will mostly be for daily commuting to the office and back, with some more spirited driving on the weekends during the summer as I do live close to some nice mountain roads!
So it seems like the C43 would be the better all around car for that kind of use? The whole "not a real AMG" does not bother me especially being my first Mercedes experience. As longs as it drives well that's all I care! Thanks for taking the time for the well thought out response!

I feel like this echos the responses above were it's "not a real AMG" but who cares if it is the better car for the driving I will be doing!
I'm going to be test driving them both this upcoming weekend to make a final call but it right now I'm edging towards the C43!
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The C43 feels more like a drivers car when you start pushing it.
Dont get me wrong the Cla45 is a fun car but feels too much like a front wheel driven hot hatch.
I liked the C43 better and that's what I bought.
Even the missus liked it better as it feels more planted.

 

Ultimately you should pick the car that suits your lifestyle and driving. I tried to provide as much context as possible and in no way meant to dismiss the C43 vis-à-vis the C63. It was all meant for context. As I said, I often take my wife's hatchback for errands and normal driving in general. I'd probably still own my C63 even if I didn't have access to a less fussy normal car, but that is partly because I live a car-lite lifestyle, so I don't daily drive, don't commute and do most of my errands locally on foot. Most of what I need on a daily basis is just a 10-15 minute walk from my house. As I've said, the 45 and 63 models are meant for high speed driving and I've said in the past that as much as I love my C63, city and stop&go traffic is definitely not its forte. Doable and with the help of DISTRONIC it drives pretty smoothly in traffic, but it's meant for the open road and grand touring, which is what I mostly use it for. The C43 as said is more of an everyday car. Let us know what you think after you've driven both.