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Short answer, NO! It's by far one of the worst driving cars MB has ever built. Wind noise, and tires slipping every time you accelerate out of a turn are characteristic of the GLA. Even the CLA, which shares the same platform, is better....and that's not saying much. The CLA was the beginning of the end of MB's reputation as a luxury and quality car manufacturer. Fun fact: The Infiniti QX30 is a re-badged GLA, and at least it looks nicer. Or is the GLA a re-badged Nissan...hmmm 🤔
I had a 2013 Audi allroad (similar to an Avant - "station wagon") and there's really not much comparison to the pre-2021 GLA "crossover."
The allroad has a longer wheelbase, supple suspension, and far more insulation making for a very smooth and quiet grand touring ride. It's also much heavier at around 2 tons. My allroad had an ~8" ground clearance so more than a vintage station wagon but less than a full SUV. My allroad was the most comfortable long distance driving vehicle I've ever owned.
The GLA is an "entry level" vehicle aimed at younger buyers to introduce them to the brand at a relatively affordable price (or retirees looking to downsize but retain the badge). Prior to the 2021 model the GLA "crossover" does have a nice lower profile planform than most in its market (think Macan vs. Q5 profiles). Post 2021 with 4" add'l headroom it's a more typical "SUV" akin to the Q3.
I actually like the pre-2021 GLA as a compact around town utility vehicle with good fuel economy. It's primarily my wife's car and we took an extensive test drive in Winter on secondary potholed roads and she thought it had good maneuverability and road imperfection comfort in the form factor we were seeking. So that was the clincher for us.
I liked the allroad a lot more than my wife did (it was my daily commuter). She did appreciate its comfort but didn't like its looks.
For 19k I would be looking at the 2012+ ML/GLE V6 gasoline powered NOT DIESEL, and 2wd unless you really need awd. The 2010/2011 ML is also great but they are getting old.
GLAs are good vehicles. We had a loaner, and they definitely don't have the solid autobahn feel of our E class, but I found it fun and nimble. If you're looking for a newer luxury car at that price, it's a solid option. I don't know of any bog reliability worries.
Another fun fact: The old GLA was such a poor seller that MB in it's typical German stubborness to discontinue production (like its cousin the Chrysler 200/ Dodge Dart) they created a subsidiary called "Cars2go" to which they originally dumped all the garbage Smart cars, then later they dumped the remaining cla's/gla's. That subsidiary has since either ceased to exist or greatly scaled back their operations. Obviously this legal dumping ground also helped Daimler artificially boost their sales numbers.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
I got it. A 2017 w/31k for $19,995 (no excess fees) Driving home 125 miles...it was great on rough roads, exactly how it was intended. I will post more later, I have some car stuff to do!
Maybe...but not in the U.S. alone. Here they only sold about 106,000 over 6 years. The CLA (not the GLA) was estimated by MBUSA to sell 100,000 the first year alone (lol) But most CLA/GLA were "sold" as loaners for the dealerships and turned over every 3-6 months so more could be "sold" as loaners, once again padding the numbers. After they leave the loaner fleet they are typically sold with a certified "CPO" warranty extension over the standard 4 years and several thousand dollars of depreciation already gone. That made them more attractive to entry-level MB buyers. Had they priced the GLA new for what is was worth (high 20k) they would have sold like hotcakes. Anyhow, enjoy it...You bought a later model year so most of the bugs should have been worked out. Make sure you use the OEM oil filter, the proper MB spec oil, and stay on top of the required maintenance, and you should have a fairly reliable vehicle. Just don't expect MB ride quality.
Last edited by E55Greasemonkey; Jul 18, 2020 at 11:26 PM.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
3 hrs across NJ to get home with it, I did another 6 hrs today round trip to retrieve my Audi with the wife and two big dogs in 100 deg heat. My *** is a little sore, as MB seats are on the stiff side.
I have no complaints about the suspension "compromise", as I said it works great on rough roads, and on high speed sweeps. It felt a little darty at first, maybe because of the tires, but I sorted it out just fine. Steering is vague and as reviewers said, it doesn't like changing directions sharply. Well, my wife has a new Golf SW and it drives like a go kart. The GLA is a cruiser. Make good time cross-country... the name of the game. I don't believe dry performance driving at high speed is where it's at for street driving on busy rough roads. So, the GLA is optimised for DD use. I don't expect AMG GT type experience.
Anyway, does anyone know of a piggyback tune for 2.0T? I use a Neuspeed and a Burger Motorsports on our VAG cars and it's great compared to getting flashed.
Also, I'm running as much E85 as I can to clean out the fuel system and engine internals. Tuners know how awesome E85 is, but the general car culture misunderstands it, mostly due to oil company propaganda from a few years ago. So, with a proper tune, E85 is good for +100hp and +100 ft-lbs. I just want an MB tune, and know nothing about it.
Last edited by Audi Junkie; Jul 18, 2020 at 11:51 PM.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
I just ordered the Dinan tuner. I see the Burger makes a JB4 unit, but it's expensive. I'm sick of spending money on tunes, then selling the car soon after.
I believe the transmission service is due at 40k miles. If you'd like to PM me your VIN and email I can give you the service history and option codes for your car and the maintenance sheet.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
That would be cool. Thanks.
Reading the manual, DCT service is 30k, I have 31k at purchase. So I wonder....maybe the service was done already? The records will help a lot. Oil change w/a Baldwin filter as just done (as per sticker). I assume it's a Mobil 1 0w-40 service, but who knows? Again, the records will help a lot.
I found the owners info. She's a 68 year old brain surgeon from Paramus who ran for congress and lost a week ago! A crappy $.5MM home w/$8k taxes, yikes. I doubt she drove hard, an Italian Tune-up is in order.
That's it for now. I'll grab the vin later, thanks everyone.
Another fun fact: The old GLA was such a poor seller that MB in it's typical German stubborness to discontinue production (like its cousin the Chrysler 200/ Dodge Dart) they created a subsidiary called "Cars2go" to which they originally dumped all the garbage Smart cars, then later they dumped the remaining cla's/gla's. That subsidiary has since either ceased to exist or greatly scaled back their operations. Obviously this legal dumping ground also helped Daimler artificially boost their sales numbers.
Cars2go went bankrupt and dumped a bunch of the GLAs and CLAs into the market out in Calgary (Canada). Pretty amazing deals to be had if you were able to get them.
Used CLA's you could lease for two years for about $3000 a year.
Brand new GLAs were going for $34000 CAD which is about 25000 USD; sold as a CPO with a five year warranty; they all had less than 50km on the cars.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
I'm not sure what's up with MiL, but the Avant is getting flipped after a fender for $12k w/46k
Things are progressing nicely with the car. I did an intake cleaning with CRC GDI cleaner. Under a 1/4 can since my wife was overrevving it I quit while I was ahead. No CEL. New Purolator AF for $23 on AMAZON is actually made in Germany, identical to the outgoing MB down to the pink gasket.
I'm deciding on some tire stuff, I may do a seperate post on it. I have some nice 17s from my Metris with new 225/55-17 Nexen Winguard Sport 2 leftover from Avant. SHould I replace them with big balooney tires like I want??? Calc says -1.9% smaller than OE, load is 103 iirc. Seem like they would work....already mounted and everything. I really want 235/60-17. 225/60 might be a hit at +1.4% over stock.
While I'm here....
Last edited by Audi Junkie; Jul 22, 2020 at 03:04 AM.
The W123 is one of the most indestructible cars MB ever built. MB doesn't make them like this any more. I do love the color of your GLA. Very close to the color of my W201 that I'll never part with. I actually do like the GLA. It looks pretty practical.
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