Skip advert
Advertisement

New Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 2017 review

Mercedes updates its hot GLA 45 crossover with styling tweaks, and new tech, but is it any good?

Overall Auto Express rating

3.0

How we review cars
Find your Mercedes GLA
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

Though little changes for 2017, the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 is still a mightily fast and genuinely entertaining car to drive. It’s suitably racy to look at, although those who want to use it on the school run will find Audi's, now discontinued, RS Q3 more useable day-to-day. It’s not exactly cheap, either, and doesn’t offer much over the similarly-sized, more agile and just as rapid AMG A 45.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Like the diesel GLA we've also driven, the engineers at Mercedes – or more specifically Mercedes-AMG – have endowed the brand’s second smallest model with a series of mid-life revisions for 2017. We’re driving the updated hot crossover for the first time to see it’s raised its game. 

The exterior tweaks for the revised GLA 45 focus around the front end, with a new front apron adding vertical louvres to the air intakes and a silver chrome splitter. These features aren’t just glitzy add-ons, they’re designed to more effectively direct cool air to the radiators. At the rear there’s a new diffuser insert and a revised spoiler, too. All of these changes give the GLA 45 a lower drag coefficient than before, at 0.33Cd.

Further upgrades include standard-fit LED headlamps, a fresh grille and optional 20-inch multi-spoke alloys. Inside, though you’ll quite easily miss the changes – with the tweaks limited to new man-made leather trim on the dash and a redesigned instrument cluster, while additional optional extras include a hands-free electric tailgate and 360-degree camera. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

EQC

2023 Mercedes

EQC

21,307 milesAutomaticElectric

Cash £26,000
View EQC
Focus Vignale

2020 Ford

Focus Vignale

59,430 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £14,676
View Focus Vignale
Puma

2023 Ford

Puma

30,377 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £14,597
View Puma
C4

2023 Citroen

C4

20,443 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £14,297
View C4

All fairly minor changes, then. But few people would see any need to upgrade what sits under the bonnet. Boosted from 355bhp to 376bhp in 2015, the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine is still startlingly rapid, firing the crossover from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds. For reference, that’s an astounding four tenths of a second faster than a Porsche Macan Turbo

Advertisement - Article continues below

As a result it rips through the rev range with real ferocity, only pausing as the seven-speed dual clutch box quickly but jerkily goes for another gear. The sound it makes is more industrial than tuneful, though there’s no arguing with the volume – especially with our car’s optional (and even more intense than before) AMG Performance exhaust popping and crackling on the overrun. The lighter, mechanically identical AMG A 45 is faster still, however.

But it’s not an engine that ever really settles down to a refined cruise; exhaust noise is always present in the cabin, while the eager throttle and highly-strung gearbox means it lacks finesse in town. There are no changes to the suspension or the 4MATIC four-wheel drive system, either. The damping is surprisingly supple, however, meaning the ride is only jarring over the very worst surfaces (and actually not that much worse than the standard GLA), while the steering is nicely weighted but not bristling with interaction.

It resists understeer well as torque is shuffled between the front and rear axle, but playfully moves about if you lift off the power - a trait which gives the GLA 45 a bit of extra personality. It’s fun, sure, but the A 45 responds slightly more sweetly and sharply to inputs, while there are considerably cheaper (and no less practical) hatchbacks like the Volkswagen Golf R that can put as big a smile on your face for substantially less cash. 

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £15,255Avg. savings £1,848 off RRP*Used from £7,649
Audi A3

Audi A3

RRP £26,295Avg. savings £2,513 off RRP*Used from £5,500
Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda Kodiaq

RRP £38,140Avg. savings £3,019 off RRP*Used from £13,895
Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,568 off RRP*Used from £12,295
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price
BMW X7 - front

Car Deal of the Day: BMW’s ultimate luxury SUV at an unusually low price

German firm’s flagship SUV could never be called cheap but it is exceptional value at £735 a month – making it our Deal of the Day for Sunday 27 April
News
27 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025