The Mercedes GLA45 AMG is the Affalterbach tuned version of the regular GLA SUV and will also be brought in as a CBU. It uses a very powerful force-fed 4-cylinder petrol engine.
Mercedes-Benz has announced that the GLA45 AMG will be launched in India on the 27th of October. Tuned by the folks at Affalterbach, the GLA45 AMG is based on the regular GLA sharing the same Modular Front Architecture (MFA) platform and will be the fifth product to do so from the company. The GLA45 AMG will be the most affordable performance SUV to come from Mercedes-AMG in the country and draws power from the 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder mill from the CLA45 AMG that was launched earlier this year.
The world’s most powerful series production 4-cylinder engine, the 2.0-litre petrol unit produces 355 HP of power and 450 Nm of torque that is paired to an AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7-speed transmission, while power is sent to all four wheels via the 4MATIC All-Wheel Drive system. In terms of performance figures, the GLA crossover is no slouch even by miles and can do 0-100 km/hr in just 4.8 seconds, while the top speed has been electronically limited to 250 km/hr. Add to that, the GLA45 AMG rides on sports tuned suspension with 19-inch AMG alloy wheels that compliment all that power at high speeds.
Aesthetically, the Mercedes GLA45 AMG is differentiated by the redesigned bumpers with massive air intakes at the front and rear. The performance crossover sits marginally lower than the regular GLA, while the trademark quad-exhausts are a dead giveaway of its AMG attributes. On the inside, there are loads of AMG bits including sport seats, racing red seat belts, carbon-fibre inserts, AMG steering wheel and a lot more. Being brought in as a Completely Built Unit (CBU), the GLA45 AMG is expected to be priced around Rs. 80 lakhs (ex-showroom). Considering the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 do not have their performance derivates sold in the country, the GLA45 AMG does not have competition as such but will lock horns with several other sports cars at that price.
