Following the debut of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLA facelift earlier this year, the German carmaker has now brought similar updates over to the Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 S 4Matic+, featuring essentially the same upgrades that were already made available on the AMG GLA 35 since April this year.
On the outside, the new “hot crossover” now features reworked full LED lighting elements on the outside, taking after the more minimalist light signatures of the updated A-Class. The front lower apron now gets larger side intakes that are much more aggressive in appearance, while a new AMG emblem on the bonnet replaces the three-pointed star of the outgoing model, signifying that it is indeed a true AMG model.
Over at the sides, the fender flares and side skirts are now painted in the body colour of your choosing instead of the black unpainted plastic from before, while the 20-inch alloys and red brake calipers are now standard on the model – although customers still have the option for the 19-inch ten-spoke bicolour wheels, a 20-inch five-twin-spoke design, or even 21-inch multi-spoke or cross-spoke wheels.
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Inside, the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S now gets the AMG Performance steering wheel as standard, with two circular control buttons for drivers to quickly access the car’s performance-related settings. Like the other models in the marque’s compact range, the MBUX system has also been updated to the latest version, which means the touchpad on the centre console has also been removed, replaced by a shallow stowage area for your smaller items.
The updated MBUX operating system features new AMG-specific screen designs promising “extended range of functions”, alongside wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. For options, customers can choose between a couple of colour options for the Artico artificial leather upholstery, including a new Bahia Brown hue, as well as a brown open-pore lime wood trim for the dashboard instead of the usual carbon fibre-look items.
Unlike the other models in Mercedes’ compact range, the 45-class AMG models still retains their pure-ICE propulsion, without any 48V mild-hybrid augmentation. Here, the 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four mill remains completely unchanged from before, and still outputs 421 hp and 500 Nm of torque, making it the most powerful four-cylinder engine currently in production.
To handle all of that torque, the 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system intelligently distributes the power individually to each wheel for increased traction. The result, when paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, is a 0-100 km/h sprint in under 4.3 seconds, reaching top speeds of 270 km/h flat-out.
Unfortunately for us Malaysians, the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S 4Matic+ – or the GLA 35 for the matter – aren’t (yet) available here on our shores. If you’re willing to accept other body styles, though, the same M139 engine is also available on the A 45 S and CLA 45 S models, both of which have only recently been updated here in Malaysia.
READ MORE: 2023 Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ facelift launched in Malaysia – from RM510k
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