When Brabus tells us it has tuned another Mercedes, we all stop everything we’re doing, gather around a computer screen and call the cleaning lady to have a mop ready to wipe all the drooling. And that’s even before we get to drive them. Yep, they’re that good.
This time, the name of the culprit is Brabus Mercedes GLA 45 AMG, the super-fast AMG crossover that a lot of (sane) people would have thought it didn’t need any more tinkering with. Well, who ever said Brabus was sane?
Just listen to this: 400 hp and 500 Nm from a two liter turbocharged engine, 60 hp and 50 Nm more than on the standard GLA 45 AMG. If you’ve driven any Mercedes-Benz GLA, not necessarily the AMG version, you’ll know that the little crossover is a very potent car on the road with good steering and a nicely balanced suspension system. These two things come in very handy for the Brabus version, which accelerates to 100 km/h from standstill in just 4.4 seconds and goes all the way to a top speed of 270 km/h.
Brabus didn’t stop here. Their program also includes an upgrade for the GLA 250 from 211hp to 245hp, which translates into a 6.7 seconds time for the 0 to 100 km/h sprint and a top speed of 250 km/h. The diesel GLA 220 CDI also gets a 40hp boost to 210hp, with the inherent drop for the 0-100 km/h to 8 seconds sharp. Under these circumstance, the top speed for the diesel powered GLA is 220 km/h.
The aesthetics of both the GLA 45 AMG and the GLA models with the AMG Sport trim level have been slightly altered with more aggressive front and rear bumpers, modifications to the rear diffuser, a new roof spoiler, quad exhaust pipes and wheels ranging from 17 to 21 inches.
Other than that, you can choose from a sport suspension lowered by 25mm or an off-road one raised with 30mm – the choice seems obvious to us but… you know, people are strange. The drama department is taken care of with underfloor LED lighting, anodized pedals and door lock pins as well as aluminium sport paddles.
Maybe this transformation of the GLA is not as bonkers as other Brabus products which had 850hp and the likes, but it’s still a package that morphs the little Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG into an atomic toy.
