Oh, hello, Bottrop! It seems like just weeks ago, you brought us news of a convertible variant of your Brabus Widestar Geländewagen. And now you’re back with more? By all means! What’s this new thing? Why, it’s a Brabus-massaged GLA!
Merc’s new uticle is now eligible for what the German tuning company calls “an exclusive refinement program that leaves nothing to be desired.” Nothing! The company goes on: “It . . . includes a strikingly styled designer outfit with distinctive off-road highlights and tailor-made Brabus Monoblock wheels with diameters of up to 21 inches.” It’s nice to know tailors have stayed relevant in this prêt-à-porter era by finding employment as wheelwrights. Brabus will also adjust your suspension height, which can be raised by 1.2 inches or lowered by one inch.
But the story with Brabus, as always, is the engine. The other opulence is simply a bonus. Brabus claims 400 metric horsepower shall be crammed into its version of the GLA, which works out to 394 of our Yankee ponies. The torque works out to 369 lb-ft. This, mind you, is all wrung out of the GLA45 AMG’s turbocharged 2.0, an engine where Affalterbach has already done plenty of heavy development. Brabus says its engine will get your GLA to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds, basically abolishing the weight/drag penalty the crossover/hatch imposes over its CLA45 AMG sibling. The worked-over GLA will also hit a rather considerable 168 mph with the limiter removed.
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And if a diesel ever comes along for Americans, they will chip it, adding their ECO PowerXtra D3 programming. The (for now) Euro-only mod frees up 40 horsepower, giving you 208 hp and 302 lb-ft. Sixty-two mph shall now arrive in eight seconds, giving you the extra authority you need to lunch Priuses. You still won’t be able to take a VW GTD, though.
Of course, Brabus will dress your GLA’s interior in practically any manner you see fit. Today’s whim has us leaning toward ’70s MB-Tex. Tomorrow? Perhaps we’ll want our rolling cocoon crafted out of the surviving suits from Boss Tweed’s collection.
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