 Welcome back to another one. If you are new to the channel, I am Goldpony, I do new car truck SUV reviews on YouTube and today we are in the new 2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLA35 courtesy of Hagerstown Mercedes-Benz in Hagerstown, Maryland. This is going to be quite a fun one. I wanted to jump in this one today because of course it's an AMG. Obviously I wanted to experience that a little bit but also haven't got to check out any form of the GLA so far in my past 500 plus review so I'm actually quite excited to be doing this one then. So in this video I will be testing out and going over everything about this one exhaust clip, acceleration, paddle shifters, braking, ride quality, all that stuff so having said all of that what do you guys say? Let's just go ahead and jump right into it and as always let's start with pricing. Let's do MSRP for the AMG GLA35. We'll start at $47,550. Powering the beast is going to be an AMG enhanced 2 liter turbocharged inline four cylinder engine putting out 302 horsepower 5800 RPM, 295 pound-feet of torque coming in at 3,000 RPM, power sent to all four wheels. The Mercedes-Benz's four-matic all-wheel drive system power sent to the ground through an eight-speed dual clutch with aluminum paddle shifters which do feel quite nice I will say that zero to 60 time comes in at approximately five seconds flat top speed 155 miles per hour with MPG numbers coming in at 23 in the city 29 on the highway taking premium unleaded fuel. Do want to also mention though there is an engine start-stop system on the GLA here so if you wanted to turn that off there is actually a button to do so just by the engine start button so I think some people don't want it so I always like to mention that. Anyways now having said that before we do any kind of paddle shifter acceleration test I did want to mention there are some drive modes of course for the GLA35 that toggle switch is labeled dynamic or dynamic select is what Mercedes calls it and it is located just to the left of the touchpad controller there and that will adjust between comfort, slippery, sport, sport plus and individual adjusting things like the shift points, the throttle response, the steering sensitivity and the engine start-stop system as well but now having got all of that out of the way what do you guys say let's go ahead and find a straightaway let's test out the paddle shifters here first I just want to see how quickly they are going to react for us here all right and we are in sport driving mode in three two one off we go absolutely not disappointed these paddle shifters are lightning quick certainly just as quick as just about everything else that I've tested lately whether it be BFW Maserati Porsche these things are dang quick when it comes to the paddle shifters at least so very impressed there but having now gotten that out of the way I mean I kind of experienced it already but let's go ahead and give back full control to this one and let's do a quick little acceleration test here with the GLA having full control and let's see how quickly we can get this new AMG GLA35 here up to speed all right in three two one from a standstill definitely no issues emerging onto the highway it kind of does make you feel like you're in a video game because of how quickly that thing shifts I definitely love it that acceleration was plenty enough for the GLA35 without a doubt but to go along with that acceleration as always braking is equally important and so up front you will find 13.8 inch ventilated front discs in the back 13 inch ventilated rear discs silver painted four piston front cowpers with the AMG lettering you got to love that as far as braking feel goes it's been perfectly fine definitely not going to have any issues with bringing this thing to a stop and there's no brake pedal delay or sponginess or anything like that so that's always a good thing not that I expected it but anyways touching on suspension and handling four wheel independent suspension AMG springs and struts since we have the GLA35 of course adaptive damping suspension as well and that's the one I always look for especially in cars like this essentially what that is is this going to adjust dependent upon the road conditions and how fast you're going around turns it is going to tighten up the suspension during heavy cornering but it's also going to read those road imperfections and give you a much smoother ride through that adaptive damping suspension as well so again giving you the best of worlds and that is something you always want to look for if you want the best ride quality but also what better handling as well that touching on visibility I can see perfectly fine out the back this is kind of a smaller crossover SUV so shouldn't have any issues there when it comes to visibility also wanted to mention though rain sensing windshield wipers are going to come standard across the board as well essentially what that means is whenever the GLA detects any kind of mist or rainfall it's going to automatically turn on those windshield wipers for you so it's just one less thing you got to worry about basically but that about rounds out the performance segment of this review you guys let's now go ahead and take a look at the exterior of our brand new 2021 Mercedes Benz AMG GLA35 all right so here she is you guys the new 2021 Mercedes Benz AMG GLA35 finished in night black okay so anybody did put that together already but let's go ahead and start up front on the GLA here vertical slats on the front grille with the AMG logo of course since we have the AMG 35 here to the sides LED headlights do come standard as expected with the automatic feature meaning when it starts to get dark out at night those headlights will turn on automatically for you there LED daytime running lights also coming standard on this one and there is an option for those adaptive front headlights as well adaptive LED headlights I should say essentially what that is is when you're going around a bend at night those headlights will swivel based on the direction of your steering angle better help illuminating what is around that Benz here less likely to hit the deer or possum or squirrel or whatever so that is going to be there for you as well and then down to the corners you guys could probably tell do you have some front air curtains helping direct air around the wheel entire combination then as well but think what really stands out to me I love that front grille love the front grille on the AMG version of the GLA here but anyways let's now go ahead and make our way to the side of this one so making our way to the side aluminum roof rails do come standard on this one and kind of to go along with that you do have some aluminum trim found on the side skirts and some chrome windows surrounds then as well so it all looks very good together you guys can also probably see that turbo formatic badging found on the front fenders of course because the engine is turbocharged and formatic being Mercedes all-wheel drive system of course now one of the things that kind of took me for a little bit of a surprise this rear privacy glass does not come standard on this one of course you can tint the windows yourself if you wanted to but this is kind of a crossover I kind of expected it to be there but nonetheless taking a look at the side mirrors body colored power adjustable side mirrors do come standard they will of course be heated as well with led integrated turn signals then as well side mirrors done very well then take a look down to the wheel setup 19 by 8 inch AMG twin 5 spoke alloys I feel like I always say this Mercedes Benz has some of the best looking wheel decides out there right now I absolutely love them personally and there are of course some optional wheel setups available but just behind that again there's silver calipers with AMG lettering the drilled front and rear rotors as well definitely a very menacing very sporty look to the GLA that we have here today but now let's go ahead and make our way to the back of this one now since we are around back there is no shark fin antenna surprisingly rear spoiler with an integrated brake light does come standard just below that rear window wiper as well love seeing the AMG badging back there I think that's pretty stinking cool led tail lights do come standard on this one as well so that's very nice and just below it all you guys can see it there is a matte black rear diffuser into the sides there dual exhaust outlets with chrome tips so having said that I do believe you guys know what we have to do next as always here is that exhaust clip it's up and now since we are around back of this one when it comes to opening that rear lift gate there of course are several different ways you can go ahead and do that one way is by using the button on the key five for the lift gate that is one way also a button on the lift gate itself that is yet another way and there is actually a button on the driver's side door as well but once opened up cargo capacity comes in at 19 cubic feet behind that second row if that was not enough space there of course is a 40 20 40 split meaning the rear seats essentially will fold down bumping that up to 50.5 cubic feet with that second row folded also wanted to mention in the back there there is a cargo cover that comes standard there's some side pockets with mesh netting as well an elastic strap for holding items upright also chrome painted tie-down anchors which look pretty cool back there chrome sill protector as well also some grocery bag hooks and there is actually some in-floor storage if you lift up underneath of that cargo floor as well and actually a decent amount for the size of this vehicle we'll say that as well so it was pretty cool they make our way to the rear legroom that comes in at an even 38 inches so for reference I'm an even six feet tall this is how much space I had in the back seats there rear ventilation of course also does come standard there is a little bit of storage I guess you could say just below those rear air vents and then just below that if you pull open that next little cubby area there are a couple phone charging ports and then a 115 volt power outlet as well which you almost never see in vehicles this size that was pretty cool seeing that as well also wanted to mention though rear center armrests with cup holders and those rear seats do recline then as well if you wanted to take a little siesta back there but then make your way to the front seats eight-way power adjustable front seats do come standard with four-way power lumbar of course memory settings for up to three different driving positions a lot of times with other manufacturers you will find two so it's kind of cool that this one offers three that's always nice Mercedes Benz text upholstery will be the standard configuration as far as the finish goes AMG performance front seats are going to be optional on this one that is pretty cool red seat belts are going to be optional multi-contour front seating is going to be optional as well but I will say I love the interior color that they put in this particular what it looks so staking cold and by the way seats are plenty comfortable as well so definitely no issues with taking this thing on a long road trip and not being comfortable or anything like that but let's take a look at the steering wheel it is tilt and telescoping it is a flat bottom steering wheel as well which is pretty cool it is leather wrapped and perforated on the sides there and don't want to mention there is a dynamica suede steering wheel that will be optional on this one but I gotta say the leather steering wheel is perfectly fine for me so definitely a fan then take a look at the startup let me first start by showing you guys the key here essentially all of your buttons are located on one side of the key Mercedes Benz logo front and center you got some AMG lettering on the bottom lock unlock and of course that button to pop the rear hatch but it is although keyless entry so all I'm going to do is simply put my foot on the brake and press that engine start button which is located just to the left of the climate control vent there but once started up gauges are going to be fully digital it is a 10 and a quarter inch digital gauge cluster which is by the way completely customizable there are so many different loadouts so many different themes if you will that you can display for those gauges and I absolutely love that so you could choose a more traditional gauge setup if you want with the speedometer on your left tachometer on your right ton of different information you can display front and center digital speedometer speed limit of any given road outside temperature the list goes on there but there are plenty like I said plenty of different themes you could put for those gauges so I absolutely love that and I think Mercedes does a very good job with your digital gauge cluster I gotta be honest but then make your way to overall interior quality first thing I want to mention panorama roof is going to be optional we don't have it today but it is going to be optional so I wouldn't mention that but carbon fiber interior trim I love that it can be found on the doors also just above the passenger side glove box it is authentic carbon fiber so definitely a very nice look to it dual zoom climate control is going to come standard 64 colors of ambient lighting and I always like to emphasize this Mercedes Benz does ambient lighting better than every other manufacturer out there and there are so many that do ambient lighting right now but none of them can beat Mercedes Benz here's why they do more of it I will say that so there's some just above the passenger side glove box above the carbon fiber trim there there's some on the doors of course there's some around the touchpad controller there's some in the foot wells but I'll tell you what nobody else does it around the circular air vents there's some around the circular air vents in the middle portion that is what really sets it apart that's what does it for me believe it or not but anyways I love the ambient lighting AMG illuminated door cells are going to be optional auto dim and rear view mirror is going to be optional garage door openers are going to be optional as well so you can tack on a little bit extra money there if you wanted to but overall in front of the cup holders you have a little bit of rubberized storage there there is a phone charging port 12 volt power outlet again the cup holders are actually pretty cool too so they are kind of big to start with but when you hit these little play buttons on the top of the bottom that actually throws out an extension which kind of makes them a little bit smaller and better holds your drink in place so I think that's pretty cool that there's buttons there but just behind that you have your touchpad controller I'll get into that in a second and within the center armrest you have two more phone charging ports apparently and definitely a decent amount of deep storage in there as well so overall this is what I always say Mercedes Benz is one of the best when it comes to interior quality and the materials used and the ambient lighting of course overall so definitely in love with this interior quality in this GLA that we have here today but let's now go ahead and make our way to the tech display and so to mirror the gauges tech display is also going to be a 10 and a quarter inch color touchscreen display but it's more than just that it is voice activated as well and there is that touchpad controller I was mentioning to you guys a second ago where you can use it essentially kind of like a laptop you just swipe your finger around there's a couple buttons you can hit as well but overall a ton of different information you could check out up there including the themes I was telling you guys about where you can adjust what is on the gauges and also the ambient lighting colors so BMW has something similar to actually because I just got done driving one of them so I love the different themes you could pick from in this Mercedes GLA Android Auto Apple CarPlay as well of course meaning you can hook your smartphone up to the GLA and we'll display free navigation on that tech display as well as the ability to like and dislike your band door songs and so on factory navigation system also coming standard you could check out your different drive modes up there as well then and overall it is very easy to use and I love one thing I forgot to mention I love when you put it in that sport driving mode it actually deepens the exhaust note as well or opens up the exhaust valve so don't think I mentioned that when it comes to the drive mode so that is a pretty cool little feature there as well anyways of course you can adjust your radio settings up there too and by the way when it comes to the sound system on the GLA here six speakers is going to be standard however there is an optional 12 speaker Bermester sound system that can be had with 590 watts and a nine channel digital amplifier then as well and of course you guys know that is the sound system that we do indeed have here today so what do you guys say let's go ahead and turn on the radio see what we got playing today and let's test out the clarity this one it was just wonderful it was a wonderful sound system I really liked that plenty of bass plenty of clarity that was a very well done sound system for the GLA here that we have but less than going to mention you guys on the infotainment screen is when you do put the GLA in reverse you will of course find a very very high definition rear view camera I don't think I've seen them that high quite recently that's very nice anyways that of course is going to let you know who or what is behind you and of course that is going to lead us into safety and so to start front side side curtain airbags do come standard drivers knee airbag up front as well in the back you're going to have latch aka lower anchors and tethers for children for the rear car seats rear child door locks higher pressure monitoring system but also standard active brake assist driver attention monitoring system blind spot assist and crosswind assist then as well but I will say there are some optional safety features that can be had with the GLA here including adaptive high beam assist speed limit recognition part tronic with active parking assist which will scare the living heck out of you the first time you use it because it works so well it essentially lets you pick out the parking spot and whether you want to pull in or back in and then it does all the work for you including the gas to break the steering and it's going to scare you but it's going to work beautifully anyways adaptive cruise control also optional evasive steering assist automatic emergency braking lane keep assist lane change assist and a dash cam as well so overall when it comes to my final thoughts here of the AMG GLA 35 great driving dynamics without a doubt again it makes you feel like you're in a video game as quick as it shifts it's a wonderful feeling by the way also an amazing exhaust note for what this vehicle is I will say that I love the exhaust especially when you put it in that sport driving mode makes a heck of a difference interior quality is basically second to none with the authentic carbon fiber trim with the very best ambient lighting in existence right now I'm telling you guys it's absolutely amazing plenty of options to really personalize this one as well so you can really make it your own and I like that but as far as constructive criticism goes part of that personalization should not be safety I will say that all of that optional safety I just mentioned really should be standard safety really shouldn't be optional on any vehicle my personal opinion but other than that this thing is amazing so let me know what you guys think of this one in the comment section below that is about it for this one you guys feel free to follow me on social media at the bottom of the screen there if you wanted to see what's coming next on the channel before it actually gets to YouTube be sure to hit the subscribe and the bell notification button if you're in a new car reviews that is what we do here on this channel after all do appreciate you guys watching more than you know and I will see you guys all in the next video stay gold