Review: 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 - Fun but Very Flawed

I review the refreshed 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLA 35 and find that while there's a few impressive and fun characteristics, they're drowned out by a sea of disappointments that put a damper on the experience combined with the pricing, ruin any hope this car has of being competitive or compelling. What do you think about the GLA 35? Thanks to Mercedes for providing this vehicle to review.
Time stamps:
0:00 Exterior
1:47 Interior
9:31 Initial driving impressions
12:20 Acceleration
13:44 Handling and ride
15:54 Manual shifting
17:55 Other impressions
20:03 Highway driving and safety tech
22:07 Fuel economy
22:49 Pricing and competitor comparisons
25:38 Final thoughts
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[@williamlong2682]

Went on the configurator just out of curiosity and built one to…wait for it…$80,075! In all seriousness, though, I very much appreciate the detail you go into in the pricing section by naming specific competitors and features/options they offer for comparable prices instead of using broad, vague, shallow, vibes-based statements like “it doesn’t feel like $65k.” Contributes a lot to the depth of analysis and professionalism.

[@stevemartegani]

Buying one of these is a great way to make $30,000+ disapear in a year or two... They are about $20k more expensive than they should be.

[@alfredneuman1179]

Thats why we love u Matt… telling the way it is… busting the myth of german quality cars

[@nintendoatarikiller]

Good lord that is Stellantis levels of fit and finish, with enough corner cutting to make a circle. Gear whine really drives home that Mercedes rally pedigree lol

[@naveenthemachine]

Ive initially thought that’s similar to Toyotas fit finish which isn’t good either. Also how do you experience gear whine?

[@ARentz07]

​@@naveenthemachine Gear whine is just a whining sound coming from the transmission. A good example is when you put a manual transmission vehicle in reverse.

[@jazzbeau507]

"Sounds like an angry bee." "slingshots you" "burp on the upshift" The car is a bee, a slingshot and a burp, in a pile of annoyances. Another great and colorful review by Matt Maran Motoring, who is from the town of the Great Football Team!

[@MattMaranMotoring]

Haha glad you liked it Jazz!

[@tomf3335]

@@MattMaranMotoring I did not know you were from Kansas City. Chief's Kingdom!

[@stever41g]

Love your frank and honest reviews. Keep it up.

[@GLA45Amg716]

I bought a GLA 45 recently Best Buy ever loveeeee it .. couldn’t do the 35 lol

[@doriangray2347]

A Macan would be the upgrade to this. Those can be configured beautifully with not many box ticks

[@glh_somemore]

Well actually the GLA45 AMG would be the upgrade, but isn't available for some reason in 2024. I traded my Golf R for a 2022 GLA45 AMG with 18k miles, CPO, for $52k usd. It is amazing. Has torque vectoring and is fast and sounds awesome. Only 6 inches longer than the Golf. The Macan S would be similar and I had configured one at $85k with similar equipment.

[@Thebusdriverandgamermorefan790]

Excellent video Matt.

[@ItsTheSidJ]

Great review, Matt 👍👏

[@MattMaranMotoring]

Thanks!

[@bryantcurtis7]

Whew Matt was not feeling this one. Great review and would be my last choice in the segment for sure.

[@pokerfred68]

MB should change their slogan from “the best or nothing” to “the best, not quite”

[@GS350King]

Their slogan is fine. Because they either give you the best or nothing. In this case “nothing” is good about this car. 😂

[@lilrockstarrs]

This video was great 🤣 loved it Matt haha this ain’t no where near that price tag 😂

[@MattMaranMotoring]

Haha glad you liked it man!

[@st5923]

Did Mercedes hurt you? I have had this car for 2 years and I am very satisfied.

[@samartz]

Harsh but fair review! 👌

[@JoeBidenIsAClown]

A buddy of mine purchased a brand new GLS550. MSRP was like 100k or somewhere in that ballpark. The build quality of the interior was on par with a mid 2000’s GM product. Wherever you touched, was cheap plastic. Getting back in my Grand Highlander the build quality of the interior of the Toyota was eons ahead.

[@jdmteggy2388]

Even used cars for 64k the cars u can buy with low miles used for 64k u ca get its crazy

[@PresidentJackBauer]

You can get Gv70 for that money. There are way too many other options that are better at that price

[@AWildKappa]

Too bad they’re banking on branding ! This would be a nice car at a cheaper price point, Awesome video thank you for sharing your humble opinion hopefully I get to drive one one day!

[@gregkramer5588]

Same screen size as my wife's Forte we traded in! This is about the same price as the Ioniq 5 N. That would do everything better for me anyway. Loads better comfort and performance!

[@gingerbreadman5756]

AMG should be embarrassed to have their name attached to this vehicle

[@tomf3335]

The fit and finish reminds me of the 2014 Hyundai Veloster I had after 5 years of owning it. And it was less than $20K brand new.

[@garrettbentz9525]

I know this is a completely different segment of vehicle, but given that a used AMG GTS will set you back 60-75 grand, this is a tough sell. I’d take a Golf R, Veloster N, or Kona N over this and still have some money left for a decent used daily.

[@im_an_alvani]

Very perplexing that a luxry manufacturer would make a budget model, then soup up said model to make it unaffordable compared to its peers. I think the WRX worked because everyone expected budget from Subaru and the Impreza was never that expensive to begin with. This will be a cool oddity to get a discount one day.

[@Aschoolbusandsimulatorfan2219]

I like your vids Matt & I buy this beauty 1 day.

[@Therafester14]

Wow. I’m surprised Mercedes didn’t do as good of a job as they should have. My aunt had an older one with the Amg package and was much smoother

[@gfusco2008]

This is hysterical! If you can accept the ride and road noise you might as well get a Kona N. Hyundai has a better interior fit and finish, materials aside.

[@patpark3r]

Matt listens to panic at the disco?!

[@--..-...-..-.--....]

It looks so cool though😭 anyway great review!

[@MattMaranMotoring]

Thanks! 😁

[@ryanrobertson3508]

Love when you lay the hammer and call it like it is....MB is a perfect example of a modern car company getting arrogant with their pricing and losing touch with reality and their consumers....following right in stellantis's footsteps.

[@Carfan678]

At the very least Mercedes was never a mainstream brand like Toyota however brands like Jeep where always for "regular ppl" and their trying to change their image and become a luxury brand 😂

[@dillonhughes1417]

if you have enemies you make them drive this...or a dodge hornet

[@Angryeddie14]

Yeaa this one is priced pretty wack lol, would take that RS any day like you mentioned

[@doriangray2347]

Burmester in my 718 T Porsche is incredible. That is a VERY expensive addition. The price is quite good aside from the seat cushions and the armrest.

[@kajukuja]

🙂👍

[@RoMeeHang]

It looks like a Buick

[@gregkramer5588]

And that is the good part :-)

[@maximeparent3004]

The Golf R makes this look bad, which is a shame for a Mercedes-Benz.

[@gtiguy9629]

Looks like the dodge hornet seats

[@Oockeshoek]

Looks like an MPV, bit like a B-class

[@bradenmchenry995]

Why on earth they badged this as a real amg who knows

[@thewolf7119]

Go with an Audi SQ5....far superior vehicle.

[@kevs2good133]

Not even the same class of vehicle

[@hellokyle_]

I think you crushed people's spirits who ordered this AMG with that comment "It sounds like an angry bee" 😂

[@CaptDnaDonut]

I think the color looks nice, probably not worth the extra money. But those red seatbelts look really nice. I really want body color matched seatbealts.

[@benbustama3430]

MB screwed up big time! This price should have been for the GLA45, which is no longer available in 2024!🤬👎🏼 The GLA should start at $49k! I ordered/bought a German competitor, nicely optioned under $55k…

[@mauriciomorales8863]

totally agree! cannot accept mediocrity nowadays

[@wny9521]

Matt you rock!! You call it like you see it!!!! think the DODGE HORNET is superior to this POS. 63k? seriously?? how bad to do want to try and impress other people with a Mercedes badge? Just go get a Hornet.

[@MattMaranMotoring]

Haha thanks! The Hornet is another tough sell for me lol.

[@Carfan678]

the hornet is the bigger POS I mean its literally dodge it'll be dead on the road in 2 years time

[@wny9521]

@@Carfan678 I tend to agree. I just sold my 22 Durango and picked up a new Camry. I'm older now and don't need any drama of driving an orphan vehicle in the future.

[@Carfan678]

@@wny9521 No way I have a friend that just got rid of their Durango cause it was giving them issues but congrats on the new Camry

[@ethenjordan2010]

Just buy an RS3 at that price. haha

[@xaionik]

60K for this?! Heeeelllll NO.

[@user-eh9cb3xv6u]

truepenny

[@CaptainBearPants]

I’m really disappointed with Mercedes these days

[@GTAYLOR1972]

Mercedes Top brass has gotten delusional with their pricing across the board. And to top it off they just are not made well anymore.

[@doolittlegeorge]

Quick slap on huge plastic stuff that says "Mercedes"!!!

[@jjukjkjiok7782]

first

[@dentman67]

I work for a wholesale company. We wholesale about 1k cars per week. If you have to have a Mercedes to impress your family/friends, leade it. Never buy an Audi, BMW, or Mercedes. They self-destruct quickly, and are worth pennies as they age.

[@Amajor34]

My 2023 Honda CRV is screwed together better.

[@whiteandnerdytuba]

I can’t get past the fake amg badge. Doesn’t matter how good the car is.

[@Y_hass]

You're better off buying a top trim honda or toyota. You will pay 40% less, get a better quality and reliable car.

[@naveenthemachine]

Honda? yes Toyota? Absolutely not 😂

[@Y_hass]

@@naveenthemachine Toyota is usually more reliable than Honda. Also, Honda still has that engine oil burning issue

[@genzigzag]

Lots of fake engine noise, coupled with tire roar and wind noise, I'll pass.

[@Lifeof728]

Hey bud. I know you have been going through a tough time with youtube lately but maybe you should take a break. I agree with many of your points but you have been sounding completely over this shit in many of your latest videos. Your passion and enthusiasm seems sapped. Hopefully you can find the spark again 🫡

[@MattMaranMotoring]

I still love what I do, I just have been bolder about calling it how I see it these days and if a car sucks, I’m gonna make that clear. So many people complained I was too positive all the time.

[@Joey_Bananas]

So where's the Acura review? 🤣

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

Omg those squeaks are absolutely terrible…. I have a Hyundai Venue that is $21,000 USD and that has better fit and finish than this almost $65,000 USD GLA 35. Heck even my mom’s Toyota RAV4 has better fit and finish than this and that’s like $22,000 USD.

[@integrafreak1]

Too many passes lol It’s 2024 we have crossovers faster and better than this

[@hardyk2010]

Absolute garbage

[@nickthequick]

All in all: No good reason to buy this car.

[@user-lf9xl1pz3q]

They are junkies anyway

[@cbruno12180]

Overpriced piece of crap!! This is a 50k car tops!!

[@jdmteggy2388]

The cla 45 is way better interior and better option this isnt close to gr corolla or golf r hell focus rs even .the gr corolla has better seats but some interior stuff we dont care about cause its awd Manuel rally car so but this jus sounds like junk go buy a older cls 63 amg if u want finest Mercedes

[@swimmer5886]

How much did Audi pay you to do the review like this? Jk