The whole point is flexibility within the variation. In the classical its harder to play for a win as black. Its also hard to win as white. But if you need to play for a win you can go for the Alekhine line a6, which by the way has in practice killed the classical at top level( Grishuk - Svidler), or the Janowski line Bg4. This line is often a pawn sac but with full compensation according to engines (stockfish 12). Against 3 e4 both pawn advances seem to be in trouble lately....3....e5 or 3...c5. But Nc6 and Nf6 are doing fine. BTw i am 2050 Fide .
Is QGA a good opening for black?
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What line of the QGD? I play the Ragozin occasionally. Ai dropped the Benoni due the bad endings with a very bad bishop on g7. I had the impression to play with a "knife on the teeth "to survive
I like the QGA because it often simplifies into a minor piece endgame that tends to frustrate players online. As long as black is careful, the position is about equal after the queens are gone.
Black can avoid castling once the queens are traded in some cases, leaving the king closer to the center because white tends to castle early. So that can be one advantage.