Brits wanting more ride height from their 421hp AMG hatchback can now place an order for the GLA 45 S and its siblings, with the top-model starting from £58,755. First deliveries are due in the summer. That price is just over eight-grand more than the regular 45 S hatch, for which you get a bigger boot and extra rear passenger space, not to mention the satisfaction of owning an SUV (if that's your jam). The 306hp A35 version, which starts at £43,565, is also not far off £8k more than its equivalent hatch, but like its bigger bro, it mixes high output four-pot power with value-added versatility.
The GLA A45 S gets the same, AMG-developed turbocharged 2.0-litre as the 45 S hatch, mated to Merc’s quick-shifting eight-speed DCT auto and adjustable all-wheel drive, although with a little more mass to shift it's four-tenths slower to 62mph than its sibling. Still, 4.3 seconds is not exactly sluggish and with a top speed of 167mph, we doubt many will be complaining of lacklustre performance. Rolling performance ought to be closer, with the same 369lb ft of torque dispatched from 5,000rpm.
Under the snout of the GLA A35 is the same uprated A250 four-pot, less exotic in its technical composition than the A45 motor but still good for that aforementioned peak power and 295lb ft of twist. It can haul the entry-level AMG GLA from 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds or sip fuel to offer 34.5mpg combined, according to WLTP stats.
You get plenty of standard kit although the best-equipped ‘35s will be of AMG Premium Plus spec, which add adaptive damping, 21-inch rims and a higher-grade cabin, among other things, for £3.5k. It’s a similar for the A45 S, which for £6k can be upgraded to the Plus trim bringing its own adaptive damping, those 21s and an aerodynamics package, plus more besides. If the hatch is anything to go by, they’re boxes you should give serious thought to ticking.
That being said, the previous AMG GLA was actually pretty good out of the box thanks to its ability to meld enormous pace with a slightly more forgiving chassis. The A45 S has since proven that AMG can tune hatchbacks which are supremely agile while also being supple in softer drive modes; does the GLA 45 S take that trait even further up the road? We'll have to wait and see. Expect a drive of the new Mercedes crossover in the coming months.
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