Mercedes GLA 45 AMG SUV: very quick but pricey to buy and no use off-road

Price: £44,595

Pros: Very quick; grippy four-wheel-drive system; more practical than the A45 AMG

Cons: Pricy to buy and run; Interior quality can’t match an Audo Q3; No use off-road

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3.6/5 Car buyer “The Mercedes GLA 45 AMG is the performance version of the Mercedes GLA crossover. It shares the same mechanicals as the Mercedes A-Class A45 AMG, so it has Mercedes’ 4Matic four-wheel-drive system and a 355bhp engine. Push it hard in the corners and it’s marginally slower than the A45, but its softer suspension is more comfortable and the raised height adds practicality. As a top of the range model it also comes with a healthy list of equipment as standard including: 19-inch alloys, climate control, sat-nav and a seven-inch display. And although you’d expect a 355bhp car to cost a fortune to run, 37.6mpg really isn’t that bad considering it’s an extremely fast four-wheel-drive car.”

4/5 Auto Express “The GLA 45 is a genuinely interesting performance car. On the road it offers 99 per cent of the fun of its A45 AMG stablemate, but is much easier to live with everyday. There’s no doubting the GLA 45’s sporting potential, though, thanks to the usual array of AMG styling upgrades – the twin blade grille, AMG front apron, side skirts and diffuser. Yet despite its increased size, more spacious back seats and usable boot, the car is only 40kg heavier than the A45, so it’s only 0.2 seconds slower going from 0-60mph. And while it may not be the SUV Mercedes claims it to be, the chunky looks certainly make it stand out in the performance hatchback crowd."

8.0/10 Top Gear “The last of the baby Benz triumvirate, the GLA 45 shares its underpinnings with the A45 hatch, which means it gets a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with a twin-scroll turbocharger. There’s also an AMG sports exhaust system for more noise, and all in you’re looking at 331lb ft of torque. Courtesy of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive, the GLA 45 will go from 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 155mph. Which, by small hatch standards, is very fast indeed. Naturally there’s much AMG tweakery behind the scenes: stiffer steering knuckles and new elastokinematics up front, a redeveloped rear axle, sports suspension and high performance cross-drilled brakes."