Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 – cinch Weekend Wheels
Naughty and nice 380hp Merc does weekday duties as well as weekends with its extended range of crossover talents
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Calling a car with a massive wing on the boot and a 380hp engine ‘sensible’ might seem slightly odd, but hear us out. Because the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 is the sensible model of Mercedes’s ‘45’ line-up. It arguably offers the broadest range of talents of any hot Mercedes model – and for one of the lowest prices, when it comes to brawny AMG-badged stuff. Which automatically makes it sensible. Sort of. Let cinch explain.
There’s a heck of a lot of practicality and usability embedded into the AMG GLA 45’s base. For starters it’s a crossover, using the base of the A-Class hatchback but adding height to the suspension, which means a slightly softer, more forgiving ride than the technically similar A45 hatchback (a trio of which we have online at the time of writing). Also, the taller ride lifts the boot higher, making it easier to load heavy items, also giving the driver a more commanding view of the road. Yet the overall dimensions of the car remain hatchback-like.
That means you’re given proper crossover credentials in a package that’s no harder to park than Mercedes’s smallest hatchback model. So, it’s genuinely sensible. Told ya. But, of course, the GLA 45’s party piece is its underlying performance potential, which – to be frank – is nothing short of astounding. Using a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine that seems to think it’s in a supercar, not a crossover, the GLA 45 can sprint from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds. That’s a right old thump in the back. And maybe a little bit less sensible.
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Combine all of the above together in this spacious five-seater package and you have yourself an athletic, yet nicely forgiving performance crossover that can entertain you on the weekend as much as it can impress you during the weekly shopping trip. It’s for good reason that so many GLA 45s in the wild sport baby seats in the back; they make a great middle ground between out-and-out sports cars and practical family wagons. If you only have space for one car, a model that does it all so well will be enormously tempting.
That’s especially true when said car is a rather fine example of GLA 45 on cinch, with a price of £39,250 – or the equivalent monthly rate. With only 17,673 miles on the clock, a high-specced leather interior and, we should add, a set of 19-inch wheels that do a perfect job of illustrating the standard of cars on cinch, this Mercedes-AMG model is ready and waiting for your high-octane weekend antics. Or, indeed, your sensible weekday ones.
Featured car details correct at time of publication. Subject to availability.
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