You wouldn’t think the Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG would be any good at anything even remotely related to off-roading, but you’d be wrong.
Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe, in his quest to find the point of the GLA45, a worse driver’s car in every single way compared to the brutal A45, decides to try it out on a muddy forest track, where it almost looks at home…
It’s the only real reason why you’d plump for the more expensive GLA, which is slower, not as engaging to drive and isn’t any more spacious inside than the A-Class AMG. It does offer a higher driving position, though keen drivers will prefer the lower one of the hatchback – the boot is only negligibly larger and can’t be called a deciding factor here.
In the end, Sutcliffe fails to draw a final conclusion about the car, but that’s Mercedes’ fault, not his. The GLA probably makes more sense as a non-AMG model, but if you do want one, do check out the A45 first.