The GLA is a neat-looking compact crossover SUV, with smooth contours and balanced proportions. AMG’s design team has taken that as its canvas and painted it sportier with dramatic visual enhancements such as powerdomes on the bonnet and flared wheel arches over 20-inch AMG wheels. The front gains the AMG performance grille and a ‘jet wing’ front spoiler with large air intakes, while at the back there’s a wide rear diffuser and quadruple exhaust trims with internal fluting (a feature that’s unique to the S model). Inside, the upholstery is in black Artico man-made leather and Dinamica microfibre; to distinguish it as the performance flagship the 45 S has yellow contrast stitching and highlights. The centre console is trimmed in Piano black lacquer.
TECHNOLOGY
421hp from a 2.0-litre engine is an astonishing achievement and requires state-of-the-art refinements like two-stage fuel injection and a dual-circuit cooling system to keep the cylinder head and the crankcase at different optimum temperatures. Each engine is built by hand on a ‘one man, one engine’ basis for race team levels of precision. Maximum torque of 500Nm is reached higher up the rev range for power delivery characteristics like a naturally aspirated engine; 0-62mph takes 4.3 seconds. The 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive system is fully variable, using separate multi-disc clutches to distribute power to individual wheels front and rear, and the 8-speed AMG Speedshift DCT 8G dual-clutch transmission offers a choice of shift characteristics depending on drive mode. There are six drive modes to choose from, starting with Slippery and progressing through Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Individual (where you programme your own settings) all the way up to Race; these settings control variables in suspension, powertrain response, transmission and chassis dynamics.
SAFETY
Standard safety features include a high-performance AMG braking system, 3-stage Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), Active Brake Assist, Active Lane Keep Assist, Attention Assist, and Speed Limit Assist. Pre-Safe automatically tightens seat belts and closes windows if it detects an imminent collision, while there are airbags located front, side, overhead and at knee level.
FEATURES
Standard features include a high-resolution widescreen 10.25-inch driver instrumentation display alongside a 10.25-inch screen for the MBUX infotainment system, which is controlled either via ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice command or touchpad. The driver can choose from three AMG display styles, ‘Classic’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Supersport’, for the instrument cluster. The touchpad is mounted on the centre console along with individual switches for controlling the 3-stage ESP, manual transmission mode and the AMG Ride Control adaptive damping system. Also unique to the 45 S model is the AMG Performance steering wheel in Nappa leather and Dinamica microfibre, with multifunctional buttons that allow you to access the AMG drive programme settings directly.
