Would You Spend £65,000 On A Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S?

With the Mercedes-AMG A45 S coming with a price tag as attention-grabbing as its 0-62mph time, it was inevitable that the bigger GLA 45 S would cost an even more eyebrow-raising amount. Sure enough, in top-spec Plus trim, it weighs in at £64,775. Ouch.

By far the most expensive version of the ‘45 family we’ve seen so far, the GLA 45 S Plus works out roughly £8000 more than an A45 S in the same spec. If the AMG’d A-Class is anything to go by, though, there won’t be many cost options on the menu to inflate the chunky starting price of the Plus much further.

The Plus pack provides adaptive dampers, 21-inch wheels, multibeam LED headlights and an aero package. Inside, thusly equipped cars come with a panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable multi-contour seats, and a Burmester audio system. On the safety front, blind-spot assist and traffic sign assist functions are fitted as standard.

If you’re happy to do without all that, the base GLA 45 S is £58,755. That’s as cheap as it gets in the UK - mirroring the same setup in the British A45 and CLA 45 ranges, the less powerful non-S version isn’t available here.

For anyone wishing to spend less on an AMG’d GLA, there’s the GLA 35, starting at £43,565. Spec the Premium package with its 10.-25-inch digital cockpit, augmented reality navigation, keyless entry and bigger wheels, and that figure rises to £46,065.

Finally, £50,000 gets you a GLA 35 with Premium Plus, adding adaptive dampers, AMG aero, even bigger wheels, a Burmester sound system and much more besides. This trim grade also opens up the option of the Driving Assistance package, which adds an extra £1495 to the price.

Both of the AMG GLAs are available to order now, with initial deliveries starting this summer.