[Auto] Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S (2020) International First Drive

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The world's most powerful production 4-cylinder motor has found its way into the 2nd-generation GLA. How good is it – good enough to justify an estimated R1.1-million asking price? International correspondent Lawrence Allan clambers aboard to give the high-rider a blast.Where once it was a bit of a niche-busting oddity, the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 is now an entirely legitimate proposition within the context of the wider premium compact SUV/crossover market. Back in 2014, when the outgoing car was launched, the European SUV boom was – although firmly on the radar – in its relative infancy. Performance SUVs, particularly smaller ones, were a novelty. The GLA 45 went up against the characterful Audi RS Q3 and bar the larger, slightly-pricier Porsche Macan, not much else. Now virtually everybody is churning out a performance version of a small luxury sports utility vehicle... BMW's sporting division has given the M-lite treatment to the X2, Volkswagen has launched the T-Roc R and there are countless others. There's a clear appetite for a category that many enthusiasts continue to sneer at today.