As oxymoronic as it sounds, you can achieve an economical AMG performance model. Sort of.

Base price: $99,900 ($105,000 as tested).

Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol inline-four, 225kW/400Nm, 8-speed dual-clutch automatic, AWD, combined economy 8.0L/100km, CO2 184g/km.

Vital statistics: 4438mm long, 1849mm wide, 1581mm high, 2729mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 435 litres, 20-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Fulfils performance-versus-practical remit, MBUX functionality.

We don’t like: Road noise infiltration, styling less phat than fat.

 OFTEN you hear about brands that are ‘late to the party’; not so here – indeed, quite the contrary.

Mercedes has offered AMG versions of its sports utilities since 1999, so it was there at the start and knows the playlist backward.

 Drive some AMG cars are you’d think this is a brand that has its head buried in the speakers as they blare sounds of past decades. Research what they’re preparing for the times ahead, however, and you’ll know that’s not true. Quite the contrary. These people accept electric-enhanced driving is coming, understand why it has to be and have signed off their plan.

The time when the music for fossil-fuelled cars has to stop has yet to be accurately determined; yet it’s clear the volume is from now on being turned down.

 Electric-assist drivetrains are now coming into the larger AMG cars, with positive result. But, as anyone involved in that business knows, the more compact the setting, the more challenging the task. 

Nothing’s impossible, though, and the incoming C-Class, which is now purely four-cylinder focussed and has a motor drive to enhance the engine, will be a landmark – as, in particular, will be the C63e that has yet to be unveiled but has signed off on same ‘EQ’ hybrid boost path, hence the ‘e’. No more V8.

Also, Benz has recently confirmed a ‘green’ for the EQA, which a conventional looking electrified SUV that shares its foundation with the GLA, but with a number of specific styling elements to signify its ‘EQ’ status.

So there’s a lot happening now, and in the near future, and the absolute role AMG will take is still be completely clarified. In the meantime, it can offer GLA models with performance engines in two levels of hot. It’s the lesser of those on test here.

The AMG GLA35 is an interesting car for this moment in time. Ostensibly, the ‘35’ models are AMG’s diffusion line; models that are one rung down from the full house machine. This one bridges the divide between a watered-down AMG-line and the full-out ‘45’ berserker that, though not here yet, will doubtless emerge at some point. 

While the madness is less overt, it’s still officially an entry-level ‘real AMG’, so assuredly there are genuine thrills and thrust.

Even though the engine comes from Mercedes itself rather than the Affalterbach skunkworks – hence why it has AMG on the cam cover but lacks the final authority of a plate showing the assembler’s name - and regardless that it packs 85kW and 100Nm less than the 45 engine that features in other applications, with a 5.2s best claimed and a top speed more double our absolute legal limit, the badges are well earned.

As much as it isn’t AMG-lite, neither is it AMG ‘heavy’, particularly in respect to the drinking. This model is among the minority of AMGs that actually stand chance of achieving, so long as you drive with some degree of sensibility, the single figure returns claimed on the package.

Okay, I didn’t quite get to that cited 8.0 litres per 100km myself. But the overall of 9.8 was, I feel, enough of a victory nonetheless and adds weight to thought that, at a time when everyone is talking about CO2 counts and looking for low litres per kilometre returns, it’s possible this is the kind of AMG that could at least be spared total distain from the Green-minded, on grounds it’s not TOO conspicuous in its consumption. Well, just a theory.

However, you feel about that, surely you’ll agree that it might at least be able to achieve reasonable street scene anonymity too. This is by no means the most extrovert AMG out there.

This second generation is bulkier and taller than the first. There’s talk Benz undertook revisions, including raising the roof line by 10 centimetres – which, in turn, allows the driver’s seat to be more elevated - in reaction to public feedback about the original, previous generation model not looking SUV enough.

Even so, given that the first GLA was a big hit for Benz, with over a million built and sold since late-2013, you have to wonder how much more SUV it needed to be. The maker obviously agrees, because the styling revision really doesn’t change the car’s overall ambience. Which means the smallest high-riding AMG-badged hot-rod is still as the old one was; a car reminiscent of an enlarged and slightly pudgy hatchback on stilts. Or, as a mate put it, ‘an A-Class that has been pumped to max Psi.’

The end result is that, among the seven silhouettes created off this platform, it’s the one that looks too friendly to be considered feral. Even with all the usual AMG accessories like extra-big wheels and a hunkered stance and flared bits, there’s no outright anger. It’s the AMG least likely to be the toast of the trackday pitlane.  

Exploring the performance parameters sets your mind to rest about the degree of commitment it has to the cause. This is an honestly fast car. Not outright insane, but it definitely has the devil in it. 

With maximum power fulfilled at 5300rpm and all the torque implemented by 4000rpm, it’s no rev-hungry howler, and you’ve got to hit the throttle quite hard to achieve decent exhaust resonance, but it revs cleanly. The main excitement here, though, is how it gets onto what proves to be a quite substantial torque wave; while it’s not tear-your-face-off frenzied, there’s certainly enough decent shove for a unit of this capacity. It’s just dialled back a tad to vaguely more sensible levels.

The clout transfers via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic and then sent through a ‘4Matic’ all-wheel-drive system. Variable torque split means the system can divide drive from 100 per cent to the front axle to as much as 50:50 split front to rear, as conditions demand.

The span of configurability via the driving modes allows the car to behave anywhere on the scale from mellow to mad. As much as it still feels enjoyably naughty having this much power in an sensible compact family SUV, be aware that AMG models are always a lot stiffer than the regular models from which they are derived and the ‘harder’ the performance setting … well, you can work it out.

The ‘35’ has better ride quality and breath of ability than the ‘45’, but like the ultimate rocket it also achieves lowered suspension with ability to take it from stiff to even stiffer, either with the ride controller itself or a little dial on the steering wheel that’s a fast-track from comfortable and laidback to hard and hard-out. Comfort is the softest setting and one you ought to be in for everyday driving. Sport Plus is a buzz, but best left for when you’re on your own and legging it.

Naturally enough, the GLA bristles with all the latest safety technology. There’s everything you’d hope for, from multiple airbags to mod cons and speed sign reading. Plus a pop-up bonnet to protect pedestrians. Mercedes is more interested in mitigating smashes, so you also get driver drowsiness alert, automatic emergency braking and a warning system that makes the steering wheel vibrate if you are drifting out of your lane. Put it into the active cruise control and you can, for a short while, drive without hands on the wheel. The car will not only guide itself through corners, usually uncannily well, but also will slow for them if it judges the approach speed to be too high. It sometimes becomes too cautious, but the tech is amazing.

Being a big spend item means it delivers top class quality in respect to the trim materials, fit and finish, plus it delivers some nice touches, particularly with the ambient lighting. The ability to alter this to suit your mood is very much in vogue, and with Benz they’re deadest on meeting highest expectations. The colour choice is intense, some is interactive and there are lights even in the air vents themselves that change to blue or red depending on how you’re adjusting cabin temperature.

The most impressive in-car feature is the big display screen that delivers the wonders of the MBUX operating system. It basically has every kind of function for any kind of requirement, so you’re likely going to have to study the manual to become fully cognisant, but the fundamentals are easy to come to terms with. As much as I enjoy Benz’s set-up, I also nonetheless tend to prioritise the smartphone mirroring for my iPhone (as well as Apple. It also does Android) simply because I’m mainly either on the phone or listening to podcasts. The car is sorted for this kind of thing, with wireless charging as well as cable hook-in (it’s all US-C now, so bring an adapter).

The system is controlled via a console touchpad with haptic feedback or steering wheel touchpad, which makes using it on the move easy enough. However, traditional types can still operate things via the touchscreen. 

The vehicle user interface also can be operated by a circular, LCD-screened drive selector knob on the right side, and a customisable twin switch panel on the left also powered by an LCD screen, and though it initially seems a bit daunting, you really are doing yourself a favour by learning it. There’s a lot you can achieve with one touch – from disabling the stop-start to changing the suspension mode and locking the transmission in manual.

You can always add more. Our tester came with active cruise with stop and go function, an ingredient of a $1990 driving assistance package. It also had a $1190 vision package, adding autodipping multibeam LED headlights and parking aids, including a 360-degree camera. The metallic red paint job added another $2000 to the bottom line that I’d personally skip.

In setting out to give the GLA a crossover flavour, they’re elevated the seating position slightly. It’s great for visibility yet, somehow, the whole driver to car feel seems a bit more remote than it is in the A-Class. The front seat base is a bit flat, too. There are sports seats on the options list.

The cabin is pretty good space-wise; tall occupants can nab the front row without worrying that their preferred seat placement will destroy leg room behind. I’m lanky but, sitting behind my own driving position, was okay for knee room, had no issue with foot space and head clearance was also decent. Three adults across the back is a bit of a squeeze, but small frames won’t be rubbing shoulders.

The 40/20/40 seat arrangement means you can fold down the middle section and load long cargo while leaving the outer chairs free, and amenities in the back are well sorted, with two USB-C ports, rear air vents, and deep storage bins on either rear door.  Boot space, meantime, comes in at 435 litres. Not the best in the class, but okay for two decent-sized suitcases, and folding all of the second-row seats down creates 1430 litres of potential storage space. I’m told you can get at least one mountain bike in there. The rear door operation is electric.

All in all, it’s an interesting car. Yes, by AMG standards, it’s the ‘quiet’ one in the pack; the exhaust and engine only begin to bark when you’ll pushing along and, styling-wise, it’s one of the least overt choices. But it drives well enough to earn the badge and, so long as you can operate it with a degree of sensibility, there’ll be a decent fuel consumption return. The shape is a bit gawky, but it delivers enough versatility to suit life as a feisty family ride.