Mercedes GLA Class Hatchback

GLA 180 Sport 5dr Auto [2022.5]

It might be the smallest and cheapest SUV in the Mercedes-Benz line-up, but there’s no way you can accuse the GLA of being the runt of the litter. Because with exceptional comfort and a range of engines taking you all the way from sensible to sensational, it’s a worthy rival to the likes of the Audi Q3 and the BMW X2.

The latest edition has been received a boost for 2020, but the first GLA was introduced back in 2014, with at the time many looking at the GLA and accusing it of being something of an enigma. Mercedes-Benz themselves admit that the GLA ‘doesn't fit into one specific category’. After all, it’s based on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and some might say it falls between two stools - that of a hatchback and an SUV.

Unless we’re talking about the Mercedes-AMG GLA - a different beast entirely from the firm’s performance division and costing up to £65,000 - it’s not particularly sporty either. But sometimes occupying the middle of the road is no bad thing when it results in a vehicle that ticks so many boxes for so many people.

The GLA has also been heavily revised for 2020, a facelift making it taller, wider and roomier than ever before, and very much steering it into full-blown SUV territory. Now sitting 14cm higher than the A-Class, you get a commanding view of the road and room in the back for three adults. And the GLA’s real trump card is in its refinement. On the road, plush, rival-dominating suspension means you’ll float over potholes while a quiet, insulated cabin makes the GLA a relaxing place indeed to spend time. Meanwhile, the GLA boasts an interior to make competitors green with envy.

A new state-of-the-art ‘MBUX’ infotainment system is one of the most usable and intuitive on the market. The cabin feels luxurious to the touch and is also pleasing on the eye, replete with eye-catching turbine-style vents and two large digital screens.

Spec levels as standard are also impressive, which includes heated front seats, lane keeping assist tech, dual climate control and a rear view camera.

And while it doesn’t have the biggest boot compared with market competitors, it scores high in the practicality stakes by being a capable off-roader, too.

It is, then, one of the best all-rounders out there, particularly if you’re looking at the more luxurious end of the small SUV market.