Mercedes-Benz GLA45 vs Volkswagen Golf

What's the difference?

You have to feel a bit sorry for the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S. After all, it shares the same platform and engine as the A 45 S and CLA 45 S, but gets none of the limelight.

Maybe it’s because it’s a small SUV, and by virtue of pure physics, it will never be as fast or fun as its two cousins.

But what it does offer is practicality, thanks to a larger boot and comfort, due to its increased suspension travel.

Wouldn’t this make it a better buy then?

We spend some time behind the wheel of the second-generation Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S to see if can truly have its cake, and eat it too.

Eight generations over more than half a century qualifies the Volkswagen Golf as an automotive icon, standing on the shoulders of its original beetle-shaped ancestor.

It remains one of the world’s favourite cars and this 110TSI Life version is the entry-point to the local model line-up, the latest ‘8.5’ version of which arrived here just over 12 months ago.

It sits in a hotly contested small-car category, appealing to those with a preference for a conventional hatch and pure internal-combustion power.

In an automotive world now dominated by increasingly electrified SUVs, we spent a week behind the wheel to see how it shapes up as an urban specialist with occasional open road ability.