It’s a modern-day Mercedes, with an AMG badge. Thus, the cabin is sporty yet comfortable and festooned with all the extravagances. First up, the large MBUX display is bright, colourful, and offers loads of informatics and touch of the button – whether you access it from the steering wheel, touchpad on the centre console, or directly through the touchscreen itself. Our favourites are those trademark circular air vents. Also, the milled shiny metal inserts seen all around the cabin make it feel more premium and in a league of much more expensive Three-Pointed Stars.

Move to the back and the rear bench are done in a sportier wrap. There’s a good amount of headroom and decent legroom. But the seats could offer slightly more under-thigh support, especially for the middle passenger. The seatback also has a nice inclination, so long hours in the back shouldn’t be discomforting. Lastly, the boot carries a spare tyre, which could reduce its usability. But apart from that little niggle, the boot is sufficiently large with a low loading lip and large opening area. Even the seats get a 40:20:40 split to move large items in the back of your AMG-powered crossover.

The 35AMG guise gets sportier bits like Panamericana grille, larger bumpers both fore and aft with diffusers and dual integrated exhaust tips, 19-inch AMG-spec alloy wheels with larger disc brakes on all four corners, along with Multibeam LED headlamps and LED tail lamps. The GLA35 is available in five colour options including the ‘on-request colour option’— Patagonia Red, that you see in these pictures. On the inside, there are sports seat, two-part sunroof, electric seats with memory function for both front passengers, climate control, MBUX touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless charger, a premium Burmester music system, aluminium foot pedals, electric tailgate, a rearview camera, cruise control, and 64 colours ambient lighting. In terms of safety, there are adaptive headlamps, active brake assist, tyre pressure monitor, active bonnet, many airbags, and park assist and stability assist program.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA35 AMG is difficult to recapitulate. Based on the new-gen GLA, which in itself is a huge improvement over the first-gen model, it doesn’t have a maddeningly powerful AMG engine but a humble four-cylinder that Mercedes went to town with. It’s assembled right here in India as well, not Affalterbach.