Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG safety levels are incredibly high, the A-Class scoring a maximum five stars in EuroNCAP crash tests. As standard you get safety kit including Active Park Assist, hill-start assist for perfect hill starts, nine airbags, high performance brakes, a three-stage electronic stability control system with traction control, ABS and an electric parking brake.

There’s also Attention Assist, which alerts the driver when the car senses fatigue such as slow steering movements. You also get Collision Prevention Assist and automatic wipers.

Instant comparisons with the regular A-Class are the way to go when exploring the question of Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG practicality. There’s exactly the same amount of space in the car, while the boot capacity also remains unchanged.

Those after the last word in boot space may want to consider the CLA 45 AMG instead – this is a stylish four-door saloon based on the same platform.