First there was the Mercedes GLA-Class, a modern, city-savvy luxury SUV that was easy to park and fuel efficient. Then along came the Mercedes GLA 45 AMG, which launched in Australia recently, lowering the car's height, boosting output to stratospheric levels (265kW/450Nm) and giving it a whip-crack quick 4.8 second 0-100km/h sprint.
But now there's an even more potent version, thanks to the crew at German tuning house Brabus, who have boosted output to 294kW/500Nm, which sees the 'SUV' rocket from 0-100km/h in just 4.4 seconds.
With C 63 AMG-rivalling performance, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine in the GLA 45 AMG has been tuned by Brabus to deliver higher performance and has a 270km/h top speed to match. Complementing the extra oomph are enhanced aerodynamics courtesy of a full body kit (front and rear bumpers, spoilers, rear diffuser, roof spoiler) and a larger wheel and tyre combo, measuring 21 inches in diameter.
It's not the first time Brabus has released tuning kits for the GLA-Class. Back in May Brabus revealed its first-generation package. The update features slightly different styling for and a new LED underfloor lighting (for all models) is available, switching on whenever the doors are unlocked via keyless remote.
Brabus tuning kits are currently offered in more than 100 countries globally, including in this country via Brabus' sole Australian partner, Sharp Performance in Victoria. The company says new Mercedes-Benz models fitted with Brabus parts in Australia are covered by Brabus' three-year/100,000km warranty.
The entire range of GLA models, including petrol and diesel variants, have Brabus parts available, for example the popular GLA 250's 155kW output can be hiked to 180kW and can be fitted with a sports exhaust featuring "actively controlled butterfly valves" for push-button sonics.