Is the 2.3-tonne, 671bhp Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 a hit or miss?

Jack Rix: “The seats’ll rumble like you’ve had a particularly spicy jalfrezi”

I’m a big fan of the AMG CLA 45 – a car that stretched its position as an entry-level AMG to bursting point with its certified insane four pot engine.

This new one is electric, granted, but Mercedes hasn’t ignored its past, it’s sampled it – pumping the old four cylinder thrash through the speakers and making the seats rumble, like you’ve had a particularly spicy jalfrezi.

It also has 671bhp, which is a [gets calculator out] 62 per cent increase in power, over a car that was already overpowered. Do I think souped-up EVs make sense? Not really. Do I want to give this one a go? I do.

Ollie Kew: “It's now an extinction-level event for your driveway”

Jack's forgotten the first rule of EV Club: it’s gained all that power because it’s now an extinction-level event for your driveway. AMG’s smallest saloon is 2.3 tonnes, because it needed a bigger battery than a normal CLA to offset how quickly it chomps through charge at full chat.

The second rule is that you never buy the fastest EV in the line-up. Because all EVs are quick, but the many motor uber-duper version just hoses through its battery quicker. Yes, the boggo CLA is an efficiency champ, but will owners genuinely be deploying Drift Mode often enough to make the AMG’s price premium count?

You turn if you want to. I’m off to see how much 6.2-litre V8 C63 I can get for under £30k...