THE CLA represents a fascinating new direction for Mercedes-Benz.

The CLA has been developed in the wake of the CLS, that large, sweepingly lined luxury coupe which brought the wow-factor by the truckload to Britain's directors' car parks.

Now that powerful German image stick has been waved over the latest A-Class hatchback to create a scaled down prestige coupe that is poised to please the ever growing number of management motorists who have been forced to downsize in the current financial climate.

The story of the A-Class is indeed interesting. It started life as a double-floored mini-MPV sized vehicle with a sloping front that never looked easy wearing the three-pointed Mercedes star.

In recent times it went through a remarkable transformation into a very stylish hatchback with a long bonnet and a big grille that almost snarls that it is a Merc.

And then came the CLA coupe. Not cheap, this car represents the current trend for all-singing, all-dancing premium compact cars and confidently takes on similar products from other, principally German manufacturers.

It represents a step-change in the premium compact market in which small is beautiful. To me this is good news because the word downsize can often go hand in hand with doing without.

And you certainly lack for nothing in the CLA. The 180 Sport model I drove was powered by a 1.6 four-cylinder petrol injection engine with a 122bhp output and a top speed capability of 130mph. With a lively 0-62mph sprint factor of 9.3 seconds it carried an on-the-road pricetag of £24,335 and had a smooth six-speed manual transmission.

With a high standard of equipment, the CLA features such items as active park assist, electric door mirrors with LED indicators and much more. A raft of optional extras bumped up the price to £29,905, most notable of which was a £2,100 COMAND online system with media interface and a seven-inch tablet style colour display featuring hard disc drive navigation and 3D map display plus other features including speed limit assist.

The 180 Sport features eye-catching 18 inch alloys and chrome beltine trim strips giving a very upmarket look. With its sweeping and imaginative style there is not a hint of understatement about this one.

Inside there are sports seats with a grey artico artificial leather/Corumba chequered design theme.

On the road it is a competent performer but there was always the feel that a little more power would have been welcome. For those who desire it there are more powerful versions. But its combined 50mpg capability states in no uncertain terms that this really is a car for today.