Try it, Mercedes A45 S Class AMG: it dazzles you with its 421 hp

Try it, Mercedes A45 S Class AMG

AMG has redefined the parameters of the compact sedan segment, because with the A45 S class it has created an extreme product, in every sense. Its "small" 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine has been brought to the disarming power of 421 hp for 500 Nm of maximum torque. These are mind-boggling numbers, which ensure the car exhilarating performance combined with extremely refined driving dynamics. In order to make the most of it, the track is necessary, on the road, otherwise it is limited. Prices from 63,140 euros.

Federicovecchio.com The A45 AMG class appearance is characteristic, and does nothing to hide its intentions: the matt gray color, the black alloy wheels with single nut, the widened wheel arches, the four burnished tailpipes, the badges reminiscent of the model, the sports bucket seats. Everything about this car is designed to offer the best possible driving experience. The passenger compartment is finished with the typical Mercedes care, the materials are of excellent quality and some details are embellished with Alcantara upholstery.

Federicovecchio.com The real protagonist, however, is under the hood, that 2.0-liter with the highest specific power in the world: 211 Hp / l. AMG engineers worked to ensure that the power unit was both extremely powerful and reliable. Moreover, it is unlikely that most customers will be able to take advantage of the huge reserve of horses available. Thus, on the road the A45-Class proves to be extremely balanced and docile.

Federicovecchio.com The set-up is rigid but the suspensions work well to absorb the roughness of the ground; traveling within the limits, the engine is silent and fuel consumption is all in all discrete, at 110 km / h you travel around 11 km / l. The automatic transmission is an eight-speed double clutch, extremely precise and fluid in engagement and downshifts, it has a different calibration depending on the selected driving program. Speaking of performance, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.9 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 270 km / h.

Federicovecchio.com The dynamic behavior is also excellent: the frame is solid and the steering is absolutely adequate in suggesting and maintaining the right trajectories. It is highly appreciated in sporty driving, but it is also intuitive in everyday life for maneuvers and parking. Under the right foot, however, there is an uncommon artillery available for the segment, managed in an exceptional way by the 4Matic + all-wheel drive.

Federicovecchio.com A structure that allows you to distribute torque not only between the two axles , but also between the two rear wheels through an electromechanical differential that uses two multi-disc clutches. In this way it is possible to distribute up to 100% of the torque on the rear wheels alone, and the power oversteer (with the right skills and especially in suitable contexts) becomes easy and manageable. The sensation is that of an extremely sharp and effective car, always ready to amaze.

Federicovecchio.com Life on board is of a high standard and the latest generation of technological equipment: the MBUX infotelematics system is excellent, with reality augmented for navigation and the convenient and useful voice assistant for responding to trivial commands. There is no shortage of special effects such as the ability to illuminate the passenger compartment with 64 different colors that are shown through the LED strips on the dashboard and door panel. Among the few flaws, the sound is particularly "blocked" due to the new anti-pollution regulations. And on a sports car of this level, it's a real shame.

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New Mercedes-AMG A45 S 2021 review

a car parked on the side of a road: Mercedes-AMG A45 S

Four hundred and twenty one horsepower. Wow. That’s four times the output of the Mk1 Golf GTI and more than twice what a Fiesta ST can muster. It’s also enough to defeat a Ferrari 288 GTO (arguably the first hypercar) in a game of Top Trumps. The Mercedes-AMG A45 S isn’t just a hot hatchback. It’s boiling over.

Aufecht, Melcher and Grossaspach (AMG) is a brand built upon stonking V8s, so the original 381hp A45, launched in 2013, felt like a gamble. Yet it paid off handsomely, blitzing all-comers in a straight line, doubling its sales target and bringing forth a range of four-cylinder AMG models.

This new A45 S ups the ante again, headlined by the most powerful production four-pot engine… (pauses for Clarkson-esque effect) …in the WORLD. Bring it on.

Small and mighty a close up of a motorcycle engine: Mercedes-AMG A45 S

Extracting a higher specific output than the 8.0-litre W16 in a Bugatti Chiron isn’t simply a case of turning up the boost. The 2.0-litre motor uses a roller bearing turbo with an electronically controlled wastegate, two-stage fuel injection, F1-style Nanoslide cylinder coatings, enlarged exhaust valves, an aluminium crankcase, a baffled sump and separate cooling systems for the cylinder head and block.

Each engine is hand-built in Affalterbach, too – just like those thunderous and much-loved V8s.

It all hits the road via an eight-speed twin-clutch gearbox, two limited-slip differentials (mechanical at the front, electronic at the rear) and four-wheel drive. The result, in a five-door family hatchback, is 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds. A 288 GTO wouldn’t get close.

There is another startling number to process. At £50,595, or £56,570 for the Plus version driven here, the A45 S is also more than twice the price of a Fiesta ST – and enters the realm of ‘proper’ sports cars, such as the Alpine A110 and Porsche 718 Cayman. For that kind of cash, it needs to offer more than just pub bragging rights.

The physical limits a car parked on the side of a road: Mercedes-AMG A45 S

It certainly looks the part, especially in fully-loaded Plus spec. The front bumper has sprouted a splitter and race car-style flics, while the rear arcs into a brutal diffuser and four meaty tailpipes. Forged 19-inch alloys surround huge six-piston brake calipers, painted bright red with black AMG lettering. And a gloss black spoiler is perched atop the tailgate, said to ‘increase handling stability at the physical limits’.

If all that isn’t exotic enough, the swoopy Mercedes-AMG CLA saloon and CLA Shooting Brake estate offer the same 421hp firepower with a splash of extra style. You’ll pay around £1,500 and £3,000 more respectively.

Whichever body style you choose, you get the same space and practicality as the standard cars. Unlike the (equally expensive) Renault Megane RS Trophy-R, this isn’t a Nurburgring special with a chassis brace instead of a rear seat. Its 370-litre boot is on par with a new Volkswagen Golf.

Tech for the track a person driving a car: Mercedes-AMG A45 S

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It speaks volumes for the A-Class that, even on the wrong side of £50,000, you don’t feel short-changed by its interior. Most surfaces are swathed in supple leather or brushed aluminium, garnished with racy yellow highlights and 64-colour ambient lighting (because 63 just isn’t enough). The AMG Performance seats look fantastic and lock your hips firmly in place, although I’d welcome a bit more padding.

As beneath the bonnet, there’s a tonne of technology here – and getting acclimatised takes time. The dashboard is dominated by two 10.25-inch widescreen displays, configured via fiddly touchpads on the steering wheel or between the seats. The graphics are super-sharp and an array of performance data is available, alongside Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

One interesting feature is the AMG Track Pace app, which maps out more than 60 real-world racetracks – including the Nurburgring – and records your lap times, plus full telemetry data. You can even use the head-up display to show braking points, track position, the radius of the next bend and more. It’s the next best thing to having your own pit crew.

Fireworks display a car parked in a parking lot: Mercedes-AMG A45 S

In the past, big-boosted four-cylinder engines suffered with chronic turbo lag, then demanded an oil-change every other month. No longer. The A45 S punches hard throughout the rev range, and its service intervals are every year or 12,500 miles. It feels unburstable.

Nonetheless, it’s wise to limit your number of maximum-attack getaways, if only for your stomach’s sake. Select Race mode via the Porsche-style dial on the steering wheel, activate launch control, bury your right foot and… BLAM! With instant all-wheel traction, fierce power and super-quick upshifts via the paddles, it squeezes your internal organs so hard you forget to breathe.

It sounds nothing like an AMG V8, obviously. But the whooshes, fizzes and pops of this highly tuned engine – rortier and ruder in Sport and Sport+ driving modes – can’t help but raise a smile.

Power and control a car driving on a road: Mercedes-AMG A45 S

So, having lapped the Nurburgring like a pro and embarrassed Ferraris at the traffic lights, it turns out the A45 is pretty nifty on a B-road, too. Indeed, as a means of joining the cross-country dots, in all seasons and all weathers, few cars are so crushingly capable.

There’s a limit to how quick you can go on Her Majesty’s Highway, of course, which is where the rather inert Audi RS3 falls short. Yet the Mercedes is fun at sane speeds. Its steering is lucid, turn-in is aggressively direct, body control is unwavering and the brakes feel mighty. You’re in the thick of the action, rather than watching from the sidelines.

The 4Matic+ four-wheel-drive system also joins the fun. Like the now-departed Ford Focus RS, it uses torque vectoring to create a rear-biased feel and effectively quash understeer. Also like the Focus, there’s a controversial Drift mode, which amplifies up this effect by channeling torque to the outside rear wheel.

Either way, this is no tyre-smoking C63 wannabe. My overriding impression was of superb balance and reassuring neutrality. Oh, and speed. So much speed.

The ultimate hot hatch a car driving down a dirt road: Mercedes-AMG A45 S

The price paid for such dynamic acuity is a very firm ride, not helped by those unforgiving seats. I could live with it – and if you’ve read this far, I suspect you could as well – but it would put me off running an A45 as a family car. A Golf GTI still does that job better.

In truth, the A45 S is closer in spirit to heroes of yesteryear like the Subaru Impreza Turbo and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. It’s a giant-killer, a car that makes fast work of, well, everything. Even at £56,570, or around £575 a month for the Plus version on PCP finance, it offers a huge amount of performance per pound.

Above all, it’s a riot to drive. A sports car such as the Cayman inevitably offers a purer experience, but if you want the ultimate hot hatchback, look no further.

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Try it, Mercedes A45 S Class AMG: it dazzles you with its 421 hp