The A45 AMG is Mercedes’ smack in the face of the established hot hatch manufacturers, with a car that looks different, apparently drives quite well and is powered by the world’s most powerful production two-liter turbocharged engine. It’s so impressive, that it’s actually faster in a straight line than the bigger, more powerful and far, far more expensive CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake.
All this is backed up by excellent steering and solid handling predictable, according to Autocar’s testers who tried out the new A45. Driver and reviewer Steve Sutcliffe says it feels like “a well-sorted front-wheel drive car,” which in our book is both a compliment, as well as a negative point. I’ll elaborate.
When you hear that the car has 355 hp and all-wheel drive, you expect it to actually make its rear tires work. However, it is a heavily front-biased car, when it comes to the distribution of torque, and the rear only gets power when the electronics sense that you may crash (loss of traction).
In addition, an upcoming comparison test between the A45 AMG, BMW M135i and a VW Golf GTi with the Performance Pack, as well as DSG, has been announced, and while we expect the A45 to beat the Golf with ease, its battle against the BMW will be an interesting one.
By Andrei Nedelea
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