A45 AMG raising the bar for hot hatchbacks
There was a time when AMG Mercedes used to be subtle, how times have changed! We bring you the A45 AMG! The car thats raised the bar!
The car in the photo is the 2013 Mercedes Benz A45 AMG which is loosely based on the latest A Class. This car is special as its the German manufacturers first assault on the consumer hot hatchback market. However, its so much more than this, its just about the hottest hatch ever seen on the market.
Those of you who take motoring seriously will know that AMG usually deals in high powered V8s. However, this was never going to happen with the A45. Some might be disappointed that in this instance they have dealt with a mere 2.0 engine, not the colossal 5.5 and 6.2 we are used to seeing. However, if you're one of these people then you seriously need to get over it!
The A45 still houses a hand crafted AMG engine which also has a turbo charger in its arsenal. The result is a staggering 360bhp which is the most powerful 4 cylinder unit in series production. This makes the A45 ferociously fast. To put it all into perspective, 0 – 62 takes little under 4.6 seconds which is easily fast enough to give a Porsche 911 a run for its money. Take up the option of a sports exhaust and everyone in your neighbourhood will be aware of this too!
The guys at Mercedes weren't happy enough with providing the most powerful hot hatchbacks on the market they have also managed to somehow conjure up one of the most efficient units around topping a respectable 40 mpg.
Keeping such powerful cars pointing in the right direction is always a tricky engineering task. Mercedes has achieving this by fitting four wheel drive while adding some clever electronics giving the chassis great stability around the most challenging bends. However, all of this does come with a downside. The steering is a little lifeless and you dont get a good feel for the road. The car has a heavy flat footed feel, that is unless you've got your foot down. This means it is far more suited to fast sweeping roads than tight and twisting ones.
In conclusion, the more time you spend with this car the better it becomes even if the suspension puts the emphasis on firm. On smooth roads this is no problem but on bumpier surfaces this can become an issue. Theres no arguing that the A45 AMG is a fantastic piece of kit however, all this doesnt come cheaply. If youve got a spare £38,000 burning a hole in your pocket then you can pick one up and have enough change to buy an ice-cream for the journey home. Forgetting the price, the A45 AMG has certainly raised the bar in terms of performance hatchbacks.
