Mercedes AMG A45 S road test review

When AMG waves its magic wand over a car, you just know it’s going to be good, and as DAVID HOOPER discovers, this Mercedes-Benz A45 S is very good, so if hot hatches are soon become a thing of the past, you’d better snap one up while you can!

FOR me, hot hatches have always been a favourite, combining family practicality with the ability to entertain and thrill in equal measure – and they don’t come much hotter than this Mercedes A45 S AMG.
If you ignore the big spoiler on the roof, and bright red brake callipers, the A45 S is reasonably understated at first glance, but look closely and the clues are there – a big bold grille at the front and large air intakes to cool the brakes and four exhausts sticking out the back with AMG markings stamped on them – you will soon come to realise this is one of hottest of hatches you can buy today which will happily go head-to-head with the Civic Type R we reviewed in the previous edition of Business Intelligence, the Toyota GR Yaris, the Audi RS3 or the Golf R.
Under the bonnet lurks one of the most powerful 2.0-litre engines you can buy in a production car, with more than 400bhp and 369lb/ft torque available to your right foot! All that power is transferred to the tarmac via an eight speed 4Matic+ dual-clutch gearbox and a four-wheel-drive system which includes a dual-clutch pack on the rear axle which allows the car to be drifted – but no, I didn’t test that feature. I didn’t think my friendly Mercedes-Benz of Grimsby dealership who kindly provided the car to review would thank me for returning it with scrubbed tyres!
This huge amount of power translates to a 0-62 sprint from a standing start in just 3.9 seconds on its way to a potential top speed of 168mph – and that’s electronically limited!
There are several different modes available to the driver – the Comfort setting does what it says on the tin of course, but if you’re expecting a magic carpet ride in a car with this much power you won’t get it, but the car does feel quite tame. Selecting Sport mode begins to transform the car, stiffening up the suspension, turning up the engine and sharpening up the gear changes, but most fun or all, is how it opens up the exhausts to make it sound better – it crackles on the over-run and gives a delightfully satisfying “parp” as you accelerate hard through the gears – it sounds brilliant, but you have to treat it with considerable respect, because the higher up the modes you go, the more the traction control and stability programmes are relaxed, so you have to be sure not to run out of talent in a car this potent.
You might not be surprised to hear that it also has a track mode which give you full power and turns off all the safety systems, so it’s down to you and your driving prowess. It also brings up G Force meters and a plethora of information, not to mention a lap timer to keep track of your circulatory pace – the car’s, not your heart beat, which I guarantee will also be elevated.
The steering is sharp and precise, and the car just feels completely planted thanks in part to its Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, although a high speed, technical route section of road which is one of my favourite test routes, did see the brakes begin to fade after some enthusiastic driving with a softening brake pedal, but then we were also in the middle of a 30 degree heatwave on that particular day, so it can be forgiven for that, and once they had been allowed to cool, the pedal soon regained its firm and progressive feel.
Apart from that, this A45 S took all the off camber corners and bumps in its stride, dealing with everything thrown it far more competently than some less capable machines, and again served as a reminder of how good, and how much fun, a car like this can be compared to an overweight, lumbering EV which we are all heading towards being forced to live with in not too many years’ time!
The dash stretches almost two-thirds of the way across the cabin and looks lovely, is high resolution and can be customised with all sorts of menus and features to the driver’s preference – and you can even talk to the car to ask it to do things like change the radio – just say “Hey Mercedes” and off you go!
I also loved the two little controls mounted on the AMG steering wheel which allow you to fine tune the configuration such as exhaust and suspension settings without having to touch the main screens.
The bucket sets were very comfortable for me, and I thought the yellow stripes on the seats were a bit unusual, but an attractive feature. I also loved the large sunroof which could be opened at the touch of a button.
If hot hatches are destined to become a thing of the past, this is certainly one to own before they do, if you can. It’s a truly fantastic car and completely engaging to drive – I absolutely loved it, but as you might expect, with all this trick technology and sheer ability, it’s an expensive piece of kit at £63,745.

Rating:

If you like this, read our review on the Honda Civic Type-R

THE VITAL STATISTICS
MODEL: Mercedes AMG A45 S
ENGINE: 1991cc, 415bhp four-cylinder petrol engine, driving four wheels through 8-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox.
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 168 mph. 0-62mph in 3.9 secs.
ECONOMY:
Urban: 27mpg
Official combined: 30.7mpg
Extra Urban: 39mpg
Wheel World test average: 24.9mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 189g/km.
FUEL TANK: 51 litres.
INSURANCE: Group 40
PRICE: £63,745
WARRANTY: 3 years/Unlimited miles
WEBSITE: www.listers.co.uk/mercedes/grimsby
• All data correct at time of publication.