Mercs A 45: The hottest, quick German

The heading kinda gives it away, but the recently refreshed MercedesAMG A 45 is the quickest production hot hatch we have ever tested.

Only Audi’s 2.5 litre 5-Cylinder RS 3 can give this car a run off the showroom floor. In fact, despite making less power, the previous generation 250kW RS 3 was slightly quicker than the previous generation 265kW A 45, and obviously the upgraded 270kW RS 3 stretched that lead a bit more.

But this is no longer the case, the 280kW/475Nm 2.0 litre four-cylinder refreshed A 45 is quicker than the new RS 3 from the word go, including the roll on acceleration runs from 60km/h, 80km/h and 100km/h.

Sure we are talking from a few tenths of a second to a few hundredths here and there, but faster is faster.

The 0-100km/h comes up in a hard charging, fuss free, 4.55 seconds (4.57 seconds RS 3), thanks to 4MATIC all wheel drive and launch control. The quarter mile is done in 12.87 seconds at 175.45km/h (12.95 seconds at 172.85 seconds RS 3), while the longer 1km run is crossed at 222.14km/h (220.14km/h RS 3).

The only time the RS 3 is ahead is when the A 45 hits its electronic speed limiter at 260km/h and the Audi stops at 269km/h, but opt for the AMG Driver’s Pack and then you jump slightly ahead of the Audi once again.

Mercedes-AMG claim that they have not increased the boost pressure from a heady 1.8 bar but have achieved this increase in power output with a newly configured valve assembly.

In addition they claim the combustion processes have been optimised by reconfigured timing and turbocharging.

Say what you want, this A 45 is faster and maybe more importantly, it is a lot more responsive than the previous generation car. Ironically this extra urge does not come at the expense of fuel consumption. I averaged a very good 9.4 litres / 100km while I had the car, and this is almost a litre better per 100km than the old car.

Okay, so unless you are a car or Mercedes-AMG enthusiast, there is no way you will at a quick glance recognise this new car from the old car, but the modifications to the transmission, gearbox ratios, suspension, electronics and appointments have turned this A 45 into quite a different animal to drive on an everyday basis.

I am not going to go into huge detail about what has changed on the outside. The front skirt in the new A-wing design adds to an even sportier emphasis. Together with the A-wing, the characteristic radiator grille with a Twin Blade louvre in silver chrome with “AMG” lettering is a highly distinctive feature.

New LED High Performance headlamps with “eyebrows” as daytime driving lamps are included as standard. At the rear the tail lights with a new layout and technically sophisticated night-time design blend perfectly into the dynamic overall appearance.

Twin tailpipes and new “TURBO 4MATIC” lettering on the front wings round off the exterior. The dynamic and sporty character continues in the interior.

The AMG instrument cluster has two dial instruments in a double-tube design with new needles and a new numeral design and a new multifunction sport steering wheel. The AMG start-up display is now in the head unit, above the three round air vents.

If you have this kind of money to spend on a premium hot hatch, then you are spoilt for choice, but I would opt for the racier, more in your face Mercedes-AMG A 45 over the slightly more refined but very understated Audi RS 3.