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Stung by the arrival of Audi’s RS3, Mercedes-AMG has taken the opportunity to use a mid-life facelift of the hugely popular A-Class to bestow more power and torque on its A45 4Matic model.
In order to wrestle back the crown of ‘fastest hot hatch in the world’ from Ingolstadt, the A45 climbs 21bhp from 355bhp to 376bhp, while torque is up 25Nm to 475Nm.
Both these figures are delivered at the same point as before, with peak torque available from 2,250rpm all the way up to 5,000rpm.
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Accompanied by revised gear ratios and aerodynamic tweaks, the 2016 model year AMG A45 turns in figures of 155mph (169mph unrestricted available as an option) and, crucially, a 0-62mph time of 4.2 seconds – lopping a whole 0.4 seconds off its predecessor’s sprint and beating the RS3 by a tenth.
• Next Mercedes-AMG A45 to get 400bhp+
Whether you think pub stats are irrelevant or not, that class-leading acceleration figure is a key consideration for buyers in this market.
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Yet on track, allowing us to explore the full limits of the AMG’s abilities, these seemingly minor changes add up to a whole lot more than you might expect.
The A45 appears to be less nose-led than the preceding model, with a greater degree of throttle adjustability provided in the maximum ‘Race’ mode setting of the Dynamic Select system. Furthermore, the addition of adaptive damping to the A-Class really helps the car’s cause, as it’s not frightfully uncomfortable while cruising, yet it retains all of its exemplary body control.
Despite direct, consistent steering, which is weighty if perhaps lacking the last word in feel, the 4Matic all-wheel-drive grip partners up with the helm to make placing the A45 a breeze.
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You can trim your line mid-bend with the slightest lift or depression of the superbly-modulated throttle pedal, and the whole car feels far more alive than it ever has before.
The engine sounds great too, with a hard-edged note from low revs to redline, and there’s no doubting the prodigious pace this thing possesses.
On paper the stats only tell part of the story, because the baby Benz pulls powerfully through the first five of its seven gearbox ratios.
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The brakes are incredible and that AMG Speedshift transmission is a peach – feeling quick to react and controlled by the part-Alcantara paddle shifts on the steering wheel.
The Mercedes-AMG A45 remains an expensive car – prices start from just a fiver less than £40,000 – but there’s much more to like here than there was in the old model.
And if you can’t stretch to that, check out the halfway-house A250 AMG variant (from £28,995), which should provide the Volkswagen Golf GTI with something serious to think about.
- Price: From £39,995
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo petrol
- Power/torque: 376bhp/475Nm
- 0-62mph/top speed: 4.2 secs/155mph
- Economy/CO2: 40.9mpg/162g/km
- On sale: Now