► Updated extreme A-Class driven
► 415bhp, 3.9sec 0-62mph, 168mph
► Fast, fast, fast – and fun with it
Various website experts here at CAR have basically told us it’s uncouth to talk about price, but the Mercedes-AMG A45 S – which only comes in Plus specification in the UK – is a family hatchback that costs upwards of £63,285.
Admittedly, you could spend just as much on the Mercedes-AMG A45’s only direct rival, the Audi RS3 Sportback. And since that’s currently sold out on these shores, there is clearly a market for sixty grand hot hatches that hasn’t yet met its limit. It probably helps that hot is no longer a strong enough word for these machines.
Hyper-hatch, mega-hatch, thermonuclear – call the A45 S whatever you will. This thing packs the world’s most powerful series-production four-cylinder engine, a 2.0-litre turbo that produces 415bhp. It is, unquestionably, fast. But can it possibly be worth that amount of money?
Spoiler alert: we think yes. In fact, this might just be the most complete Mercedes available. Let’s come back to that.
What’s new for the facelifted Mercedes-AMG A45 S?
Not a whole hell of a lot. The visual changes for the standard Mercedes A-Class seem to be largely concerned with bringing the cooking model closer to the halo variant – which is to say there are now power bulges in the bonnet right across the range.
Similarly, the lesser AMG A35 gets some of the aggressive add-ons that were previously reserve of the top dog here. Guess when it’s so entirely obvious you’re the boss from a performance perspective – the A45 has 114bhp more than the A35 – a little bit of imitation isn’t going to bother you much.
There is a slight difference in the headlights – most apparent in the daytime running light signature – but otherwise you’re going to need to get close enough to spot that the small round badge on the top of the nose is now the Affalterbach AMG logo rather than a Mercedes emblem.
This is a 168mph car. Good luck.
What about on the inside?
This still treads a fine line between techno boudoir and modern good taste. There’s a ‘trendy’ (Mercedes’ word, not ours) new sage grey finish available for the seats, and the yellow accenting remains surprisingly acceptable – combine with the purple ambient lighting option to create some kind of near-future manga vibe, which works neatly with the skinny expanse of abutted screen for infotainment and instrumentation.
The steering wheel dodges the overly fiddly touchpads of some modern Mercs, and the touch-slider it retains for media volume is entirely useable. There are a host of other controls integrated into the wheel, all of which can be worked out on the fly – but most fun of all are the iconographically illuminated and customisable AMG buttons.
Grafted on in their own individual pods, the one on the right twists – ideal for cycling through driving modes – while the one on the left is split in two allowing you to instantly access a variety of other functions such as ESP status or exhaust volume. We had the top half set to control the AMG dynamics settings, the bottom the transmission.
And no, we’re not too proud to admit this did make us feel like an F1 driver, recalibrating for the conditions.
Superficial quality seems well enough, and areas you touch a lot – such as the horseshoe-shaped paddleshifters for the eight-speed DCT – are a pleasure to interact with. There is a hint of creakiness, however, and you find yourself wondering what the cabin will be like after, say, 20,000 hard-driven miles.
Did you Hey Mercedes?
The MBUX infotainment system is deeply slick by appearance and genuinely not too difficult to get your head around when you have a moment to reflect upon it. But when travelling at the kinds of speeds the A45 S is capable of, it’s often easier to use the voice control, which has stepped up a notch or two.
We experienced no false interruptions here – earlier versions would occasionally enquire about being of assistance when you hadn’t asked – and found that it was easily able to understand all of our requests.
Better yet, now if it can’t do what you want via voice, it instead gives you the menu sequence required to achieve it via the touchscreen. A prime example of where this is handy: turning off the lane keeping assist.
You can understand why Mercedes doesn’t want you to be able to do this with a verbal instruction. But finding the relevant button in the depths of the system would have taken a lot longer without the Hey Mercedes assistance.
This is one of those cars you worry is too clinical to drive – is it?
Mercedes-AMG doesn’t always get things right, but this present generation of A45 has been a cracker right out of the box. From the belting engine through to the 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system – the + signifying a dual clutch-pack equipped back axle that can manipulate torque to the extent Mercedes has jumped onto the Drift Mode bandwagon – this is a car that is going to get you from where you are to where you want to be very, very quickly. Without leaving you feeling like a spectator.
Put the grandstanding shenanigans to one side, and there is a stonking degree of precision available. As well as 415bhp, the motor makes 369lb ft – albeit at a relatively heady 5000-5250rpm – and the drivetrain is all over it. Instead of any frustrating sense of the front end being held in check, there’s a deliciously rear bias to the way this car leans into the tarmac, leaving the steering crisp, responsive and engaging. The sophisticated electronics underpinning all of this, tweaking individual brakes and balancing torque, carry out their interventions like guerrillas in the night, barely detectable.
Mis-time your upshifts in manual mode and you will get mildly punished for it, however. In the first few gears acceleration is so fierce it’s easy to get trapped on the limiter. Flatten your right foot from a standstill and it feels almost electric car fast (0-62mph takes 3.9sec) but snap the throttle on and off because you’ve hit the redline and the A45 threatens to start pogoing – forcing even this small amount of finesse a reminding difference between conventional performance and the single-gear effortlessness of electric drive.
Another is the soundtrack. If Mercedes-AMG’s four-pot might not quite match the charisma of the RS3’s five cylinders it’s still a finely honed mechanical opus. Capable of smoothly refined moderation if required but a snarling buzzsaw that crescendos handsomely whenever you need to make an impression, it’s supported by an exhaust tune that runs the gamut from demure in Comfort through to artillery fire in Sport+.
For what it’s worth, we like the punctuating phup with every new gear in Sport mode the best. A sort of purposeful accenting of your progress rather than an obnoxious cheerleading, it suits the A45’s focused but occasionally wisecracking demeanour.
There’s a lot of satisfaction to be had here, and you don’t have to look – sound – like a doofus while indulging in it.
Is the ride unbearably hard?
It’s firm, but not unbearable. As with the powertrain settings, Mercedes has managed to resolve a real breadth of character across the three suspension control modes available from the AMG Ride Control adaptive damping system.
You’re never not in a performance car, but you’re also never left feeling like you’ve had to pay a severe penalty for that privilege. The quality of the seats seems to help. We haven’t crossed continents in this car, but we have spent entire days at the wheel with no immediate reason for complaint.
It is nicely judged.
So what was that about the A45 S being Mercedes’ most complete car?
A flippant thought, perhaps – especially given the aforementioned cost. But the A45 S nevertheless exudes an exacting fitness of purpose.
It’s tightly proportioned and easy to thread between most obstacles, yet can still carry four adults – and their luggage – if required (though we wouldn’t guarantee the ones in the back will be having an unerringly good time). The interior and its control systems are high quality and modern but unintimidating, and you can always talk to it if you get confused. The augmented reality directions make a good case for sticking with the built-in sat-nav, too, rather than defaulting to Carplay or Android Auto.
Meanwhile, the ride is compromising enough to make going the distance an unflinching affair. And although the big and bold performance is a huge element in the mix here, it never risks overwhelming the rest of the car, so fundamentally well sorted are the other aspects of the driving experience.
Mercedes-AMG A45 S: the CAR verdict
CAR has always liked this version of the A45 S, and with so little changed for the facelifted model there’s no reason to start rowing back from that now. Rather, the things we took issue with originally – the erratic voice control and overly complex infotainment system – have now matured, leaving terrifyingly little to fault here.