ONSIDERTHEBAR RAISED. THENEW
Mercedes-AMGA45 S hasbeen revealed
andit hasa peak power figure of 415bhp.
Thisis 1bhpmore thanthe996-generationPorsche
911 Turboof 20 years ago couldmuster, a car
thatat thetimechallenged ourperceptionsof
on-road performance. Yet here’s a small,premium
hatchback,withfive seats, a useablebootanda
manufacturer warranty, thataimsto bringthat
level of performance to themasses, or at least
themasses whocan afford a car withan expected
circa-£50,000price tag.
TheA45 S willtop theA-class range, withsome
markets (butnottheUK)also gettinga 381bhp
non-S version.That415bhpheadlinefigure, which
is 39bhpmore thantheoldAMGA45 managed
andis backed up by 369lbft of torque,is thanks
to an all-new 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
engine.Puttingto onesidetheengines in future
hypercars suchas theKoenigsegg Jesko andAMG’s
own Project One,theA45 S motor hasthehighest
specificoutputof any productioncar engine:
208bhpperlitre. For context, theMcLaren Senna’s
twin-turboV8manages 197bhpperlitre, theBugatti
Chiron’s quad-turboW16184bhpperlitre, andthe
Ferrari 812Superfast’s naturallyaspirated 6.5-litre
V12a lowly131bhpperlitre.
How AMGhasmanaged to produce an engine
withsuchan impressive capability is explained over
thepage, butit is just onepart of why AMGsays
thenew A45 willshed its predecessor’s lukewarm
receptionandbe a real hothatch star.
Work began rightat thecore, witha significantly
more rigidchassis courtesy of new underbody
stiffeningbraces frontandrear, a new shear plate
undertheengine,a brace across thefrontstrut
towers andnew L-shaped ‘shotgun’braces on either
sideof those. Thefronttrackhasbeen widened
andaccommodated withflared wheelarches, while
AMG’s now-familiar‘Panamericana’grilleaddsto
theA45’s visualaggression.
Exploitingthisstiffer base, theenginesends
its power to all four wheelsviaa heavily reworked
versionof Mercedes’ eight-speed dual-clutch
IGNITION
Mercedes aims to change opinions with its new 415bhp A45 S hot hatch
AMGbringsitsAgame
C
Below:A45 S’s stiffened
chassis, wider track,
reworked transmission
andtwin multi-plate rear
clutch pack all bodewell.
Above right:previous
A45’s rear wingpresent
andcorrect