@wheelsaustralia 17
ofa DriftModemeaningtheA45will
beabletovaporisetyreswithtypical
AMGenthusiasm.
Asforthechassis,AMGclaimsall
A-Classcomponentshavebeenheavily
revised,includinga newaluminium
wishbonedesignforthefour-linkrear
setupthatreducesunsprungweight.
Thestrutfront-endbenefitsfroma
wider track, too, and AMG claims the
A45 S gains a newfound level of ride
comfort,thankstotri-modeadaptive
dampers.Anextensivelyreinforced
bodyshellalsoincreasesrigidity.
Therearesixdrivingmodesavailable
tooptimisethecar’sbandwidthin
allconditions.TheyincludeSlippery,
Comfort,Sport,SportPlus,Individual
andRace.However,AMGDynamics
movesthegameforwardwithBasic,
Advanced, Pro and Master programs
available for the ESC, allowingprogressively unaided driving, provided
the system senses driver inputs are
within spec.
On the inside the dinky centre
console gear selector has been ditched
for the cooking model A-Class’s
steering column wand. An AMG
Performance steering wheel is covered
in nappa leather/microfibre, while two
10.25-inch screens take care of the
MBUX infotainment system (with AMG
displays) and instrument cluster.
The exterior design doesn’t quite
meet the engineering menace, but
aggression can be found in the
AMG-specific grille, with 12 vertical
louvres, contoured headlights, and
a powerdome bonnet. Flared wheel
arches create space for the wider front
track and 19-inch alloys, while the
horizontal fins in the outer air vents
increase the illusion of width. The
intakes are functional for cooling and
form part of the AMG aerodynamics
pack, while the rear diffuser houses
quad exhaust pipes.
As for its Aussie price, that’s
unconfirmed, but given the extra
performance (and the availability of
the ‘lesser’ A35), we expect pricing to
increase slightly on the circa $78K of the
previous model. Around $85K is our tip.
Put into perspective, the original
Golf GTI of 1976 mustered a mighty
81kW. Now, in 2019 the A45 S is
mustering kilowatt counts that shame
supercars of the recent past.
TRENT GIUNCOIf you decide
to take your
A45 S to a
track day
(and you
should), an
AMG data
logger is a
cost option