TheAMGA45S – dueinAustraliainthefirstquarterofnext
year,pricedalittleabovethecurrentmodel’s$78K–isnot
merelyanextremeevolutionoftheA-Class,it’salsopowered
bytheworld’smostpowerfulvolume-productionfour-cylinder
engine,andalsocomesdressedupasfour-doorcoupeoreven
a wagon,atleastinEurope.
Although even thebasemodel (ratedat285kW andalso
slatedfortheAustralianmarket)eclipsesthecompetitionin
oneeasy lesson, theSversionchurns outa mind-boggling
310kW,whichissimplyincredibleinviewofthefactthatit’s
generatedbyfourcylindersandanaggregatedisplacementof
just1991cc.Amazingwhata twin-scrollturbochargerandsome
engineeringwizardrycando.
Incombinationwithaneight-speeddual-clutchtransmission
anda trickall-wheeldrivesystem,thisexceptionalenginecan
propelthe1550kgcrackerjackfromrestto100km/hinonly
3.9sec.Topspeedisrestrictedto270km/h.
Asusual,theofficialfuelconsumptionhasbeencomputed
in the wishful thinking department. Mercedes claims a
combinedfigureaslowas8.1L/100km,butthehard-charging
testcaraveraged16.9undersomeseriousright-foottreatment.
And,yes,everydropwasburntforaverygoodcausecalled
exceptionaldrivingpleasure.MAIN
Babybrothersmokes
theC63forstraight-
lineacceleration,
despitehavinghalfthe
capacity,cylindersand
turbocount
LEFT
Techyinteriorfeatures
flat-bottomsteering
wheel,sportsseats
withyellowpiping
anda widescreen
instrument/media
displaythatconveys
massesofinformation
andchangesaccording
todrivemodeselected
ThesecretbehindtheA45’sradicalon-demandchange of
handlingattitudeisknownasAMGTorqueControl,andthe
heartofthesystemsitsinsidetherearaxle.Oneachsideof
thedifferential, wefind electronically controlled multi-disc
clutches,one foreach driveshaft. In combination withthe
fullyvariableelectro-mechanicalfront-to-reartorquesplit,the
alsofullyvariablerearside-to-sidetorquedistributionensures
optimumtractioninallconditions– exceptofcourseinDrift
Mode,whentheouterrearwheelisfedalltheoomphit needs
toputona waltzwhiletheinnerwheeltakessometimeoff.
Soundsstraightforward,butthechip-controllednetworkof
sensorsandcontrolunitscouldinfactnotbemorecomplex.
Theergonomicwonderlandcreatedtoaddressallthesetalents
is equally challenging, offering a selection of hard keys, a
touchpadanda multi-functionalsteeringwheel,completewith
severalsub-menusandmultipleredundancies.
In a nutshell, the AMG A45 comes equipped with three
scalabledynamicinterfaces.LevelOnedefinesthe4Maticset-
up.WiththeAMGDynamicsmenuinBasicorAdvanced,all-
wheeldriveworksinComfortmode.UpgradetoPlusorMaster,
andSportmodewillautomaticallytakeover.LevelTwooffers
threedifferentESPactivities:On,SportHandlingmodeandOff.
LevelThreeletsyouchoosefromsixdifferentdrivingprograms
labelledIce,Comfort,Sport,SportPlus,RaceandIndividual.
The related software masterminds all drivetrain-related
functionssuch asthrottleresponse, shiftpointsandspeed,
sound processor and exhaust note in Reduced, Moderate,
SportyorDynamicfashion.Otherflexibletoolsaretheavailable
adjustabledampers, activetorquesplit,ESPcalibrationand
steering action. Devoid of air suspension and rear-wheel
steering,thenewA-Classonsteroidsisonlya coupleofsteps
awayfromtotaloverkill.
Butit’stimetoleavebehindthefunoftheskid-padandhead
backintotherealworld.ThehinterlandofMadridisinhabited
bycattle,sheep,goatsandtheoddhumanbeing.Mostofthe➜THE A45 S CHURNS OUT
A MIND-BOGGLING 310KW
FROM FOUR CYLINDERS
d motorofficial f motor_mag^61