here. Instead, conditions remain dry and
therefore conducive to quick lap times.
That’s good, because much is expected of
the Trophy-R.
For an indisputable ‘result’, it will
need to lap not only quicker than the
Mercedes but also palpably better. If
it’s not something to relish on the track,
then the game is up. Accordingly, to set
a benchmark in every sense, the A45
gets first dibs on the VBOX timing
gear. After several tries, it manages a
1:14.9. Replayed in my head, that brief
time somehow manages to encompass
everything from boredom to glee.
Its reputation for superabundance in
the engine bay is earned at full tilt. An
initial linearity is augmented by a stab of
final-rev thrust at 6000rpm; miss it and
you’ll have short-shifted or crashed head
first (literally) into the limiter, but hit it
consistently and the AMG scorches.
No surprise, then, that it’s going 8km/h
faster by the end of Blyton’s modest back
straight. It corners, too – and not just
in the uniform bear hug of four-wheel
adhesion that allows it to carry more
speed through Blyton’s few genuinely
quick bends, either. The A45 shows an
Fully electrically
adjustable sports seats
perfect for track daysA45 AMG interior
is like a five-star
hotel after the
budget packpacker
accommodation of
the Trophy-R2.0-litre four-pot is
a thing of wonder,
endows the A45 with
incredible acceleration