Wheels Australia – August 2019

16 whichcar.com.au/wheels


days



tune.Themaximumenginespeedis

7200rpmandAMGclaimstheM139is

builttolastatleast250,000km.

TheoutgoingA45’spolarising

acousticsarebeefedupwith

automaticallycontrolledexhaustflaps.

Dependingonthedrivemode,the

soundtrackcangofrom“harmoniously

discreet”to“emotivelysporty”.Partial

ignitioninterruptionwhenchanging

upandautothrottleblippingwhen

changingdownaddsauraltheatre.

Thankfully,thecar’sextravagantpops

andbangsaren’tdead.

However,it’snotjusttheenginethat’s

new,withAMGgivingtherestofthe

drivetraina significantoverhaul.The

fast-shiftingdual-clutchgearboxgains

a ratiotomakeeight,whileRaceStart

is standard,aidingtheferal0-100km/h

time.TheAMGPerformance-tweaked

4Matic+all-wheel-drivesystemalsodoes

itsbitforlaunchpurchase.

WithinthefullyvariableAWDsystem

is a newdifferentialfortherearaxle,

whichhasanelectronicallycontrolled

multiplateclutchconnectedtoeach

driveshaft.Thismeanstorquecanbe

channelledleftandrightbetweenthe

rearwheelsaswellasfronttobackfor

optimumtraction.

Forsome,thesystem’srealbenefit

is thatit’sallowedfortheinclusion

AUGUST 2019

HOT-HATCH

HIGHLIGHTS

ICONS FROMTHEPASTFIVE

DECADESTHATPAVEDTHEWAY

HERO

ROLL

CALL

A45 S improves on already impressive

A-Class cabin with AMG-specific highlights,

like contoured sport seats

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI

Often referred to as the original hot hatch,

the Mk1 GTI ran a 1.6-litre four making

81kW and 137Nm. That doesn’t sound

overly enticing, but with a kerb weight of

just 810kg, the Golf managed 0-100km/h

in around 9.0 seconds – not bad for 1976.

Hailed a hero then and now.

LANCIA DELTA INTEGRALE

While the road-going Evoluzione II is

the crowning glory, the story started in

the ’80s with a famous Group B rally

car. It was based on the Italian Delta HF

4WD and utilised a 121kW 2.0-litre four-

cylinder with a Garrett turbo. Ultimately it

transformed into a 600hp forest fighter.

HONDA CIVIC TYPE R

With its screaming 8200rpm redline,is

it any wonder the EK Civic Type R found

a cult following? The B16B 1.6-litrefour

utilised VTEC for a bristling 136kWat

8200rpm and 160Nm at 7500rpm.Bac

in the day it boasted the highest specifi

output per litre for an atmo engine.

FORD FOCUS RS

Second-generation Ford Focus RSowe

plenty to Volvo’s warbling five-cylinder

turbo. Its 224kW/440Nm symphony

powered the front wheels only, witha

Quaife limited-slip diff and RevoKnuckl

suspension harnessing its syrupy grunt.

Used examples are rare and expensive.

RENAULT MEGANE 275

TROPHY-R

Renaultsport’s stripped out 201kW

Trophy-R reset the bar for front-wheel-

drive cars at the Nurburgring in 2014. Its

scintillating time of 7:54.36 cemented the

French brand’s prominence at the Green

Hell, stealing the title from SEAT. Earlier

this year the Meg’s 2019 successor did it

again, in a brisk 7:40.10.

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