Test Drive – Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4MATIC+ W178

Last year AMG In Years was able to drive the A 45 S during a trackday on the Belgian circuit of Zolder. Despite the presence of many other AMGs like the SL 63 and GT 63 E Performance, the A 45 S was probably the most fun to drive. The temptation therefore was huge to drive the A 45 S also in daily conditions. And so it happened…

Design

This must be one of the most subtle (or lazy?) facelift models ever. Only the head and tail lights received an update in terms of inner LED design and signature. Subtle, but tasteful. For those who want extra visual effects there is a possibility to order the Street Style Edition that brings a lot of orange effects on the exterior and interior. But our advice would be to keep it tasteful and subtle as far as that is still possible. Only the front grill and powerdomes are already very impressive and the four black exhaust pipes make it clear this is not just an ordinary A-Class. Furthermore, the wheel arches are wider which allow wider track width. Less visible are other reinforcements: a lightweight aluminum plate bolted under the engine, a support brace between the front struts and pistol-shaped ‘shotguns’ to limit movements at the front.

Engine & Driving

Mechanically nothing has changed versus the pre facelift. The M139 2 liter ‘one-man one-engine’ four cylinder built in Affalterbach is still good for 500 Nm torque at 5.000 rotations per minute, and 421 hp. It allows a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in only 3,9 seconds and the top speed is electronically limited to 270 km/h. Launch control is activated by entering in the AMG Performance menu and activating the Race driving mode. The engine and exhaust sound is far from the V8 AMG rumble, but it is in any case very very loud. You need to love it, otherwise it is better to continue saving money for a V8 AMG model. Temporary ignition interruption when upshifting and an automatic double declutching function when downshifting define the sound experience. The turbo of the engine is able to spin at a mindblowing 169.000 rotations per minute. The injection of petrol happens in two phases. First piezo injectors ensure that the fuel is injected into the combustion chambers at a pressure of up to 200 bar. Secondly, an additional indirect injection takes place via the intake manifold using solenoid valves.

The driving is as hard as a stone, but this somehow also defines the character of the A 45 S. The compact feeling that was making the previous A 45 so special is somehow a bit gone because the new A 45 S doesn’t feel like a small car. The speed with which you can change from Comfort to Sport+ or Race mode is so impressive but really a defining character of AMG. Within a second you can transform the car from a comfy sleeper to a souped-up racing machine. The AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT-8G is responsible for the transmission of power. The combination of the fully variable fourwheeldrive system 4MATIC+ and AMG TORQUE CONTROL is responsible for balancing the available power over the four wheels. Thanks to the multidisc electro mechanical lock differential even a drifting mode is possible. Optionally customers can also choose for AMG RIDE CONTROL where the damping of the suspension can be manually adjusted. Fast acceleration also requires fast braking. In the front there are 360 x 36 mm discs, at the back 350 x 34 mm, all internally ventilated and perforated.

Fuel consumption is not the main decision factor when you are shopping for this kind of car, but it was rather easy to match the theoretical fuel consumption of 9 liters per 100 km. Still significant for a ‘small’ car indeed, but highway distances are possible at 8 liters per 100 km. The fuel consumption is off course very depending on the selected driving mode. There are 6 different driving modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Race, Slippery and Individual.

Interior

The facelifted A-Class did not really bring changes to the interior apart from a new steering wheel and an updated version of MBUX. The widescreen cockpit remains somehow timeless, but the black plastics of the center console remain of doubtful quality, at least for a car with this price tag. The touchpad also disappeared from the center console which is a pity because this means you need to use the buttons on the steering wheel or the touch screen. Worth mentioning are the yellow accents on the seats and the steering wheel, certainly the 12 o’clock marking.

Price & Options

A hot hatch is often considered as one of the most affordable driving machines. The A 45 S is definitely a stunning driving machine, but affordable is not relevant for this baby Benz. The A 45 AMG with 387 hp disappeared from the catalog, but the A 35 AMG with 306 hp and 14 hp EQ Power boost is still available starting at 59k € in Belgium (21% VAT included), and the A 45 S with 421 hp is starting at € 75k €. Serious money for which you could also buy a Porsche Cayman (T) but the Porsche is obviously less practical. The standard equipment consists of Keyless Go, wireless charging for smartphone, active parking assist, Burmester Surround system and high beam LED assist. Options on the A 45 S that we drove were: Night Package (€ 968), Premium Plus Package (€ 3.630, panoramic roof, memory seats, 360° camera, Multibeam LED and head-up display) and 19 inch cross spoke rims (€ 2.118). Those rims we can only recommend.

Conclusion

The Mercedes-AMG A 45 S is still a very hot hothatch. Driving and speed experience remain at a very high, but also at a very expensive level. Comfort level without AMG RIDE CONTROL is rather poor, but that should not be on your priority list if you are shopping for an A 45 S. A nice bonus is that the A 45 S ages very well.