Test drive Mercedes A45 AMG Edition1: eight and four

Until now, AMG has not offered its customers a vehicle with less than eight cylinders under the hood. Now, however, the A45 starts with a four-cylinder turbo engine that develops 360 hp. and in combination with dual transmission and dual clutch transmission. auto motor und sport got the opportunity to tour Mount Bilster with Edition 1.

Let it be fun. The huge turbocharger is positioned as a parasite, trapped under the long hood of the engine. Mercedes A45 AMG. Yes, these 360 ​​hp. they always have to come from somewhere when there are only two liters of displacement available. However, in a turbo like this, a hole like a volcano crater must open before an accelerating orgy. Specifications at a glance: Compliant with 450 Newton meters, but at 2250 rpm. Anyway, we can go.

Mercedes A45 AMG Edition 1 with luxury equipment

Inside the Mercedes A45 AMG, there are no surprises, everything is familiar - including modest space in the rear seats and an even more modest view of the driver's seat. The trim strips are quite artfully carbon fibre, with a few more splashes of color added to them – and of course the distinctive dual-clutch shift lever that sits on the center console rather than next to the steering wheel. The AMG version puts another glamorous touch, with superb seat shells that skilfully combine pilotability, comfort and convenience in everyday life, for a penny of 2142 euros.

On the € 56 977 Edition 1, however, they are part of the standard equipment, like the slightly intrusive aerodynamics package (which should reduce lift at the rear axle by 40 kg) and the less discreet 19-inch wheels. The latter further limits the already rather meager suspension comfort of the A-Class, but overall the Mercedes A45 AMG creates a more harmonious feel than the civilian models with the optional sports suspension.

Since the sports department of Mercedes does not recognize not only visual, but also acoustic armor as the main advantage of the brand, the tension builds before starting the engine. What does a four-cylinder unit sound like? Tight bass at idle shows that the designers have taken their task seriously, since, according to the company, sound is one of the most important reasons for buying an AMG model. Therefore, the Mercedes A45 AMG Edition1 is equipped as standard with additional "performance" flaps on the muffler. The real impression is the raspy sound up to the 6700 rpm mark, and the icing on the cake is the engine snoring when shifting gears and an almost vulgar snoring when driving off the gas.

The two-liter engine reacts angrily to any gas supply

The bottom line is that looks and acoustics are a perfect match. What about road dynamics? In fact, the A-Class only drives the front wheels. Here is an application developed by AMG, a front axle design with a rigidly connected subframe and stiffer struts. However, the torque would be too much for two wheels, so 50 percent of it reaches the rear axle via an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch. Indeed, the Mercedes A45 AMG enters the corner with deftness and precision, but as the speed increases, it begins to understeer and asks for a short press on the accelerator pedal - and accordingly politely thanks with a small turn of the rear.

When accelerating out of a corner, you don't have to think for a long time whether to apply a little or a lot of gas - just press the pedal and that's it. The two-liter engine of the Mercedes A45 AMG, contrary to all fears, reacts quite bait to the movements of the right leg and pulls. decently from 1600 rpm. The driver does not feel anything from the distribution of torque between the axles, the clutch is disengaged and fully engaged within 100 milliseconds. In addition, based on the position of the accelerator pedal and the angle of rotation, the electronics predicts what you will ask from it and takes the appropriate action.

The Mercedes A45 AMG sprints from 100 to 4,6 in just XNUMX seconds.

The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is just as nimble. New mass balancing, modified control electronics and five sipes instead of four significantly reduce the response time to a gear change command compared to the A250 Sport. A typical AMG is the launch control system with which the Mercedes A45 AMG accelerates from standstill to 100 km / h in just 4,6 seconds - but this is the manufacturer's data, so let's wait for the first test. Until then, our memories will be mostly dynamic behavior on the road - the feeling that you literally hold the whole car in your hands, which only a compact car can create, even when it weighs 1,6 tons (yes, you read that right). Well, it was really fun.