The Hottest Hatch Ever
That’s because this car does stuff to your heart that even the hottest man cannot achieve. Speaking at its launch at Kyalami racetrack, Dr Martin Zimmermann, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa, did warn us of the after-effects of driving the A 45 AMG. “It will set your heart racing and your pulse beating. Trust me, I do not over-promise when I say that driving this car is an exciting and exhilarating experience. I hope your bosses don’t find out about today. It’s going to be so much fun that your boss may ask you to put in for leave,” he warned.
To be frank, I thought he was probably over-promising. A car that sets my heart racing? I didn’t think my cardiologist needed to worry too much …
Gosh I was wrong. The A 45 AMG is the most fun I have had in a car for years. (Apart from that time in an Audi in a forest but, in fairness, the make of the car was incidental.) But, I digress. Back to That Other German car … the A 45 AMG.
It is a truly wondrous creature for a lot of reasons. From Mercedes-Benz’s perspective, the car is significant because, for the first time in Mercedes-AMG’s 45-year history, the company is offering a high-performance vehicle in the compact class. And it’s done so in grand style: with a maximum output of 265 kW and up to 450 Nm of torque, the AMG 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine is the most powerful series production four-cylinder engine in the world. This exceptionally hot hatch also knocks the socks off even the most powerful super sports cars. No, I kid you not: it delivers 133 kW/litre, which is just amazing. The Bugatti Veyron, for instance, delivers a mere 92 kW/litre.
Now of course we all know that it is relatively easy to produce a powerful engine. But then that engine will swallow fuel at an alarming rate – right? Not with the A 45 AMG; driven in a gentlemanly fashion, it can run on a mere 6.9 litres per 100 km.
But I didn’t come close to achieving this figure. When I drove the car at its launch, nothing was further from my mind than economy. It was all about unadulterated fun. We first drove the baby Merc on country roads north of Johannesburg. Then around the circuit. And through an alarmingly terrifying handling route (I confess to driving like Miss Daisy through this route; I was really concerned about damaging the car). My lack of bravado was the only thing holding the car back; the A 45 AMG just loves going as fast as possible and it sniffs and sniggers through corners, wailing with delight when you floor the accelerator (that sound is Something To Be Heard).
Is this the best Mercedes-Benz ever launched? I think so …
Price: From R604 117 (as at September 2013)
Text: Charleen Clarke