We review the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG from price to economy and all its features

IT’S amazing the difference three little letters can make.

If you’ve got a PhD, you’ll probably earn a few quid. If you’re awarded an MBE, you might meet the Queen.

4

If you’re told by the doctor you’ve got an STD, it’s going to burn when you pee

And if you’re told by the doctor you’ve got an STD, it’s going to burn when you pee and you’ll have some embarrassing phone calls to make.

It’s no different with cars. At least, not when it comes to Mercedes.

4

Three little letters — AMG. They mean the world of difference to what your Merc is capable of.

This week I drove the entry-level Mercedes A Class, the A180, and the range-topping A45 AMG.

4

On the face of it they are both the same car but one has been treated by Mercedes’ high- performance division.

It’s unbelievably fast, phenomenal fun, but stupidly expensive. We’re talking around £40,000 for a small hatchback.

Question is, is it worth it? In group tests it smokes all the other molten-hot hatches, including the Golf R and Civic Type R. In fact, it’s the fastest hot hatch on the market, squeezing 376bhp out of a turbo-powered, four- cylinder, 2.0 litre engine. When you think about it, that’s a mind- boggling achievement.

It can sprint from 0-62 in a Porsche-beating 4.2 seconds

It means it can sprint from 0-62 in a Porsche-beating 4.2 seconds. Plus, all of that power runs through four wheels, so when the front-wheel-drive Civic Type R is struggling for grip, the A45 is dancing through corners as if it is on rails.

On top of that it delivers a sonorous engine note which blips beautifully on downshifts, heralding your arrival at the company car park, friend’s BBQ or funeral of a distant relative.

4

Point is, while the styling is relatively understated for such a mental machine, it is anything but discreet. And that’s a good thing, most of the time.

There is one major problem though, and it always goes back to this I’m afraid — it costs 40 grand. The only people who are going to buy one are extreme Mercedes enthusiasts or people with money, and rubber, to burn on a track toy.

Mercedes knows this of course, and knows the A45 is the car which attracts droves of customers to the rest of A Class range.

Unfortunately, the rest of them don’t quite live up to the brilliance of the A45.

More Motors

close to perfection, a joy to drive

We review the Mercedes C63 S AMG Coupe from price to economy and all its features

agile and purposeful, affordable quality

We review the Mercedes C250d from price to economy and all its features

expensive, classy, invincible

We review the Mercedes S500 Coupe from price to economy and all its features

Pure electric

We review the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron from price to economy and all its features

Bear in mind it’s competing with the Audi A3, which is as close to faultless as a hatchback can be, plus the slightly cheaper VW Golf.

Both those cars have it beaten on space and driving enjoyment.

Driving the A180 SE was far from unenjoyable but I wanted a bit more pep from the 1.6 litre engine.

On the plus side, the entire A Class range looks the business, even if some of the models don’t live up to their sporty looks.

What you’ve got to remember is Mercedes has actually produced two entirely different cars.

The A45 AMG may look similar to the rest of the range but in actual fact it’s a class leader and possibly one of the most fun motors money can buy.

The regular A Class is a competent but uninspiring hatchback.

Like I say, what a difference three letters can make.