Introduction

It has a hugely potent 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that drives all four wheels through a dual-clutch gearbox, making for a specification that’s dedicated solely to going quickly in all conditions. It competes in a rarefied sub-sector at the top of the performance five-door class, alongside the Ford Focus RS, the Audi RS 3, and the Volkswagen Golf R. The A 45 is rather expensive and it can be difficult to extract its maximum potential on the road, but a midlife facelift in 2015 made it more fun to steer for more of the time, so it’s one of our preferred mega-hatches.

Did you know? Previous generation A-Classes were tall and narrow, so there were no specific ‘hot’ versions – the 196hp Mk2 A200 Turbo was fastest, prior to the A 45.

Verdict | Design | Interior | Technology | Performance | Safety | Specs | Running Costs | Pricing

Verdict: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8.2/10)

While it will cost you a lot of money to buy the Mercedes-AMG A 45 4Matic, if you do decide to make the considerable outlay on one of these unhinged German motors, you’re getting one of the quickest hatchbacks that has ever been made. A 2015 facelift brought in subtly improved looks, revised gearing, better aerodynamics… and an additional 21hp, to make the 381hp A 45 the most powerful and fastest hot hatchback in the world (right up until Audi took the RS 3 from 367- to 400hp in early 2017). ...