2016 AMG A45 - An ode to simplicity? Not really.

[Josh84]

Good points but...the wheels are forged and they are heaps lighter than the OEM wheels. They are of the same size as the original Merc wheels.

And there is evidently less body roll in corners as well. I might have used the word "faster" rather liberally but it does feel lighter on its feet.

[Josh84]

I'd go as far as to say that the R is the quicker car in the real world from 0-100km/h. It has a far far better transmission than what the Merc has. Having owned both cars, I miss the fluidity of gear changes in the DSG. The Merc seems to ponder a little before it moves.

[jayemm89]

The Merc Box is without a doubt the worst double clutch I have ever used. I had to check it really was a double clutch.

The good news is it can probably be improved greatly in software.

[Pommygranite]

Nice car and i remember your Golf which looked so much better than other 7R's.

Question - how does the M3 compare to the A45?

Also, would love to know the secret of how you are able to get in some lovely machinery in quick succession!

[Josh84]

Pommygranite said:

Nice car and i remember your Golf which looked so much better than other 7R's.

Question - how does the M3 compare to the A45?

Also, would love to know the secret of how you are able to get in some lovely machinery in quick succession!

Thanks! The M3 is a quick car but it only gets going at higher speeds, where its true potential can be harnessed.

As for the A45, there is more immediate power delivery and better traction from 0-100km/h, but beyond that, the M3, I suspect will trounce the A45. They are really 2 very different types of cars.

As for the latter question, no real secret apart from me getting bored with the cars I own very quickly. haha

.....
A close-up of those wheels. I personally prefer the OEM ones but these were considerably lighter and came in a more aggressive offset which I preferred.

Apologies for the bad photo, I had to crop out some of the mess in my garage

Edited by Josh84 on Tuesday 9th February 02:39

[coopedup]

Josh84 said:

Thanks! The M3 is a quick car but it only gets going at higher speeds, where its true potential can be harnessed.

As for the A45, there is more immediate power delivery and better traction from 0-100km/h, but beyond that, the M3, I suspect will trounce the A45. They are really 2 very different types of cars.

As for the latter question, no real secret apart from me getting bored with the cars I own very quickly. haha

.....
A close-up of those wheels. I personally prefer the OEM ones but these were considerably lighter and came in a more aggressive offset which I preferred.

Apologies for the bad photo, I had to crop out some of the mess in my garage

Edited by Josh84 on Tuesday 9th February 02:39

Jesus not much clearance there!!

[Josh84]

Haha true.

It took a bit of math to get the suspension travel and wheel offset just right. The car looks lower than it actually is. There is a healthy amount of fender clearance - enough to prevent any sort of rubbing on bumps. Functionality is very important in what is currently my daily ride.

[MrBarry123]

Another great looking machine there and, in my opinion, the new wheels look far superior.

[Lagerlout]

Great looking car OP, looks fab with the new wheel setup.

[Josh84]

Thanks guys. Car is almost run in now and the engine sounds so much better....for a 4-pot. Really urgency to how it goes and the revamped gearbox software for the Facelifted models is proving to be a beautiful addition. Not quite in the same league as Vw's DSG but it's getting there.

[RemyMartin]

jayemm89 said:

The Merc Box is without a doubt the worst double clutch I have ever used. I had to check it really was a double clutch.

The good news is it can probably be improved greatly in software.

Probably won't break due to a mechatronic failure though...

[Riskins]

Josh84 said:

Here is how it looks now, a week after I took delivery of the car:

That looks bang on now, very nice.

[Josh84]

Cheers mate.

Manual gear shifting is pretty decent on the A45. It's more responsive than the Golf R. It's the initial lag that lets it down

[Josh84]

[Driver101]

Josh84 said:

I'd go as far as to say that the R is the quicker car in the real world from 0-100km/h. It has a far far better transmission than what the Merc has. Having owned both cars, I miss the fluidity of gear changes in the DSG. The Merc seems to ponder a little before it moves.

The Golf R wouldn't keep close to the A45 in any circumstances. The A45 is much faster everywhere. With the power advantage it's not really a surprise. 80bhp is a big margin at this power range.

[ORD]

Aside from a standing start, that would be my guess too. 80bhp is quite a lot. My current car has roughly 80bhp more than my last, is slightly heavier and is definitely much faster in a straight line. The extra torque at say 5000rpm is what would make the 45 faster most of the time.

[ManOpener]

Driver101 said:

Josh84 said:

I'd go as far as to say that the R is the quicker car in the real world from 0-100km/h. It has a far far better transmission than what the Merc has. Having owned both cars, I miss the fluidity of gear changes in the DSG. The Merc seems to ponder a little before it moves.

The Golf R wouldn't keep close to the A45 in any circumstances. The A45 is much faster everywhere. With the power advantage it's not really a surprise. 80bhp is a big margin at this power range.

IIRC Josh's R was somewhat modified.

[ZX10R NIN]

Josh84 said:

Cheers mate.

Manual gear shifting is pretty decent on the A45. It's more responsive than the Golf R. It's the initial lag that lets it down

That's a nicely turned A45 I like the upgrades, the reason for the slight lag is to do with the turbo is larger so has to get on boost but the upside is a stronger top end.

I have a friend with a DSG Golf R uprated to 390bhp & a mate 410bhp 4wd Cossie 0-70 the Golfs just goes after that the Cossie owns the Golf, the lag on his Hybrid T4 is obvious while the R feels seamless you do notice the lessened shove from 70+ also as a side bar the cossie feels like more of an event.

What I'm saying is embrace the lag when I drove a CLA it seemed to be a very small delay & I wasn't sure if it was the throttle software or lag or maybe a bit of both.

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Sunday 14th February 10:10

[Josh84]

Yup my Golf 7R was tuned with an array of upgrades. It did 3.5 seconds to 100km/h. But I do agree that the A45 seems a faster all-rounder. Motor Magazine has documented a 4.1 second 0-100km/h in their tests which is impressive for a little golf-polo sized hatchback.

ZX10R NIN said:

That's a nicely turned A45 I like the upgrades, the reason for the slight lag is to do with the turbo is larger so has to get on boost but the upside is a stronger top end.

I have a friend with a DSG Golf R uprated to 390bhp & a mate 410bhp 4wd Cossie 0-70 the Golfs just goes after that the Cossie owns the Golf, the lag on his Hybrid T4 is obvious while the R feels seamless you do notice the lessened shove from 70+ also as a side bar the cossie feels like more of an event.

What I'm saying is embrace the lag when I drove a CLA it seemed to be a very small delay & I wasn't sure if it was the throttle software or lag or maybe a bit of both.

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Sunday 14th February 10:10

Thanks! I was always wondering why there was a lag and your post has clarified it! It makes so much sense that the A45 would pull harder higher in the power band. Had a go with Race mode yesterday and the car feels absolutely mental after 4000 RPM. There is a brutal urgency which was absent on the Golf R both in stock and tuned form.

....

Close up of the rear-end. The diffuser is part of the Aero-Pack option. Over the top by far, but it does have a brash character about it that I like. Definitely not everyones cup of tea.

[neilbauer]

Very nice