RE: Mercedes-AMG A45: Driven

[PorkRind]

WOuld be nice to see a torsen diff.. Awaits bashing..

[P4GNO]

I test drove one about 18 months ago as thinking about getting one but didn't like it, horrible driving position, really thick B-piller that made me feel claustrophobic. Don't like the tablet stuck on the dash either. Didn't buy it.

[soad]

P4GNO said:

I test drove one about 18 months ago as thinking about getting one but didn't like it, horrible driving position, really thick B-piller that made me feel claustrophobic. Don't like the tablet stuck on the dash either. Didn't buy it.

Rubbish mpg when caning it too.
Sounded all right though.

[Jordan210]

Mafffew said:

I saw a very green A45 down the A404 a week or so ago. Is that a Merc colour or has someone gone and painted it? Looked awesome!

There is a new green metallic colour in the GLA class range so might be in A swell called Elbaite Green

[WhiteAMG45]

I have had mine for 8 months.
I love it no aero kit and so it is an a wolf in sheeps clothing

Quick question in the specs section you say 4.6 but the mercedes site says 4.2

I had two test drives it grows on you

I am getting nearly 23.MPG which I am happy with.

Edited by WhiteAMG45 on Thursday 10th September 19:36

[RemyMartin]

soad said:

Ten of the most powerful hot hatches:
http://www.topgear.com/car-news/list/ten-most-powe...

Give me a 120bhp Renault 5 GT turbo anyday of the week!

[wideangle852]

. . by far the ugliest car Mercedes produce . . more BHP but still slower than the Audi RS3 . . and to cap it all handling referred to as 'understeery' . . horrible all around, and I test drove the previous model and hated it . . so much substance but 4 pot banging away without style . . so proving the Audi RS3 is still the best car in the class . .

[Mafffew]

J4CKO said:

http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Completely forgot about that to be honest. Absolutely brilliant thing.

[Dion20vt]

burningdinos said:

Dion20vt said:

Saw a red A45 the other day, I was surprised at the ride height! It looked so much taller in real life, comically so!

Surely it wasn't the GLA? I confused them with an A for a while

Was definitely a A45 AMG, couldn't miss it with all the wings and stick on carbon bits!!

[Leins]

RemyMartin said:

381bhp....in a hatch. What the shuddering fk.

OK, so they're not 2L 4cyls, but even back in 2002 AMG were building hatchbacks with 350bhp (C32 Sport Coupe). Also:


426bhp (6.1L V8):




427bhp (5.5L V12):




444bhp (5L V8):

Edited by Leins on Friday 11th September 10:29

[The Don of Croy]

WhiteAMG45 said:

...I am getting nearly 23.MPG which I am happy with...

'nearly' - oof. The specs reckon 40+ on mixed driving! Makes me feel better about the 25mpg I get from the 250 bhp CX7 (at £6500).

I pass one of these some evenings as the owner gives it some welly on the A22 near Uckfield - it is undeniably rapid and quite loud, too. I can see the appeal.

[Ali_T]

P4GNO said:

I test drove one about 18 months ago as thinking about getting one but didn't like it, horrible driving position, really thick B-piller that made me feel claustrophobic. Don't like the tablet stuck on the dash either. Didn't buy it.

Same here. Test drove twice and just couldn't gel with it. Didn't feel any faster than my Evo FQ330, and not as fast as my STI 330S, and the farting exhaust was just embarrassing. Hated the gearbox with a passion, handling was OK but build was nowhere near the level I was expecting. That weird carbon effect dash is as plasticky and hollow as Airfix kits I used to make as a kid.

[Marts1234]

I have had my A45 for 15 months. It's blue without the expensive extra wing / winglets or the sports exhaust.

Things I like:
1. It's fast enough for me, but to make good progress you need Manual mode
2. I think it looks ok, especially when clean
3. Inside is an OK place to be
4. It's a nice blue.. OK I'm struggling now

Thinks I don't like:
1. It feels like it's always in the wrong gear in either Comfort or Sport mode.
2. I'm not a great fan of the farty noise

My wife pointed out that although I washed & polished my E46 M3 every weekend, this car gets the £5 treatment from my European friends up the road.

So, probably not a keeper.

Marts.

[MrBarry123]

I love these, really cool cars, especially with the aero pack.

[ralphrj]

Dion20vt said:

Was definitely a A45 AMG, couldn't miss it with all the wings and stick on carbon bits!!

Both can come with plenty of wings and stick on carbon bits.


A45 AMG




GLA45 AMG

[JockySteer]

Oddball RS said:

JockySteer said:

Blergh, a blunt instrument of a car

Agree, but so are all AMG's no?

Can see your point in some respects. At least the rest of the range make an appealing noise as opposed to this. To my taste anyway

Black series cars are a bit more than blunt though.

[JockySteer]

WhiteAMG45 said:

I have had mine for 8 months.
I love it no aero kit and so it is an a wolf in sheeps clothing

Quick question in the specs section you say 4.6 but the mercedes site says 4.2

I had two test drives it grows on you

I am getting nearly 23.MPG which I am happy with.

Edited by WhiteAMG45 on Thursday 10th September 19:36

23 mpg?! I get that in my 55! What do Merc claim again for the A45? 40 odd?

[nickfrog]

Greedydog said:

I've had mine (the pre-facelift version) for 6 months now. Yes it doesn't have the handling finesse of a finely poised rear wheel drive car but it goes and stops very quickly across every type and class of tarmacked road in all weathers. Despite pressing on occasionally I've never found it to be overly understeery (something which I hate) and various trips on twisty roads in the Scottish Highlands have shown it to be utterly competent on a public road at any sort of reasonable speed. Miss GD much prefers it to my previous Z4M Coupe and M135i both as a place to sit as a passenger and as a driver. It also happily blends in when parked in car parks and on street so there's less of the worry.

So, blunt? No, just competent at what it does.

Sounds like a decent car but :

- it obviously only understeers if you break the limits of front lat grip, which on the road is actually difficult to achieve on modern tyres, although in the Highlands on a quiet road...
- you say all weather but I doubt it would be any good in the snow/ice.
- does it blend it better than the M135i ? I didn't thing that was possible?

[Inverted]

R8Steve said:

RemyMartin said:

381bhp....in a hatch. What the shuddering fk.

A 2.0 hatch at that! It sounds ridiculous however I test drove one and it didn't even 'feel' that fast.

Haven't driven this newer version but I drove the current one and I agree. It didn't feel anywhere near as quick as it 'should'. That and the downshifts weren't very good. I went there wanting to buy one but came away disappointed.

[Ali_T]

Inverted said:

Haven't driven this newer version but I drove the current one and I agree. It didn't feel anywhere near as quick as it 'should'. That and the downshifts weren't very good. I went there wanting to buy one but came away disappointed.

Same here, and the gearbox was pigging awful.