Mercedes-AMG A45 S 'Final Edition' signals end

Run-out version of Merc mega hatch can be ordered now for £67,965

Funnily enough, the A45 cropped up in conversation recently. PH was on the Mercedes' stand at the Festival of Speed, to discuss the finer details of the new CLA 45 - the 630hp all-electric saloon (and wagon) just unveiled by none other than Kimi Antonelli. The crowd, of course, was there for Kimi; the hacks for the car. When asked about the dynamic character they had targeted in development, Mercedes-AMG’s lead engineer reflected on the process they’d gone through when creating the A45 - it also being effectively a blank sheet of paper.

Easy to forget now, after 13 years, that the A45 was basically the firm’s first ever hot hatch. And the first AMG to feature a four-pot. Moreover, it did not have storied hatchback to build upon in the first place: the underlying A-Class (the original W176) was no Ford Focus. In fact, its dynamic character rhymed with ship. Given these challenges, you’d have hardly bet on the result being good - but it was. It was very, very good and extraordinarily fast. The subsequent versions were even better.

Of course, the mention of the A45 was not entirely coincidental; the appearance of the new CLA is a reminder of just how old Mercedes’ C segment hatch actually is, and clearly ‘Final Edition’ is meant to be taken literally. ‘Sending the A45 S 4Matic+ onto the home straight’ is how Mercedes UK puts it when describing the new special edition model, and its status as the run-out variant accounts for the £67,965 asking price.

That amount is considerably less than the £89,330 Audi charged for the equivalent RS3 Competition Limited, although that car featured some notable hardware changes in the chassis department. The Final Edition is more a cosmetic glow-up. You get, for example, mountain grey magno body paint, matte black 19-inch forged wheels and edition-specific wheel hub covers in yellow. And brake callipers in gloss black and fuel filler cap in silver chrome, both with AMG lettering.

If that lot doesn’t set your world alight, there’s always the prospect of ’45 S’ lettering in yellow and black on the front doors, and a similar motif inside where you get yellow contrast stitch on the seats, steering wheel and door panels, along with ’45 S’ embroidered on the front head rests and floor mats. In case anyone misses these details, you get a stick-on ’45 S Final Edition’ emblem on the centre console to really spell out the car’s significance.

Elsewhere, as you might expect, practically every option box has been ticked, including AMG Night Package and AMG Night Package II, together with the all but inevitable AMG Aerodynamics Package. But the real reasons for buying are the same as ever: the 421hp M139 motor under the bonnet, and the fully variable all-wheel-drive system it is connected to. Granted, any nearly-new example plucked from the classifieds will provide you with the same ingredients for nearly £20k less - but you obviously won’t be getting the final hurrah. And if any Mercedes-AMG since the millennium has earned a hurrah, it’s the A45.

OP Posts Only

Prev 2 3 Next

OP Posts Only

Author

Discussion

fantheman80

Original Poster

2,564 posts

77 months