GARAGE

Mercedes-AMG A45 S

GOODBYE

£56,570 OTR/£58,365 as tested/£626pcm

WHY IT’S HERE

Can this hot hatch justify a sports car price tag?

DRIVER

Ollie Marriage

WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS THEN, THE £56,000 HOT HATCH? AFTER eight months and not-quite-as-many-miles-as-normal, I’m rather taken with it. Not blown away, but boy have I come a long way since month one when I couldn’t find the lumbar controls and couldn’t much see the point.

What I have learned is that it lives on a plane above any other hot hatch. It’s the technology, the interaction of electronics with mechanics, the cabin quality, the sophistication. It’s multifaceted in a way other hot hatches just aren’t. Merc has successfully distilled the essence of AMG.

It’s a pukka hardcore charger. Just 1991cc of swept capacity generates 415bhp and 369lb ft. Better still it has generated 28mpg over 5,000 miles, 34mpg at a cruise. The four-cylinder hits hard, responds fast, sounds good and likes to rev. The A45 couldn’t hide its fearsome mechanical complexity. It always felt like you were second-guessing it, juggling steering and throttle coming out of corners because you weren’t sure where the system was going to send power, but very aware a lot of it was trying to find an outlet. It was compact and easy to see out of, and shockingly fast cross-country.

I could forgive the ride (just), the firm seats (easily), but the road noise… it’s considerable. Other issues? The plastic rear spoiler that rattled every time the boot was closed. The leather should be softer. The Burmester hi-fiisn’t a patch on those fitted in pricier Mercs.

The cabin