Mercedes-AMG A45 W176
The most powerful production four-cylinder, daily edition.
AMG's first hot hatch: 360 PS from two litres, and all-wheel drive to make it usable.
4 reviewers · 6 videos
Reviewers strongly agree on its performance and daily drivability, but split on handling and fun to drive.
across 4 reviewers
"the powertrain shows in reaction so it's a really a cockpit a driver's cockpit that really wants fast driving Styles."
Autogefuhl · ▶ 11:46"the steering which isn't the last word in feedback"
Which? · ▶ 4:58"It's just as you'd expect from an F1 team. All very impressive. And all a bit dull."
Top Gear · ▶ 9:50"it's the cheapest car here and the best value with standard kits such as adjustable suspension and a panoramic sunroof"
Drive.com.au · ▶ 9:08"This A45 is 10 grand more expensive than the Focus and the Type R."
Top Gear · ▶ 10:44Performance
5.0/54 of 4 reviewersstrong consensus“40 horsepower more than the Focus, 70 more than the Civic. That's 376 horsepower from a 2-liter engine.”
positive · Top Gear · ▶ 8:43“17.1 seconds from 0 to 200 km per hour.”
positive · Autogefuhl · ▶ 9:42“with 355 brake horsepower and four-wheel drive the A45 is savagely quick”
positive · Which? · ▶ 1:48Handling
3.5/54 of 4 reviewerssplit“the powertrain shows in reaction so it's a really a cockpit a driver's cockpit that really wants fast driving Styles.”
positive · Autogefuhl · ▶ 11:46“the a45 has much more of a front drive bias while it's little 2-liter engine cool is comparatively highly strung limiting its appeal”
mixed · Drive.com.au · ▶ 10:20“Look, here I am going around the Hammerhead at serious speed. But, you just don't feel as part of the action as you do in the Focus.”
Top Gear · ▶ 9:55Fun to drive
3.0/54 of 4 reviewerssplit“It's just as you'd expect from an F1 team. All very impressive. And all a bit dull.”
critical · Top Gear · ▶ 9:50“it isn't quite engaging enough to drive to justify that price tag”
mixed · Which? · ▶ 5:31Daily drivability
3.5/54 of 4 reviewersstrong consensus“it may have five doors and a practical hatchback boot”
Which? · ▶ 3:24Value
2.5/54 of 4 reviewerssplit“it's the cheapest car here and the best value with standard kits such as adjustable suspension and a panoramic sunroof”
positive · Drive.com.au · ▶ 9:08“This A45 is 10 grand more expensive than the Focus and the Type R.”
critical · Top Gear · ▶ 10:44“this particular car is wait for it 50,000 pounds”
critical · Which? · ▶ 3:45The W176 A45 arrived in 2013 as AMG's first hot hatch, built around the M133: a 1,991 cc four with a twin-scroll turbo, making 360 PS (355 hp) and 450 Nm. At launch it was the most powerful series-production four-cylinder in the world.
Mechanically it is a front-drive platform made to work as all-wheel drive. AMG 4MATIC drives the front axle until a multi-plate clutch brings in the rear, and can send up to half the torque back. There is no side-to-side vectoring at the rear axle. The gearbox is the seven-speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch, and it is the only transmission offered.
The 2015 facelift is the dividing line. Power went to 381 PS (376 hp) and 475 Nm, the gear ratios were shortened, and the AMG Dynamic Plus package added a mechanical locking front differential, adaptive dampers and a Race mode. A facelift car with Dynamic Plus is the most complete version of the W176.
How it drives: traction and straight-line pace first, with a chassis that grips rather than plays.
Where it places in the lineage: the car that set the A45 formula — the biggest-output four-cylinder on sale, a dual-clutch gearbox, all-wheel drive — which the W177 then pushed much further. It was never sold in the US; the CLA 45 carried the same drivetrain there.
Hear it in the reviewer’s words
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Never sold in the US, which got this drivetrain in the CLA 45; the figures here are European, and the power shown is the launch car's 360 PS. The 2015 facelift raised output to 381 PS (376 hp) and 475 Nm, shortened the gear ratios, and added the AMG Dynamic Plus package with a mechanical front locking differential, adaptive dampers and a Race mode. The 4MATIC system drives the front axle until the rear clutch engages and cannot vector torque across the rear axle.