Mercedes-AMG A45 W177
The most powerful production four-cylinder, daily edition.
421 PS, a clutch for each rear wheel and a drift mode, in an A-Class.
35 reviewers · 76 videos · 12 hours watched
Reviewers strongly agree on its performance and handling, but split on daily drivability and value.
across 35 reviewers
"it's a lot more comfortable in every way like the seats are more comfortable the suspension is more comfortable just sitting in here I feel like I could drive this every day"
Drive.com.au · ▶ 12:01"the a45s also isn't completely at home on our city streets... with its low slung body and hard suspension places where the road isn't perfect like this one aren't easy to navigate"
Autocar India · ▶ 12:26"it's in the middle everything is in the Middle with this car it's at 1.47 5 million Rand"
Cars.co.za · ▶ 19:08"I think the price it's hard to justify"
Niyaaz Isaacs · ▶ 24:35Performance
5.0/535 of 35 reviewersstrong consensus“this thing is absolutely amazingly fast zero to 100 in just 3.9 seconds”
positive · Drive.com.au · ▶ 8:26“421 horsepower from a 2 L 4cylinder to charge petrol Engine... this makes the m139 engine the most powerful series production 4- cylinder engine in the world”
positive · WapCar · ▶ 5:26“The Merc crosses the Finish Line in 1 minute 21.2 seconds that's an amazing 3 seconds faster than the Audi”
positive · Fifth Gear · ▶ 5:00Handling
4.5/535 of 35 reviewersstrong consensus“around the corners the formatic plus system just works like glue to keep you stuck onto the road and slingshot you out of a corner”
positive · WapCar · ▶ 6:49“The steering's brazor sharp it's quick I can play with the rear man is great see look at that just a little bit of over steer”
positive · Fifth Gear · ▶ 3:33“this car is upon another level to be all day 45 I am jealous of this in the way that it handles the amount of power that it has”
positive · Remove Before Race · ▶ 32:06Fun to drive
4.5/535 of 35 reviewersconsensus“I've been referring to it as a mini supercar and I kind of think that's an accurate description”
positive · Drive.com.au · ▶ 8:54“The AMG performance exhaust on full chat ah makes all the pops and crackles o transforms the a45s to ignite and set your adrenal glands into overdrive”
positive · WapCar · ▶ 6:33“it just somehow feel more fun i'm more alert and more alive”
positive · carwow · ▶ 17:26Daily drivability
3.5/534 of 35 reviewerssplit“it's a lot more comfortable in every way like the seats are more comfortable the suspension is more comfortable just sitting in here I feel like I could drive this every day”
positive · Drive.com.au · ▶ 12:01“if you decided to take make it chill just D it back down into Comfort the engine quiets down the suspension softens up and the steering becomes effortless”
positive · WapCar · ▶ 8:19“the a45s also isn't completely at home on our city streets... with its low slung body and hard suspension places where the road isn't perfect like this one aren't easy to navigate”
critical · Autocar India · ▶ 12:26Value
3.0/535 of 35 reviewerssplit“I think the price it's hard to justify”
critical · Niyaaz Isaacs · ▶ 24:35“for 84,000€, there's no electric tailgate included.”
critical · Fahr doch (Fahr doch) · ▶ 26:30“It's just over £65,000... for an A-class, which is insane.”
critical · Nick O'Leary · ▶ 5:07The W177 A45 is built around the M139, hand-assembled at Affalterbach under AMG's one-man-one-engine rule. It is a closed-deck 2.0-litre four, turned 180 degrees so the twin-scroll turbo sits against the bulkhead and the intake faces forward. The A45 makes 387 PS. The A45 S makes 421 PS (416 hp) and 500 Nm, which made it the most powerful series-production four-cylinder on sale.
Mechanically the rear axle is the story. AMG Performance 4MATIC+ uses AMG Torque Control: two electronically controlled multi-plate clutches, one for each rear driveshaft, so torque can be split side to side as well as front to rear. That is what makes drift mode possible, and it is standard on the S. The gearbox is an eight-speed dual-clutch. The S has 360 mm front discs with six-piston calipers.
Against the W176 this is a different kind of car. The first A45 was front-biased with a single rear clutch. This one can send more torque to one rear wheel than the other and rotate on the throttle. It sits above the A35, which uses a simpler engine and a simpler rear axle.
Where it places in the lineage: probably the end of it. AMG has said the M139 will not be carried into Euro 7, and a Final Edition was announced in 2026. It was never sold in the US, which got the CLA 45 instead.
Hear it in the reviewer’s words
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- Final Edition (2026)Run-out A45 S with special paint, yellow detailing and an aero package. Not limited by number, and mechanically standard.
Never sold in the US, which got the CLA 45 instead; the figures here are European. There are two outputs: the A45 with 387 PS (382 hp) and 480 Nm, and the A45 S with 421 PS (416 hp) and 500 Nm. The figures shown are the S. Drift mode is standard on the S and part of the AMG Dynamic Plus package on the A45. The M139 is turned 180 degrees, with the turbo at the bulkhead and the intake at the front. AMG has said the M139 will not be carried into Euro 7, and the Final Edition was announced in 2026 as the run-out car; Mercedes had not given an end-of-production date when this was written.