flango
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
OK as some of you know I was looking at a plan of keeping Mine and SWMBO Volvo's an extra year and replacing them with a pair of AMG's next year a E63 for me and the A45 for her next year. This week I got my hands on an A45 AMG for a test run.
Firstly the car looks good externally and is very pleasing on the eye, it stands well and looks every part an AMG. Open the door get in to the cockpit and the carbon fibre comes up to meet you with sumptuous leather to surround you, unfortunately the LCD display that houses the sat nav and interior controls looks like someone forgot about it and added it on later much like the headlights on a Citroen 2CV, room is tight in the cockpit but I am a big lad and its not me going to be driving it so I won'r criticise it for that
. The disappointment starts when you turn the key it fires up and sounds bland there is no hint of the the power that lies beneath the bonnet of what is supposed to be the worlds fastest most powerful production car 4 cylinder car, move off and press the pedal and the experience does not get much better, sure it's quick, its composed and its a nice place to be but it does not have the feel of a £40k car.
Push it through the twisties and its numb doesn't matter what you do with the loud pedal it treats every corner the same its the most boring performance car I have ever driven, ride is too hard and it bounces over poorly surfaced roads giving it a nervous feel on this type of surface. the power distribution to the front and rear wheels also sometimes feels compromised and confused.
AMG have done a good job getting 355 bhp out of a 2 litre 4 pot but its too refined if that makes sense and it does not have that famous AMG sound and its definitely not the best hatch I have driven + add the cost of the options you would want and its soon £45k
Now at £45k that puts it in Porsche Cayman territory and this car is no where near that league. For me the VW Scirocco R and the New Ford Focus ST3 are equally as good performance wise but don't have the quality interior of the A45. The best hot hatch I have ever driven is the Ford RS Focus its not as well kitted out as the A45 but the blistering power makes it feel every bit as quick and feels like a true hot hatch.
So in short I'm gutted and disappointed that for such a high price this car is so compromised on its drive, as I said its a fabulous place to be inside it but if you want an AMG drivers car this is not the one for you. I'm glad I drove it as it's now really focussed me looking at the C63 coupe instead for SWMBO
So I think the old adage remains true for Mercedes, " There is no replacement for displacement"
Firstly the car looks good externally and is very pleasing on the eye, it stands well and looks every part an AMG. Open the door get in to the cockpit and the carbon fibre comes up to meet you with sumptuous leather to surround you, unfortunately the LCD display that houses the sat nav and interior controls looks like someone forgot about it and added it on later much like the headlights on a Citroen 2CV, room is tight in the cockpit but I am a big lad and its not me going to be driving it so I won'r criticise it for that
. The disappointment starts when you turn the key it fires up and sounds bland there is no hint of the the power that lies beneath the bonnet of what is supposed to be the worlds fastest most powerful production car 4 cylinder car, move off and press the pedal and the experience does not get much better, sure it's quick, its composed and its a nice place to be but it does not have the feel of a £40k car. Push it through the twisties and its numb doesn't matter what you do with the loud pedal it treats every corner the same its the most boring performance car I have ever driven, ride is too hard and it bounces over poorly surfaced roads giving it a nervous feel on this type of surface. the power distribution to the front and rear wheels also sometimes feels compromised and confused.
AMG have done a good job getting 355 bhp out of a 2 litre 4 pot but its too refined if that makes sense and it does not have that famous AMG sound and its definitely not the best hatch I have driven + add the cost of the options you would want and its soon £45k
Now at £45k that puts it in Porsche Cayman territory and this car is no where near that league. For me the VW Scirocco R and the New Ford Focus ST3 are equally as good performance wise but don't have the quality interior of the A45. The best hot hatch I have ever driven is the Ford RS Focus its not as well kitted out as the A45 but the blistering power makes it feel every bit as quick and feels like a true hot hatch.
So in short I'm gutted and disappointed that for such a high price this car is so compromised on its drive, as I said its a fabulous place to be inside it but if you want an AMG drivers car this is not the one for you. I'm glad I drove it as it's now really focussed me looking at the C63 coupe instead for SWMBO
So I think the old adage remains true for Mercedes, " There is no replacement for displacement"
. However I am now in my forties so there you go. Had a drive today in another A45. This one was standard 18" wheels, suspension and exhaust and I must admit I loved it. So much so am now talking to the dealer about placing an order. I had a C63 before my current car and I agree about the sound, there is nothing like the 6.3 V8 however there is a long tunnel west of Guildford and windows down it sounded like a racing car today
. It's the good thing about cars, each to their own but I found it to be a cracking drive and great performance. Was also really easy to drive when caught in the inevitable traffic jam.
