Mercedes-AMG A45 S 2025 review – the ultimate hyperhatch?

The Mercedes-AMG A45 S has gone from a token premium hyperhatch with more performance than personality, to a real firecracker with bite to match its bark. It’s always been a formidable performer as far as numbers are concerned, but the second-gen version also delivers a killer dynamic blow in addition to this, making it one of the most exciting hot hatches on sale. It sits firmly among the elite group made up of the Honda Civic Type R, Toyota GR Yaris and Audi RS3 – so it should given that it costs well in excess of £60k and packs some of the most advanced hardware and tech you’ll find in the class. 

The A45 S received a very subtle facelift in 2023, with new headlights, a revised AMG-specific grille, and an Affalterbach coat of arms atop the nose instead of a three-pointed star. An AMG Performance steering wheel was added too, with new software for the infotainment system. Mechanically the A45 is fundamentally unchanged, but as a 415bhp, four-wheel drive, ultra-sophisticated hot hatch, it already pushes the limits of what’s possible from a humble A-class platform and takes the concept to the very extreme.

 Engine, gearbox and technical highlights

Underneath the A45 S retained its M139 turbocharged 2-litre engine, which is still one of the most powerful four-cylinder production engines in the world, behind the electrified 469bhp unit in its big brother, the Mercedes-AMG C63 E Performance. Its unchanged 415bhp peak is still absurd for a hot hatch four years on from its launch and still beats the 2025 Audi RS3’s five-cylinder by 21bhp. Both generate 369lb ft of torque for their four-wheel-drive systems to manage, the A45’s 4Matic+ providing a dual-clutch pack on the rear axle to allow for the de rigueur Drift mode. Up to 50 per cent of torque can be sent to the rear axle, with all of this able to be directed at a single rear wheel to help the car rotate. The gearbox is an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. 

Alongside the RS3s, VW Golf Rs and Civic Type Rs of the hyperhatch world, the A45 S has always delivered the most impressive peak performance, along with a look that gets close in terms of in-your-face aggressiveness to the Honda’s. Front-end dive planes, a prominent splitter, deeper sides sills, a rear diffuser and a roof-mounted spoiler are the AMG’s signature uniform, along with a set of 19-inch black alloy wheels. It doesn’t do subtle. It doesn’t do lightweight either, tipping the scales at a chunky 1605kg – 40kg more than the RS3, and nearly 200kg heavier than a Civic Type R. 

Performance and 0-60mph time

For all its punch the engine isn’t the dominant force you might expect in the tamer modes, because the whole package is so well strung together. The transmission initially slurs as you’d expect of an automatic, while the engine and exhaust sound have been toned down with a particulate-filtered flatter-than-anticipated soundtrack when you leave the drive mode in Comfort; if you weren’t sitting in a winged-back seat (itself not to all tastes depending on your sensitivity to firmness and lumbar settings) and gripping that new steering wheel you might not even realise you’re driving an AMG. 

But ramp up the drive modes, pick up some revs and the A45 starts to bristle with energy. It doesn’t have the mid-range kick of an RS3 (the AMG’s peak torque arrives later in the rev range), but there’s a furious top end to enjoy, and short gearing to make the most of it. The exhaust crackles and parps as it rips through the revs, and you can make seriously rapid progress – as backed up by the figures. It'll get to 62mph in just 3.9sec, on the way to a limited 168mph top speed 

Ride and handling

Engaging Sport mode tightens the dampers, loosens the engine’s shackles, tenses up the gearchanges, opens the exhaust and starts to relax the stability and traction systems, although the steering remains untouched. And the A45 feels much closer to its maker’s intentions as a result, its engine more alert with enlivened vocals and response times more befitting of a 400-plus bhp hatchback. The opportunity to crash into the hard rev limiter in lower gears is more forthcoming. The additional tightness through the body gives more confidence, but you do find yourself being thrown around in the seat more than you would in an RS3.

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Like the Audi, the A45 adds new and interesting layers to the four-wheel drive hot hatch experience, mostly thanks to its trick rear diff. Grip from the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres is seemingly unbreakable at the front, but the rear is mobile on command, with clean transitions from grip to low-level slip. It means you can chase the throttle harder and sooner, the AMG continuing to give back. 

With each passing mile thoughts of mid-nineties and early noughties Japanese Group A road warriors flood your imagination; you can’t help but wonder if AMG’s R&D centre has a handful of RA Imprezas and Mitsubishi Evos under dust sheets having served their time as inspiration for the A45. Quite the compliment, given how complex and heavy the A45 S is. 

 Where a Golf R starts to feel numb the harder you push, an A45 bubbles with a next level of enthusiasm, and at higher cornering loads you’re rewarded with a neutral but neatly adjustable balance. Couple this with the hard-hitting, rev-happy engine and it’s a truly exciting hot hatch, but one that doesn’t have the instant and irresistible appeal of an RS3. The Audi’s wonderful five-cylinder engine plays a part here, but it’s also a more approachable car with more feedback to its steering, and compliance in its chassis. 

When you want more from that explosive engine, Sport+ and Race deliver the feral responses to the throttle, but both introduce a chassis setting that is too aggressive for the road. Looser traction and stability settings are also available, as well as a Drift Mode, but you really need a circuit to fully exploit the latter. Here, the A45 really comes to life, feeling lower and cornering flatter than an RS3 while being wonderfully neutral and throttle adjustable. Big slides are possible, but the way the A45 straightens up and exits corners in a subtle four-wheel drift is almost just as satisfying.

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The instant, higher cornering loads of a track also mask one of the A45’s weak points – a lack of meaningful steering feedback. The rack doesn’t give you a clear picture of how much load is going through the tyres and how much grip they have to give, which can leave you guessing when carrying speed on the road. On a track you drive through this numb zone and up to the limit straight away, which makes it less of a hindrance. 

Interior and tech

Though the A45 S packs enough tech and performance to wade into battle with bespoke sports cars, its cabin is a bit of a let down. Not through a lack of trying – its bucket seats, a plethora of glitzy high-res displays and flash design cues do catch the eye – but because the finishes and build quality aren’t especially classy. Glossy black plastic covers the dash and steering wheel, there’s tacky black and white striped trim and the infotainment graphics look like those of a smartphone racing game rather than a top-flight AMG. 

With that said, there is plenty of functionality embedded in Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system (including a Track Pace app to log lap times), and the cabin isn’t short on pixels. As well as the dual-screen panel on the dash, you get a pair of satellite screens on the steering wheel, which handle the drive modes and finer configuration tweaks such as exhaust and damping settings. It feels ultra modern now, but how the A45 will look in a decade or so might be a different story. 

Overall though, as the hot hatch as we know it continues to fade away, the A45 S remains a blazing advertisement for the sector. It’s bold, brash and expensive, but its capability is undeniably impressive, and it takes you to places that very few hot hatches can. 

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Price and rivals 

£63,745 is big money regardless of the car – more so when it’s one based on a humble A-class – but the technological might of AMG doesn’t come cheap, so neither does the A45 S. 

Alongside the best in class £50,050 Honda Civic Type R, the AMG will be hard to justify for many, unless they want or need an auto gearbox and a (very sophisticated) four-wheel drive system. If you do, the A45 S has the £44,535 VW Golf R covered, but the Audi RS3 is a tougher test – it feels and sounds more special to drive, for less money (£60,135). If you’re after a manual rear-drive sports car and only need two doors, the BMW M2 isn’t much more expensive than the AMG and offers a completely different, more traditional thrill.

2025 Mercedes-AMG A45 S specs