- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
280kW, 475Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 6.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2013)
Mercedes-AMG A45 used car review
What a change of direction the A45 was for AMG.
Having established itself as a maker of booming, rear-drive V8-powered sedans, the all-wheel-drive hot hatch A45 came out of nowhere when it landed here in 2013.
Despite not fitting the AMG mould in any packaging sense, the driving experience was vastly different, too, with a rushy turbocharged power delivery and a ton of grip from the all-wheel-drive system.
But one thing hadn’t changed; The hot-hatch version still went like a proper AMG, which is to say, like it had just been shot out of a cannon.
Now, you might imagine that as a latecomer to the hot-hatch clan, the A45 might have been playing a version of performance-car catch-up. Not a bit of it.
In fact, it rewrote the rules in some regards, mainly in terms of how highly strung AMG was prepared to make it.
Instead of sticking with the conventional (and fairly safe) eight or ten pounds of turbo boost, AMG went for the doctor and pumped no less than 26 pounds of boost into the two-litre engine to give it, rather than the then-usual 200kW or so, a whopping 265kW of power and an equally mountainous 450Nm of torque.
Adding all-wheel-drive to a hot hatch was also a bit left-field as well, but in this regard the AMG approach was to stick with well proven technology, namely the Haldex system whereby the car behaves as a front-wheel-drive until the driver starts pushing harder, at which point the rear wheels come into play.
The A45 went even further down the new-tech route by being available only with a seven-speed double-clutch transmission that also incorporated launch-control function (more of which later).
For the 2016 model-year, AMG wicked the A45 up even further, stretching power to a full 280kW and incorporating adaptive dampers which addressed the generally accepted wisdom that the ride in the previous model was too firm for many buyers.
Even though a taut ride is a real AMG signature, the clever dampers of the later model (not to mention the extra urge) make it the one to buy now if the budget will cope.
A couple of factors come into play when it comes to inspecting a second-hand A45. The first is the requirement to check everything mechanically with a close, critical eye.
That degree of turbo boost puts an obvious strain on mechanical components and the grippy chassis similarly tests suspension and braking bits and pieces.
Some owners have experienced turbocharger failures where the turbine shaft develops excess clearance, requiring a new unit to be fitted. The cause has been debated, but the majority view is that contamination in the oil blocks the feed line to the turbocharger’s bearing, allowing it to run without the necessary lubricant.
With that in mind, a close check of the service record is advised, as the primary cause of oil contamination in engines is a lack of servicing, specifically fresh oil and filter changes.
But there’s also a school of thought that suggests the fuel-saving stop-start technology is at least partly to blame. If the turbo starts to spin and build boost from a standing start before the oil pump has had a chance to pressurise the bearings, damage can conceivably occur. If that’s the case, AMG wouldn’t be the first brand to have suffered this problem.
Either way a turbocharger health-check is a wise investment before the money changes hands.
Speaking of engine oil, it’s also worth keeping an eye on the dipstick of the A45 as the hard-working engine has been known to sip a little of its lubricant between services.
It’s not a problem if you know it’s going to do it, but it’s when a new owner dips the oil after a few weeks and gets a nasty surprise that the trouble starts.
Again, this is hardly an AMG thing and a lot of modern, turbocharged engines exhibit the same drinking habits, but in an engine stretched as tight as this one it won’t tolerate being run low on oil.
The seven-speed DSG gearbox has not experienced the same level of problems as some of the competition, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been failures.
There’s anecdotal reports of some clutch-pack replacements and even electronic upgrades, but the biggest potential glitch seems to be the possibility of a welded join in the clutch-pack giving way or a drive-shaft retaining clip jumping ship. In either case, you could be left without drive to the wheels.
The bottom line with this transmission is, of course, the same for any double-clutch arrangement of any make and model. That is, be especially wary of a car that shudders during take-offs, exhibits odd-shift patterns or loses drive at any point, even briefly.
If any of those conditions exist, we’d suggest either looking at a different car or at the very least having the thing checked out by an independent specialist for the full story on what’s going on.
The other thing we need to mention with the AMG A45 is that we’ve never seen one being driven sedately. Fact is, any time you see an A45 go by in traffic, it’ll probably be shifting at redline, with the exhaust valve wide open for more of that glorious noise. That just seems to be the way of things and the sort of owners this car seems to attract.
Which also means, the car’s launch control function is a fair chance to have been used at some point in the past, even if only to impress the neighbours.
And while the car has a range of inbuilt checks and measures to protect it against abuse of this sort, the fact remains that the AMG’s launch control is an incredibly effective and, therefore, violent one that will almost certainly shorten the life of various components if it’s been used excessively throughout the car’s previous life.
When you witness it for the first time, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about.
2013-on Mercedes-AMG A45 Nuts and Bolts
Engine/s: 2.0 turbocharged 4-cyl
Transmissions: Seven speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel economy (combined): 7.3 litres per 100km
Safety rating (courtesy of www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au): 5 stars
Our rating: 3.5 stars
Likes:
- V8-bashing performance.
- Relatively practical hot-hatch layout.
- Stands out from the pack.
Dislikes:
- Many have been driven hard.
- Luggage area a bit on the small side.
- May not be cheap to own and run.
Competitors:
Audi RS3 – Another awesome turbo-terror that will shame big cars with big V8 engines. You need to drive one of these late-model hyper-hatches to fully understand what’s going on, but when you do, you’ll be addicted. 3.5 stars
Ford Focus RS – All-wheel-drive finally arrived in the Ford hot-hatch with this latest model. It’s fast, seriously good fun and great value, considering its abilities. Manual only, but we like that. 3.5 stars
Volkswagen Golf R – Classy and pacey although lacking the outright stomp of the AMG. Al-wheel-drive gives the Golf hot-hatch a whole new dimension and it makes for a brilliant road car. 3.5 stars
What to pay (courtesy of Glass’s Guide):
Model Year New Now
A45 2016 $77,900 $51,600
A45 2017 $78,611 $56,800
A45 2018 $78,611 $61,200