A-CLASS TAKES CROWN AS FASTEST EVER

Welcome this week to a car which is both the most powerful hot hatchback ever made – and the most expensive too.

It’s powered by a 2.0-litre fourcylinder turbocharged engine that produces a staggering 416bhp, yet it ticks over quietly and smoothly in traffic. Meet the Mercedesamg A45 S.

The German firm makes an S and a standard 382bhp version of the car, but we’re only getting the full-fat S in the UK which costs a rather scary £50,570. That’s plenty enough to pay for an A-class hatchback, however much performance it has. Our test car, however, is an A45 S Plus which adds adaptive dampers, an aerodynamic package, Burmester sound system and a few other bits and bobs. Yours for £56,570.

That puts this Merc up against some very substantial opposition that includes BMW’S stunning M2 Competition, but you’re certainly not going to be disappointed by the car’s performance as it’ll leave your eyes as wide open as the price.

Not surprisingly, but to the disappointment of your local tyre shop, the A45 S is four-wheel drive via Mercedes’ eight-speed doubleclutch transmission which, thanks to a new rear differential that incorporates two multi-disc

clutches, can send as much as 50% of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels. The many driver modes available include an Individual setting that allows you to tailor your own selection of steering, throttle response and other factors. A Drift mode is also available which is utterly pointless for the public road. Launch control is standard and that’s another one for the race track only, please.

This is a very fast car and if you think about it simply in performance terms the A45 S is good value for money. It has a top speed