Car of the Year Awards 2025: Hot Hatch of the Year
Hot hatches should make even the most mundane of drives feel magical. However, this ability to entertain shouldn't come at the expense of everyday usability...
Mercedes-AMG A45 S Plus
Hot hatches have been steadily growing hotter over the years, and the Mercedes-AMG A45 brought things to boiling point when it first arrived in 2013. Fast forward to today and, far from simmering down, the latest Mercedes-AMG A45 S is the most scorching, scintillating hot hatch you can buy.
It’s propelled by the most powerful four-cylinder car engine currently in production, with an astonishing 416bhp from 2.0 turbocharged litres. That’s all sent to the road via a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox and a clever four-wheel drive system, the result being a 0-62mph time of just 3.9sec – half a second quicker than the already rapid Volkswagen Golf R. Acceleration is relentless; the A45 surges towards the horizon as if pulled by elastic.
Admittedly, the A45’s closest rival, the Audi RS3, gives it a run for its money on the straights, but that car isn’t as much fun or as exciting through corners. From the A45’s ultra-precise steering to the dynamic way its four-wheel drive system shuffles the power around (it’s keener to send power rearwards to shoot the car out of tight corners), the A45 is a sharper, more engaging machine.
If you revel in sideways action, you can engage Drift mode (which is best reserved for use on a private track). The Sport+ and Race modes are just the job for a track day, too, but they stiffen up the standard-fit adaptive suspension too much for typical bumpy British roads.
Indeed, the trade-off for the A45’s impeccable poise is a firm ride, but the Comfort driving mode is less extreme than the rest, and largely lives up to its name. There’s also Individual mode, in which you can combine the sharpest engine and gearbox response settings with Comfort’s less punishing ride.
Inside, the A45 continues its theme of going a notch beyond the traditional hot hatch, more than living up to Mercedes’ premium image. Most of the materials on show look and feel first rate, while turbine-style air vents that light up at night add to the wow factor.
The A45 also adds a bundle of bespoke AMG software to the infotainment system it shares with lesser A-Class models. It can show engine and gearbox oil temperatures, it records lap times and it even has a g-meter to show handling and acceleration forces.
As with any other A-Class, the A45 can accommodate four six-footers in relative comfort (with a fifth at a squeeze), plus the boot can handle six carry-on suitcases – eclipsing the RS3’s four. This means the A45 is far from a chore to live with every day.
The price for all of this is steep but, we feel, justifiable. No other hot hatch is so intoxicatingly exciting to drive, and the A45 is much more practical than any sports car with a similar price tag.
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