The upcoming Mercedes-Benz A-Class is one stylish hatchback. In fact to our eyes, maybe one of the most stylish ever. The days of stodgy Mercedes-Benz designs are over; we’re pretty smitten with the A-Class inside and out. As we’ve said before, the design is almost enough to make us forgive the fact that it comes with front-wheel drive.
Almost. According to Autoblog, the powertrain on the AMGs will be equally impressive. Mercedes-Benz flew some journalists to Affalterbach, Germany to give them an inside scoop at what is going on behind the scenes. The new “A45” (don’t ask us what that means in terms of nomenclature) AMG 2.0-liter turbo model is shaping up to be a screamer.
We’ve seen the images of prototype A-Class AMGs running around, and they’ve looked as if they mean business. Now we have the official specs- A45 will launch with 365 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. Talk about a hot hatch! These are numbers you’d expect from a naturalyl-aspirated eight or turbocharged six-cylinder. But nope, Mercedes has managed to squeeze this out of a diminutive 2.0-liter four-cylinder with twin-scroll turbochargers. With 175 horsepower per liter, this engine packs a punch. Oh, and remember that bit about front-wheel drive? All-wheel drive will be standard on the AMGs.
With all that power (and the likely cringe-inducing price tag), they had better. No word on what kind of bias it will be tuned for. Hopefully rear, but we wouldn’t count on it. The A-Class AMG will go head-to-head with European competition like the BMW M135i and upcoming Audi RS3. Neither of those cars are sold in the United States, and you can guess the rest – the A45 likely won’t be offered here either according to Autoblog. We’re not sure if that means the standard A-Class won’t be offered here; we’ve heard in the past that it will be. Alas though, that engine will be making it to our shores in the AMG versions of the U.S-focused CSC/CSA four-door sedan.
