Yet this race-bred pedigree comes at a price, with the AMG costing £5,250 more than the BMW, at £37,845. Once, roads like … It also makes a raucous noise, as all AMG products do. And I’m not going to bellyache about the demise of the straight six and rear-drive. So if you’re looking for a sportier hot hatch experience, the Mercedes-AMG A45 is probably the better bet. Yep, this is a BMW with torque-steer. At this point it’s tempting to throw your hands in the hair, scream in despair and walk away to a hermit’s existence, living on a remote storm-swept island (with decent 4G data coverage) and endlessly re-watching YouTube clips of the old rear-drive M140i (more power, more sideways, more everything). Dial things up and the AMG’s Race setting is much wilder than the M135i’s Sport, the Benz steering more quickly and feeling better connected. Both cars are extremely expensive for small hot hatches, which sort of defeats the purpose of hot hatches. BMW M135i vs. Mercedes-AMG A35 ... it's got more in common with the A250's M260 than the pin-pulled hand grenade that is the A45-issued M133. It’s useful. A front end you can work with, plus an electronically-finessed chassis that always seems at least one step ahead, hooked up and ready to do your bidding? In the not too distant future, this group would have starred the 360bhp BMW M2 and the 380bhp Audi RS3, but right here and now the 360bhp Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG is facing the 300bhp S3 and the 320bhp M135i.
But they’ll never catch this thing, the M135i dancing into corners with a grace entirely at odds with its dumpy aesthetic before hammering out of them with a WRC-inspired combination of lag-free turbo thump and deft, nuanced all-wheel-drive traction. Focus RS, Golf R, and the recently replaced Mercedes-AMG A45.This… isn’t it. It’s uncanny. A45 AMG BMW M135i But its engine is smoother, quieter and more silky than the manic AMG’s. Let’s face it, both require serious dedication to the acquisition of the very latest and greatest. Put your foot down and the BMW thumps you in the back. Mercedes-AMG A45 S vs BMW M135i: the CAR magazine twin testExclusive first test: CAR pits the two German hyper-hatch giants against each otherBMW M135i: it might have ditched rear-wheel drive, but it's still mighty sharpBMW M135i twin test against the new Mercedes-AMG A45 hot hatchMerc A45 chases the BMW M135i in CAR magazine's twin testThe engine bay of the Mercedes-AMG A45 S: a 415bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinderLess shark nose, more heavily marked nose: the snout of the BMW M135iBMW M135i costs £36,430; Mercedes-AMG A45 S price is £50,570Mercedes-AMG A45 interior: a classy cabin, especially with MBUX infotainmentMercedes-Benz A-Class digital dials quite a visual treatMercedes-Benz's A45 fights the BMW M135i in CAR magazine's exclusive comparison test Nevertheless, the BMW was surprisingly close to the A45 or, at least, I thought the two would have a lot more room in between them by the time they crossed the finish line. But it’s when the road begins to twist and turn – as this one on the outskirts of Munich is now beginning to do in the most delectable way – that the M135i really starts to come alive. The truth is the AMG’s driver is having to work hard to stay with me. Entre une A45 AMG à la sportivité artificiellement brutale et une M135i, plus bourgeoise mais apte à donner le frisson si on la mène avec poigne, notre choix est fait. That allows for a 0-60 mph time of around 4.2 seconds, which is impressive for a hatchback. There’s always power, except when a couple of very rare combinations of throttle position and gear selection conspire to mean that, for the blink of an eye, there’s the merest trace of turbo lag instead.
Now set about murdering your rear tyres and trying to remember that, despite the effortless, creamy ease with which the AMG will lazily hang its rear end out of line, the hatch dancing like a pedigree drift machine so long as you maintain a tighter-than-normal steering angle (dial in opposite lock, as instinct dictates, and you kill the slide dead) and a generous amount of the throttle, you really are driving an A-Class. The stalk you’ll use every time you engage drive? And versus the Audi S3 or VW Golf R that’s been on sale for the past six years and is about to be killed off? Both cars are extremely expensive for small hot hatches, which sort … What you won’t find on the options list are a proper set of sports seats. Hatches don’t come any hotter than the BMW M135i and the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG. And if talk of such an animated chassis comes as a surprise, you’re forgiven. However, unlike the BMW that looks much more restrained without the M … And it’s quite something.It hasn’t escaped our notice that there is a Mercedes-AMG A35; a car far closer to the M135i in most respects than the 45.
Even at its high price, its entry-level Mercedes A-Class roots shine through a bit.The BMW M135i is a bit of a different animal. Nasty. Stuff like that. All of that coupled with a tenacious all-wheel drive system and sharp steering and you get a very exciting hot hatch.However, its interior started to show some significant wear in its life, as this is a secondhand model. As with the BMW, the AMG’s drivetrain is a complex system that feels entirely intuitive and malleable from the driving seat.