The Mercedes-AMG A45 S has tackled the famed Nurburgring, and posted a respectable lap time. Watch the run!

There's something quite unbelievable about the Mercedes-AMG A45 S. Here's a compact hatchback delivering 310 kW and 500 Nm from a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor, with power going to all 4 wheels via a dual-clutch transmission. Mercedes-AMG claims a 3.9 second sprint time for this little road-legal weapon, which is insane. Just 10 years ago, you'd have to be forking out millions for an exotic supercar to have this sort of performance. Now in 2020, this power is readily accessible, sort of, because it still costs R1 million.

Straight-line acceleration aside, the real test would be to see if the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system can actually put the power down when some corners are thrown into the mix. Can the electronic torque vectoring work some magic to deliver cornering exit speeds? The best place to test handling prowess is Germany's Nurburging, a monstrously-long ribbon of tarmac that winds through a forest. Watch the video and see what sort of time the Mercedes-AMG A45 S does. The lap time was conducted by German publication Sport Auto.

If you've already watched the video, the time of 7.48.80 is certainly brisk and when you compare that to other cars, you get an appreciation for what AMG has done to the little A-Class. Back in 2007, the 996 Porsche 911 GT3 RS ran around the Ring in 7.48 and the A45's time is 1 second slower than aFerrari 599GTB Fiorano, proving how far technology has progressed.

It's important to note the A45 S was running Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber, plus, if you look carefully the gearbox went into limp mode briefly at the 7:59 minute mark, which resulted in a bit of lost time. The driver wasSport Auto's Tester Christian Gebhardt, who has considerable experience both in motorsport and Nurburgring test laps. The question is, if the gearbox hadn't had a glitch, how much faster could the Mercedes-AMG A45 S have gone?

The previous generation Mercedes-AMG A45 is a ballistic performer and we have many examples for sale.

Further Reading

Mercedes-AMG A45 S (2019) International Launch Review

Drag Race: Mercedes A45 AMG vs CLS 63 AMG S

Mercedes-AMG A45 S Price Announced for South Africa

Mercedes-AMG A45 4MATIC (2016) Review

Drag Race: Audi RS3 vs Mercedes-AMG A45

Drag Race: Audi RS3 vs Mercedes A45 AMG [Video]