Mercedes Benz and AMG officially enter the hot hatch market by unveiling the new A45 AMG, a super hot version of the Mercedes A-Class. Set for debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the A45 is powered by a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbo engine with a staggering output of 360 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque.

Powerful small turbo engines are usually very laggy and very high maintenance. But AMG has used every high-tech trick in the book to ensure those arguments do not hold water about the A45. It uses specially designed pistons and crank, and features a twin-scroll turbocharger with a bespoke AMG exhaust system. The cooling system comes from the SLS super car.

Mated to the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission, and of course AMG’s new 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system, this engine enables the A45 to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h. It also returns an excellent 40.9 mpg.

To put its power down in the most efficient way, the A45 comes with a whole host of electronic systems, inducing a new three-stage ESP featuring Curve Dynamic Assist which not only makes cornering more fun, it is also a safety feature to keep the car in check.

AMG sport suspension, 18-inch wheels, AMG speed-sensitive sports steering with AMG-specific, speed-dependent power assistance and AMG high performance braking system are among the other goodies fitted to the A45 as standard.

Visually, the car gets the usual AMG treatment with sports bumper, large tailpipes, and bespoke grille, but it is surprisingly restrained and cool for a hot hatch. Inside the cabin you get leather/DINAMICA microfibre with red contrasting top-stitching, AMG instruments, and lots of carbon fiber.