Best for: Pure power
Let the following statement sink in: the Mercedes-AMG A45 S is a four-wheel-drive hot hatchback that costs more than £60,000 and has a 2.0-litre four-pot that makes 416bhp and 369lb ft.
Not only does that mean Affalterbach’s most rabid hot hatch has the most powerful series production four-cylinder engine on the planet, it also has an engine with a higher specific output than that of the Ferrari 488 Pista. It is, in a sense, utterly ridiculous.
Be that as it may, there’s still a phenomenal, yet usable, driver’s car lying beneath all its wings, fins and flares. Straight-line performance is undoubtedly immense, but more of a surprise is how well-mannered its complex, steroidal driveline is when you’re simply tooling about.
Body control is rock-solid at speed, but there’s genuine compliance in the chassis too. Grip is outstanding, meanwhile, and the accuracy, weighting and textural feedback from its electrically assisted steering rack is easily up there with the best in class.
As a multi-talented hot hatchback, the A45 S is undoubtedly a triumph. But it has wandered so far from the realms of relative affordability that crowning it the class champion would have been a touch problematic.