The Next Mercedes-AMG A45 Will Have the World's Most Powerful Four-Cylinder
In its current 45-series cars, Mercedes-AMG has the most powerful four-cylinder engine currently in production, a 2.0-liter that makes 375 horsepower. But when the A45 hatchback debuts the next generation of 45-series cars, that number will go up in a major way.
We spoke with AMG boss Tobias Moers at the 2019 New York Auto Show. Moers had told us previously the next A45 would have more than 400 horsepower. This time, he confirmed the number: 420 hp.
By our reckoning, that'll make the new A45 the most powerful production-car four-cylinder ever, with one of the highest specific outputs we've ever seen-210 hp per liter. Currently, the only other automaker offering more than 200 hp per liter is Koenigsegg.
The new AMG motor achieves this output thanks to a single turbo. Small displacement and a big turbo makes us worry about lag, but Moers promises the new car will have better throttle response than the previous 45-series four-cylinder.
This isn't just a rework of AMG's previous turbo four-Moers says it's a totally new design. The old AMG 2.0-liter shared bore, stroke, and cylinder spacing dimensions with the brand's now-ubiquitous 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Moers wouldn't say whether that would be true for the new four-cylinder, but he called the upcoming two-liter "a pretty important engine for our future."
While 420 horsepower would make the A45 the most powerful hot hatch on the market, Moers says the chassis can handle even more power. AMG is really going to town on the new 45-series, with a stiffer body shell and a trick all-wheel drive system with a new type of Drift Mode.
The A45 hatchback should arrive this summer, and in the US, we'll probably see 45-series versions of the CLA, GLA, and maybe the A-class sedan, too.
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