REVIEW

The old Mercedes A45 AMG was easily the most popular hot hatch we had in the competition, but sadly that model went out of production earlier this year. The good news is that there’s a new A-Class and it’s going to make the old model feel like a dinosaur. Okay, there’s no new A45 yet (we’ll add it when it does come out) so for now, we’ve added this, the A250 AMG Line. So you get a 2.0-litre turbo 4cyl engine producing a Golf GTi-rivalling 221bhp, sent to the front wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox, along with sportier styling, 18-inch alloys, and sports seats. It may not be the fire breathing model but this certainly hustles down a country road with aplomb. Inside the tech is next level, with S-Class-esque twin screens across the dash and all the techno kit you could imagine. Add in the CLS-lite looks to the front end and this new A-Class is a seriously impressive warm hatchback.