August 14, 2020
Hot hatch or rear-wheel drive beast, it’s hard to choose when both the Mercedes-AMG A45 S and the BMW M2 Competition offer so much when it comes to performance and style. These cars might be the entry-level sports cars but are by no means slow or entry-level.
But which one is for you? Pocket rockets have come a long way from the 200-ish horse-powered VW Golf, Ford Focus or Renault Megane. These two beauties produce over 400 horsepower, and the technology that feeds them is incredible.
This is not the same hot hatch that was launched 7 years ago. It might still have a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine but is more advanced and Mercedes has been investing a lot of money in this project.
It’s not a cheap hot hatch, but some may say that it is well worth the price. Mercedes has bestowed this hatchback with a new 2.0 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with partial electrification, which includes an automated dual-clutch transmission. These high-performance features make the A45 S just as fast as a traditional sports car. It has a 421-horsepower engine that produces 500Nm of torque, and is all-wheel drive. This means that it fires over a 100+ horsepower per cylinder. The A45 S goes from 0 – 100kph in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 270 km/h - that’s a lot of power for only a 2.0-litre engine.
It has all the bells, whistle and safety you need, 9 airbags, ABS, EBD, brake assist, traction control and stability control, making sure you will not be scared to put your foot down and go around tight corners.
The starting price of the Mercedes A45 S is from R 1 067 840.
If you’re not into a hot hatch and much prefer a rear-wheel-drive 3.0-litre Bi-turbo, then the BMW M2 Competition is for you. It has the same engine setup as its big brother the BMW M4, but the engine has just been detuned to compete with the likes of the Mercedes-AMG A45 S.
The BMW M2 Competition is a rear-wheel-drive 3.0 litre 6-cylinder Bi-turbo. It has a slightly lower horsepower output of 410 compared to the A45 S’s 421 horsepower, but its torque is marginally higher at 550Nm. It comes either in a manual transmission or an automated dual-clutch transmission. You will not be able to beat the Mercedes-AMG A45 S at a drag race, but you will have a lot of fun driving this beauty. The BMW M2 Competition does 0-100 kph at 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 250 Km/h. The BMW M2 Competition is for the genuine BMW enthusiast.
The starting price of the BMW M2 Competition is from R 1 091 164.
The Mercedes-AMG A45 S and the BMW M2 Competition come with a hefty price tag, and choosing one of these machines will be for the die-hard BMW or Mercedes fans or someone that is looking for a change and has a deeper pocket than most.
Most of us dream of owning a car like these two. Perhaps one day, we will. Until then, we may drive a vehicle that’s more reasonably priced in the meantime. Are you looking for car insurance for your car, which is worth no more than R500 000? Perhaps consider getting affordable car insurance with PMD that comes with unique benefits like fixed premiums* and reduce to zero excess. T’s and C’s apply.
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