Photo: CarPix
Recently we got a relatively unusual set of spyshots in the mail, and they involve what looks like a casually camouflaged Mercedes-AMG A45.
Look a bit closer, though, and you'll probably notice that this A45 prototype has a much wider track both front and rear compared to the current model. This is what made our spy photographers' speculation senses tingle and exclaim that we might be looking at a Mercedes-AMG A45 Black Series model.
For all intents and purposes, that might not be the case for two simple reasons. First of all, there has never been, and there will probably never be a Black Series model that has more than two doors and a fixed roof. Even the SL65 and the SLK55 Black Series were converted to fixed roof coupes.
Second of all, the A45 is now one of the few remaining AMG models that doesn't have an “S” version, so this pre-production prototype has better chances of being just that, instead of a Black Series version.
That said, we have a strong hunch that this prototype is neither a Black Series, nor an A45 S model, but something entirely different. As most of you know, the next generation of the MFA (Modular Front-wheel-drive Architecture) platform from Stuttgart will be a bit bigger than the current one, and Mercedes-Benz is already testing pre-production prototypes of the 2018 A-Class.
In other words, we have a feeling that this peculiar prototype might actually be a 2019 Mercedes-AMG A45 mule that uses the body of the current model. If you remember, the E-Class W213 did the same thing with an elongated C-Class W205 body in the early days of pre-production testing.
Either way, it's almost certain that a 400+ PS turbocharged four-cylinder sits under the hood. Paired with a 7-speed, dual clutch transmission and all-wheel-drive, not to mention a lower mass, the next A45 is set to fall under the 4-second time for the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint. This is no mean feat, especially for a compact hatchback.
For all intents and purposes, that might not be the case for two simple reasons. First of all, there has never been, and there will probably never be a Black Series model that has more than two doors and a fixed roof. Even the SL65 and the SLK55 Black Series were converted to fixed roof coupes.
Second of all, the A45 is now one of the few remaining AMG models that doesn't have an “S” version, so this pre-production prototype has better chances of being just that, instead of a Black Series version.
That said, we have a strong hunch that this prototype is neither a Black Series, nor an A45 S model, but something entirely different. As most of you know, the next generation of the MFA (Modular Front-wheel-drive Architecture) platform from Stuttgart will be a bit bigger than the current one, and Mercedes-Benz is already testing pre-production prototypes of the 2018 A-Class.
In other words, we have a feeling that this peculiar prototype might actually be a 2019 Mercedes-AMG A45 mule that uses the body of the current model. If you remember, the E-Class W213 did the same thing with an elongated C-Class W205 body in the early days of pre-production testing.
Either way, it's almost certain that a 400+ PS turbocharged four-cylinder sits under the hood. Paired with a 7-speed, dual clutch transmission and all-wheel-drive, not to mention a lower mass, the next A45 is set to fall under the 4-second time for the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint. This is no mean feat, especially for a compact hatchback.
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