BMW M140i Vs. Mercedes-AMG A45 0-155 MPH Acceleration Test Is a Close One

It's not so much something you'll hear the manufacturers talk about, though some executives might launch a few darts every now and again the other brand's way. Plus, the two have been involved in a battle for the best-selling premium carmaker over the past few years, with Mercedes-Benz finally stealing the crown from the Bavarians in 2016.

But the real war is fought by the two companies' fans, and the comments section on online articles and videos are often the battlefield of choice. Passions run high and everyone has a favorite, even though not all are ready to get into an argument with someone over the matter.

Naturally, the animosity extends to the performance divisions of the two German manufacturers as well, meaning a duel between an AMG and a BMW M has all the prerequisites to cause a spark. Well, it may not be New Year's Eve yet, but we're always up for a nice fireworks show.

The two contestants here are the BMW M140i - the closest thing you can get to an M version of the 1 Series after the insane 1 Series M was discontinued - and the Mercedes-AMG A45. On paper, the two premium hot hatches are quite different.

The BMW has an inline six turbocharged three-liter engine developing 340 horsepower and quite a lot of torque (369 lb-ft or
500 Nm). It can be had in both rear-wheel- or all-wheel-drive configurations and comes equipped with an eight-speed automatic.

The Mercedes-AMG only uses a two-liter four-cylinder engine, but it gets a whopping 380 hp out of it. It has comparable torque to the BMW (350 lb-ft or 475 Nm), comes with the 4MATIC AWD system as standard and channels the power through a seven-speed automatic.

Things seem to tilt in the AMG's favor, and their official 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) times don't do anything to change that impression. The Mercedes is quicker by 0.4 seconds, only this is a race to 155 mph (250 km/h), so the larger displacement on the BMW might help it there.

We're not going to spoil it particularly since it's such a closely-fought battle, but we can't remain silent about the utterly disappointing exhaust sound of the M140i. Sure, the AMG A45 uses trickery to create those pops, but the Bavarian just feels way too subdued for its performance. It's like someone who has a nice singing voice, but is too embarrassed to use it.