AUTOCAR's view on the RS3 'alternative', the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG

[45bvtc]

Autocar 24 September 2014 and Nick Cackett writes:

"It's unfortunate that AMG's hot hatch should keep its shortcomings in plain sight"

and goes on to list:

• "Only a mother could love the retrofitted spoiler that creaks like a shed door"

• "The interior is no home run either"

• "AMG's gear selector is small"

• "the dash looks overly busy in carbon fibre"

• "There's the saggy drone of the four-pot"

• "it's recalcitrance in default Eco mode"

• "none of the auto box's settings is entirely fulfilling"

• "the unyielding ride, which thuds invasively over anything more mountainous than falling acorns"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

UNABLE to help myself with Autocar's continual promotion of this RS3 copy I just had to write back to Mr. Cacket as follows:


Dear Mr. Cacket, you do need to get out some...

The Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG is/was a poor effort to 'copy' the Audi RS3.

OK, so you guys at AUTOCAR don't like the Audi RS3, it's never referenced; but for me the Audi RS3 is the best all weather road machine I've ever experienced on UK roads, period.

You really do need to ditch this 'modified' 4-pot wheeled/winged A45 and go try a proper but standard Audi RS3 in typical all-weather UK road conditions for a 12-month period and then try and convince me, honestly, that you'd prefer a Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG.

I paid good money for my Audi RS3 way back in 2011; and I've yet to drive anything at any price that I'd change it for, even now, 3-years on; how about that for a statement of FACT!

3-years on (and in BLUE!) and mine for many years yet...

What's not to like? And on winter rubber!

An A45 AMG, you must be joking....

Yours...

Autocar subscriber

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And no response from Mr. Cacket at date...

 

[Kelza]

Stunning john don't you just love it

 

[45bvtc]

Stunning john don't you just love it

Amazingly good machines, John; what do they know...

 

[tankclark]

Poor effort to copy the RS3? By what measure? The A45 is as unique as the RS3 yet dosent have its chassis based on an old golf, it's more powerful, better equipped as standard and far more modern inside, it shares many parts with much more expensive machinery and it's engine design has even influenced the new C class AMG's engine. It beats the RS3 round all tracks and is quicker to 100 mph. I'm no merc fanboy but sometimes people need to accept progress

 

[45bvtc]

By Autocar's authors, tankclark. Tis they that made the comments...

Steve Sutcliffe, and this was his daily driver, or so he says, was besotted with A45 AMG from day one, and could find little or no complaint (mainly on a race track, mind), even after ALL the non-standard bodywork, wheels, suspension, modifications, etc.

However, the car has now passed on to another scribe and he just isn't on the same page as Sutcliffe with this AM45G his comments are exactly as reported in Autocar, 24th September 2014

I remember the introduction of the A45 AMG quite well, in 2013; and at that time I'd had my RS3 for 2-years and went to look at and evaluate the A45 AMG. I still have my RS3, and that is why I challenged Mr. Nick Cackett to review.

But hey, no worries, its only a car. Nick hasn't bothered to respond and I'm a 100% content with the Audi RS3; hopefully he'll get to love the A45 AMG, but I wouldn't yet be putting any money on that just yet.

No one makes bad cars these days, they're ALL good, just that some have different characteristics and do a different job than others: but sometimes its good to challenge a motor-magazine scribes view.