Soo I Test Drove An A45amg

This is getting awfully boring now. I've proven the mercs engine isn't that special ie evo 360's, 400's, I've proven that it isn't a stated fact that the merc is the best small drivers car out there ie the M235i and that it isn't the fastest point to to point.
The merc isn't THAT special despite what people may claim. Enjoy it though because I do like them alot and there's no denying it's a great car.
 
tankclark said:
I've proven the mercs engine isn't that special ie evo 360's, 400's,
Click to expand...

Where? In your mind? Does that include drivability? Shall we measure turbo lag in the Evo, say, in minutes? ;) Anyone can bolt a big turbo on and claim bhp, but making it an everyday drivable road car is different matter.

I've proven that it isn't a stated fact that the merc is the best small drivers car out there ie the M235i and that it isn't the fastest point to to point.
Click to expand...

Where? In your mind? How about a wet day, or a different track ;)
 
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Ha ha your right get the right track and right weather and you'll be fine lol

A sub 4 sec 0-60 for the FQ 400 suggest there's little lag if you know how to drive it just keep it on boost and your fine :)
I missed on here where anybody said the S3 was better as a drivers car, only that people don't think the AMG is worth the money and that it has faults, despite the price tag cars still have faults even cars 4 or 5 tines as much as the A45 have faults, no one said it's a rubbish car.
If your after pure driving thrills then there's thousands of cars out there that offer more thrills for cash than the A45 if as you say you don't mind going without creature Conforts.
 
Yes your right trying to accelerate in top gear at 30 is 'real world'.
"unless your in the right gear at the right time?" What you mean if you can drive properly like the stig who posts a time quicker than a gallardo.
I agree as an ownership prospect the merc is better in most ways but my point was that Mercedes are constantly banging on about it being the biggest output per litre engine in the world as if it is a massive achievement in engineering.
 
It's not an unreasonable achievement, given the other factors that distinguish it, i.e.: a 360PS engine that can potentially return above 35mpg, doesn't need servicing every 4000 miles, and considering a FQ400 was £47,000 in 2005, it makes the A45 AMG a comparative bargain :)
 
It was one of the merc fan boys on here said it was the fastest point to point new car you can buy and you have proven that to be incorrect.

And soon as though you love reviews so much and talking about 'drivers cars'


Oh and I'm not a Merc 'fanboy' I've had loads of different cars including many fast Audi's and BMW's. Have you even driven an A45? If not your comments are pointless. Forget reviews, go and drive one then tell me it's not exciting.
 
geefunk1978 said:
It was one of the merc fan boys on here said it was the fastest point to point new car you can buy and you have proven that to be incorrect.

And soon as though you love reviews so much and talking about 'drivers cars'


Oh and I'm not a Merc 'fanboy' I've had loads of different cars including many fast Audi's and BMW's. Have you even driven an A45? If not your comments are pointless. Forget reviews, go and drive one then tell me it's not exciting.
Click to expand...
Spot on!

Driving it was an "event". Two test drives for me and loved it in that short space of time.
 
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I've driven three one on an extended test drive ranging from top spec to pop spec and found it lacking in any drama Wether it from engine noise or sense of speed, the interior creaked and rattled the brakes squeeked so loud people were straining around looking in traffic, I hated the ipad thingy in the middle, it felt like it had lots of turbo lag and the exhaust sounded like it droned on cruising speed, the cover for the panoramic roof looked like it was made from a prostitutes tights it looked so cheap and tatty.
It drive round corners very fast and got off the line very fast aswell but wasn't that involving to drive.
The test drives were after had placed a preliminary order for one costing 47k.
After the merc I went and drove the S3 and although it didn't sound as good or drive as fast round corners it seemed much better built and thought out inside and it didn't cost as much so I decided to sacrifice bragging rights in the pub for in my view a better ownership prospect day to day and cancel my A45 order and order the S3.
If I didn't feel I had to have 4wd I would take my M135i anyday over the merc, nearly as fast, more involving, more fun, engine and exhaust sound ten times better and it would have cost me 15k less than the merc, although it is very ugly lol
 
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Guys.. I am the OP here and sadly/happily I have decided to go with the A45amg. In terms of specs, I have ordered the following specs - 19 inch wheels, pano roof, HK sound system, cirrus white, red brake calipers, seatbelts, amg performance seats, leather pacakage, mirror package, light and sight package. The only options I would have wanted but couldn't afford were the amg steering wheel which comes with a nice sls amg gear shifter. I didn't want the amg suspension or any additional exterior styling like the spoiler etc. Some of you are right, I did decide to go with this car because it has certain degree of badge cred and other little things likes fantastic driving position, better and aggressive looks. Someone on this forum nailed it for me on another post when they said, is the S3 a car you want to jump back in to take that special drive and the person said no. I wanted a car that gives me that. I sold my bmw 335i N54 coupe for a JCW mini and the latter was so much more fun to drive even with the huge power deficit. My 335i was chipped with upgraded I/C and P/E. I am selling the JCW now bc life needs a 4 door for me and one that I would need to keep for at least 4 years. I felt the a45 was more likely to remain with me for 4 years esp with all the tuning options already pushing 400bhp from a stage one tune. Also remember I get the 206kw/280hp S3 here. Don't get me wrong, I loved every moment of the S3 test drive but if you search earlier posts by me I was even hesistant going from a JCW to the S3. Am I even hesitant going from the JCW to the AMG...not a chance.
 
Why are we comparing the Evo fq400. that wasn't a worldwide production car? I live outside of the UK and that car was built by an aftermarket tuner? Sure anyone can bolt a big turbo to a 2.0l. Hell I had an Evox with an FP red turbo, cams, intake, TBE, upgraded I/C, water meth injection and made 400whp running 22psi and it drove like crap, laggiest piece of crap I owned with a power band available from 4500 rpm to 6000rpm. I think merc's achievement is that they have done the big turbo big boost on a production model with a 3 year unlimited warranty. If anyone here has tuned and modded cars, they would know the stress that level of boost puts on the engine internals. If AMG have done it in a production car, it means that engine is designed to be bullet proof. Add to that peak torque available from 2250 rpm makes for a completely different drive.
 
The S3 "looks" like a standard A3 unless you're sat behind it. And usually you are if you try it on Mr 325Ci, roof down, with the blonde haired girlfriend lol
 
veeeight said:
You said EVO said....... blah blah,

And yet CAR said:

"Verdict

It means, after 48 hours, 500-odd miles, 269 litres of premium unleaded, and three fresh shirts, the A45 AMG takes the trophy ahead of the BMW and the Audi, off-putting price tag notwithstanding. The M135i feels like a neatly spiced up 1-series, the S3 feels like an S-line A3 with more poke. In contrast, the A45 feels more AMG than A-class, more special than mainstream, more bespoke than bespoilered. For the time being, this Mercedes rules the microcosm that was once owned by Scooby, Mitsu & friends."




Buy what you want, it's your choice, but you really don't have to justify why you couldn't afford the better car on here ;)
Click to expand...

Indeed, each to their own and if the A45 AMG floats your boat, fair enough. I just dislike it personally and that's my choice, but then I'll openly admit I'm not a fan of Mercs at all to start with :p

As for car reviews, yes the reviewers all have their own opinions but frankly I trust EVO's opinion on performance cars far far more than any other publication.
 
The BMW coupe owners I know prefer the A45 over the S3, must be something about them! Whether you got the S3 or the A45 I'm sure it's going to give you what you wanted.
 
Messi_alli said:
Why are we comparing the Evo fq400. that wasn't a worldwide production car? I live outside of the UK and that car was built by an aftermarket tuner? Sure anyone can bolt a big turbo to a 2.0l. Hell I had an Evox with an FP red turbo, cams, intake, TBE, upgraded I/C, water meth injection and made 400whp running 22psi and it drove like ****, laggiest piece of **** I owned with a power band available from 4500 rpm to 6000rpm. I think merc's achievement is that they have done the big turbo big boost on a production model with a 3 year unlimited warranty. If anyone here has tuned and modded cars, they would know the stress that level of boost puts on the engine internals. If AMG have done it in a production car, it means that engine is designed to be bullet proof. Add to that peak torque available from 2250 rpm makes for a completely different drive.
Click to expand...
The evo 360, 400 were still available with warranty and despite having a bigger bhp per litre output than the merc which seems to be mercs only selling point of the engine, oh and the fact they supposedly build tens of thousands of AMG engines per year 'by hand' something top gear touched upon making the AMG engine builders the hardest working people in the world if true.
Going by the turbo issues of the merc I'd say they to may have gone too far down the big turbo little engine route aswell, and the only reason the merc dosent suffer the lag is because merc won't let you choose a manual for this very reason I suspect.
 
tankclark said:
bigger bhp per litre output than the merc which seems to be mercs only selling point of the engine
Click to expand...

You should at least try to keep this factual, and not emotive..... it's not the "only" selling point of the engine :) Besides which, the A45 turbo'd engine is far more of a modern driveable economic proposition than the old turbo engine of the F400. Not really any comparison by modern day standards.

oh and the fact they supposedly build tens of thousands of AMG engines per year 'by hand' something top gear touched upon making the AMG engine builders the hardest working people in the world if true.
Click to expand...

Of course they do. They assemble it, (as opposed to machine it) by hand. As do Bentley.

Going by the turbo issues of the merc I'd say they to may have gone too far down the big turbo little engine route aswell, and the only reason the merc dosent suffer the lag is because merc won't let you choose a manual for this very reason I suspect.
Click to expand...


We've covered this before, but, as you seem to have missed it (or still trying to bravely scaremonger):
The recall is down to 2 issues in a particular batch:
1. Debris left in the oil feed line to the turbo (Borg Warner manufacturing issue)
2. Undersized spindle/shaft (Borg Warner manufacturing issue)
 

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What's the other selling point of the merc engine then? And yes I remember all those quotes from merc about its engine, it's very economical and drivable??? Oh no wait they didn't they just mentioned it's output so if we're talking output vs output it is comparable.
So now your saying it's hand assembled, so it's not a hand built just assembled by a person who who as proven by many an industry to make many many more mistakes than a machine.
And as for the turbo problem, is this something super fritz and his buddies couldn't check as would have been the advantage over a machine assembly line? Guess not lol
 
Show me a direct link where Mercedes market the engine output as "the only selling point", with no other reference to any other benefit of the new engine.

Can't? So stop peddling that myth ;)

If hand assembly of engines are such a bad thing then you'd better inform Bentley, Rolls-Royce (Motor Cars & Aero Engines), amongst other engine producers, that they are making a sub
standard engine, compared to say, the automated assembly engines of Vauxhall.

It seems that super fritz in Audi, VW etc all couldn't stop a bad batch of turbos ending up on the S3 and Golf R either!

Honestly, I haven't heard so much single sided blinkered nonsense in such a long time!
 
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Bit late to the party here...

I will admit I was considering the A45 until I saw the S3 in person and fell in love. Also, once spec'd, the A45 would cost me around 50k... I simply couldn't justify that! Don't get me wrong, I love the aggressive image the A45 portrays; it reminds me of the Focus RS, etc. Good looking cars and all, but sometimes less is more.

Going by the A45's power delivery in higher gears, this is really something that isn't down my street. I love how forceful the S3 is in gears 1-3. As for less response in the higher gears, that's something a custom map will fix.

Hell, if I was stupidly rich I'd buy an A45 as a toy because I do generally like the car... it's just the price, power delivery and interior that throws me off it. I've always been drawn to the simple elegance of Audi interiors and the fact that S/RS models have the ability to fly under the radar but still cause a riot if needed.

At the end of the day, it's all down to personal preference, isn't it? Forums would be boring if we all thought the same!

Connor
 
veeeight said:
Show me a direct link where Mercedes market the engine output as "the only selling point", with no other reference to any other benefit of the new engine.

Can't? So stop peddling that myth ;)

If hand assembly of engines are such a bad thing then you'd better inform Bentley, Rolls-Royce (Motor Cars & Aero Engines), amongst other engine producers, that they are making a sub
standard engine, compared to say, the automated assembly engines of Vauxhall.

It seems that super fritz in Audi, VW etc all couldn't stop a bad batch of turbos ending up on the S3 and Golf R either!

Honestly, I haven't heard so much single sided blinkered nonsense in such a long time!
Click to expand...
Oh look. Mercedes informing people about the power delivery of its new engine, and how despite its power output it is still economical.......Oh no wait the only real marketing point is that yep you guessed it biggest output for its size



Also going by the bottom ten in the reliability charts your right perhaps someone should inform Bentley about hand building. For the record vauxhall make a heck of a lot of cars than Bentley and merc AMG.



As for the S3 and Golf R turbo problems, there have been no recalls or anywhere near the level of problems as with the Amg and when you consider the amount of cupras, golf R's, and S3's and that they cost about 15k less with options then having problems is easier to stomach.
 
Saw an A45 AMG yesterday. As good as it undoubtedly is, it doesn't look £45k worth IMHO

& I agree with previous posts. Its a bit of an unfair comparison - S3 v A45 AMG. The true comparison shoild be the new RS3 v A45 AMG :thumbs up:
 
tankclark said:
As for the S3 and Golf R turbo problems, there have been no recalls
Click to expand...



Correct. Very naughty of VW Audi not to issue a recall, despite a known faulty batch of turbos. They are just waiting for the MIL or the turbo to go bang, before replacing it. Extremely cheap.

Whereas Mercedes have been proactive, and issued a recall.
 
tankclark said:
Also going by the bottom ten in the reliability charts your right perhaps someone should inform Bentley about hand building.
Click to expand...


And you can attribute this directly to the hand building of engines? Any data?

No.
 
Oh Look

Not only does it mention power, but
Economy
Emissions


Guess what? It ain't the "ONLY" selling point of the engine. So stop peddling that myth !

Lets face it. The FQ400 engine that you offered up for comparison, was never a series/mass production car that the A45 is, so in the first instance, isn't comparable.

Secondly, it would never achieve the fuel economy that the Mercedes engine does, and thirdly, it would never in a million years pass EU6 emissions.

Shall we talk about servicing intervals of the 2 cars? No.

So yes, it is a giant leap forward in engine technology compared with the FQ400, and no matter how much you are in denial, it will be a far more reliable unit than the FQ400. You say you've proven the engine isn't that special compared with the Evo's. Well, unfortunately for you, it is :)


bMcGkSg.jpg
 
Here's the failure mode of the turbo shaft on
Audi S3
Golf R
Leon Cupro


RqCAXby.jpg



And here's the TSB
http://www.goapr.com/support/tsb/21e7.pdf


For a known faulty batch of IHI turbos (Why didn't Audi VW Seat check this?)

And yet..... Audi VW Seat have not issued a recall, instead waiting for your turbo to go bang in the outside lane of the motorway, before replacing it.

Yeah, great customer service, Audi, VW Seat.

Thank goodness Mercedes have the sense to look after their customers :)
 
Yes but A: as I said the merc costs 15k more so you would hope having spent nearly 50k on a 'upmarket' hot hatch that they would take it seriously.

B: the amount of A45's sold makes it far easier and cheaper for merc to issue a recall.

My point is that yes there are problems with both cars ie the S3 and A45 but the merc costs heaps more so why isn't it built any BETTER?
I wasn't saying the FQ 400 was technically as good just that merc banging on about the 2.0 being so special because it puts out 355 bhp is pointless and as for merc not harping on about it what is it merc mention in the very FIRST paragraph of that engine link you posted up? Ha ha ha ha
 
You said it was the ONLY thing they "bang on about".

Actually, in the link I posted, not only do they "bang on about" power, but also economy, emissions, and efficiency. Not "only" power.

Though it is a deserved boast, as it is indeed the most powerful 4 cyl engine in series production, not only that, but it also meets EU6 and returns 40mpg (NEDC). Something the FQ400 could only dream of in 2004.

Re the recall - its a encouraging sign of a responsible manufacture that puts customer service above costs.
 
Look I've got no problem with the A45 I respect it and I love the look and the on paper numbers of it, I ordered one for Christ sake!!!
But having experienced it on drives my beef with it grew because I just cannot see why people seem to think it's a cut above, and that includes Mercedes with their pricing of it.
It had an AMG badge and has lots of power, really worth the 10-20k premium over the 90% as fast and drivable M135I, S3 not a chance IMO
 
veeeight said:
You said it was the ONLY thing they "bang on about".

Actually, in the link I posted, not only do they "bang on about" power, but also economy, emissions, and efficiency. Not "only" power.

Though it is a deserved boast, as it is indeed the most powerful 4 cyl engine in series production, not only that, but it also meets EU6 and returns 40mpg (NEDC). Something the FQ400 could only dream of in 2004.

Re the recall - its a encouraging sign of a responsible manufacture that puts customer service above costs.
Click to expand...
I agree it's massively more advanced but if your spending 45k on a hot hatch should MPG and tax brackets really matter? Get a diesel.
 
audi upgrades
No, I'd like 360PS that can on occasion (if I want) return 40mpg and be kind to the planet. :)
 
Lol forget the planet, in the words of Clarkson pooooweeeeeeeeerrrrrr
 
veeeight said:
Here's the failure mode of the turbo shaft on
Audi S3
Golf R
Leon Cupro


RqCAXby.jpg



And here's the TSB
http://www.goapr.com/support/tsb/21e7.pdf


For a known faulty batch of IHI turbos (Why didn't Audi VW Seat check this?)

And yet..... Audi VW Seat have not issued a recall, instead waiting for your turbo to go bang in the outside lane of the motorway, before replacing it.

Yeah, great customer service, Audi, VW Seat.

Thank goodness Mercedes have the sense to look after their customers :)
Click to expand...

As pointed out previously on the turbo failure thread that is not the engine code or problem with the turbo fitted to the S3 or Golf R. The turbo used on S3 etc is a 702N version 2, it also related to a small batch manufactured sometime in May and was an issue with the compressor seal face I believe.

Appologies for hijacking this thread just dont want people worrying unnecessarily about incorrect information.
 
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I don't think I said anywhere that it was a problem other than a batch produced by IMI ......




edit:
In fact, here's the direct quote, me, referring to a batch of turbos:

veeeight said:
Correct. Very naughty of VW Audi not to issue a recall, despite a known faulty batch of turbos.
Click to expand...



and another quote referring to a batch of turbos:

veeeight said:
couldn't stop a bad batch of turbos ending up on the S3 and Golf R either!
Click to expand...



Definitely no peddling of myths on my part :)
 
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veeeight said:
Here's the failure mode of the turbo shaft on
Audi S3
Golf R
Leon Cupra


No but you alluded to this being the failure mechanism on the S3 etc ,
Which it isn't so your post as well as been incorrect is also misleading!

Ok original myth quote removed then, appologies
Click to expand...
 
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It appears to be a little more widespread though, with MQB:


lLfkgFV.png






EAqEGM5.png
 
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Oh I see what you mean, I mistakenly associated the MQB failures with the 702N problems. Yes, my mistake.
 
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