While the whole purpose of a hot hatch is to strike fear in the hearts of much more expensive and oftentimes, more powerful cars, the likes of the BMW M3 are not to be trifled with.
Yet, comparing power and weight, you’d be surprised to find out there’s not that big of a difference between these two models, and the A45’s all-wheel drive system can definitely help to close any potential gaps in terms of acceleration.
What we mean to say is that the A45 is just 0.1 seconds slower to 100 km/h (62 mph) than the M3 (4.1 vs 4.2 seconds) and that’s genuinely nothing in the real world – especially where traction makes a big difference.
Furthermore, you’ve got the M3 weighing in at 1,635 kg (3,604 lbs), whereas the Mercedes A45 carries around 1,555 kg (3,428 lbs). That’s just a passenger’s weight difference between them and some might find that a bit surprising seen as how these cars belong to different segments altogether. The M3 also has just 50 PS more than the A45 and on paper, that doesn’t seem like a lot, does it?
The M3, which belongs to Paul Wallace from Supercars of London, got to race the A45 (Archie Hamilton Racing YouTube channel) several times, both from a stand still and from a rolling start…with mixed results.
In the end, it comes down to traction and distance. In a vacuum though, there’s no denying which of the two cars will rise above the other.