The world of hot hatches has a bunch of surprisingly powerful entrants nowadays. And then there’s the AMG A45 S, which belongs in an asylum.
The fellas at CarWow have taken it to the drag strip to take on one of the best muscle sedans of our time, the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV. Considered by some to be the finest performance sedan on the market, its 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 makes 510 hp whereas the AMG’s 4 pot puts out 421 hp.
Surprisingly, the smaller A45 S actually weighs about 110 kg (250-ish lbs) more than the Alfa. But it puts that weight to good use, using it to send power to all four wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Also Read: Surprise, Surprise: Brabus Gives The Mercedes-AMG A45 S Even More Power
The Alfa’s relatively old school driveline meanwhile uses an 8-speed automatic transmission to send power to just the rear wheels. Good for driving dynamics and road manners, less good for off-the-line acceleration.
And that’s proven in this drag race. Although host Mat Watson says he has, in ideal conditions, driven the Alfa faster through the quarter mile than the A45 S, he can’t replicate that during this video.
Cold tires, a cold track, and just a few chances to get the best out of the car mean that in the standing quarter-mile, the AMG’s brutal replicability is at its best for every race.
There is cold comfort for the Quadrifoglio on this cold day. In the rolling race, the Alfa’s power advantage means that it can outrun the A45 S, but even in the brake test, the hot hatch outperforms the lighter Giulia.
How do you say “mamma mia” in Italian?