New A45 AMG get drift mode
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Mercedes-AMG redefined the hot hatch segment with the original A45 AMG, challenging expectations surrounding compact performance cars.
The follow-up act could do the same, bringing improved performance and driver engagement through new technology.Speaking with Drive at the Paris motor show, Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers says the new A45 due in the second half of 2019 is “on the next level” compared to current performance benchmarks.
Expected to offer at least 300kW of turbocharged performance, the red-hot five-door was rumoured to follow the likes of Mercedes-AMG’s new E53 and GT 53 hybrids by bringing electrification to the segment.
But Moers has ruled that out for now, saying “it’s not going to be a hybrid”.
What we do know is that the A45 is likely to feature a development of the eight-speed dual-clutch auto developed for high-torque versions of the new Mercedes-Benz B-Class, along with an active rear differential similar to Ford’s Focus RS.
Like the Focus, Mercedes-AMG’s machine is expected to feature “drift mode”, a setting already available in the current-generation E63 S sedan and GT 63 S four-door coupe.
Promising the clever differential will bring “minimal” torque transfer across the rear axle, Moers hints that the A45 will do a more convincing job of driving sideways than the Focus RS, which works best in wet and slippery conditions.
“Did you drift the Ford on a proper race track?,” he says.
“Maybe you can go sideways in the A45.”
Source: Motoring Report
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