Mercedes quotes a 0-62mph sprint of 4.2 seconds ... As well as the thunder from the exhaust, the AMG’s engine starts with an industrial chunter and idles with a burble, and brisk acceleration ...

It shares the powertrain and four-wheel-drive system of the A45, with a fairly radical departure for the AMG brand – a four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 355bhp. It yields a 4.6sec 0-60 time ...