Best Value Performance Cars
Gallery 1
“THERE it goes,” a commentator would scream. “Rounding onto the Bang For Your Bucks home stretch the Mercedes-AMG A45 has elbowed its way into second overall, jumping two spots from a category fourth place”.
This comeback won’t make any clickbait-y top-10 lists, but we haven’t seen such a leap since we split the event on price. It’s more perplexing when you consider the relatively pricey AMG rubs shoulders with the cheap stuff in the overall formula. A couple things contribute to this.
Here the Holden Commodore SS-V Redline Ute and BMW M140i, its category rivals, no longer represent such good value. Their prices, like the A45’s, look stratospheric next to the $0-$50K cars. And can’t use them to nose in front. Let’s not forget, either, Australian A45s are chocka with equipment that’s optional overseas.
Opening the gates to the lower-priced cars not only drops the average price, but the average performance index. And suddenly the A45’s soaring Bang score pulls a gap on twice as many cars. Which reveals how much that launch-control system, all-wheel drivetrain, and fire-spitting four-banger are worth in the performance-per-dollar stakes.
In its two years this bargain bullet keeps our engraving tool busy. But it’s yet to claim top-gong. That could change, as we hear AMG’s readying a new engine with more than 295kW for the next generation A-Class, bolstering the Bang even further. Until then, however, it’s silver for the A45.
