The 2025 MERCEDES A45 is the hot hatch that skipped leg day and went straight to sprint training. Australia gets the full-fat A45 S tune, which means a tiny 2.0-litre that behaves like it had an espresso IV. Point it at a winding B-road and the car feels keyed in, quick on its toes, and properly indulgent for anyone who likes “one more lap” before heading home. It is still a compact hatch, but the vibe is junior supercar. That mix is why a 2025 Mercedes A45 review almost writes itself.
Pros and Cons
Pros: ferocious 2.0-litre punch; grip that laughs at bad weather; usable hatchback practicality; cabin tech that feels expensive.
Cons: firm ride on rough country roads; pricey options and tyres; infotainment learning curve; the Audi five-cylinder still sounds better.
How Much Does It Cost?
For Australia in 2025, guide pricing for the Mercedes-AMG A45 S sits around the low to mid-$130,000s drive-away depending on state charges, with a list price previously quoted around $122,500. A Limited Edition variant launched locally at $128,400 before on-roads. The A45 S was released to the Australian market on 5 January 2025. If you are seeing numbers a touch either side, that will be dealer stock and options doing their thing.
Features and Benefits
The headline act is the hand-built M139 2.0-litre four-cylinder, tuned to 310 kW and 500 Nm, paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch and 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive. The system can apportion torque across the rear axle for sharper rotation and party-trick drift mode, which sounds like fluff until you feel how cleanly it fires out of tight bends. Claimed 0-100 km/h sits around 3.9 seconds, which still feels like science fiction from something with a hatch and child seats.
Inside, the 2025 Mercedes A45 interior remains familiar but premium: performance buckets available, chunky AMG wheel, and the expected widescreen layout. The 2025 Mercedes A45 features list includes adaptive damping, big brakes, performance exhaust, and the latest driver aids you actually want in traffic. It is a car that can commute calmly in Comfort, then switch to goblin mode in Sport+.
Safety
The A-Class platform carries a five-star ANCAP rating, and that covers A45 variants sold here. Expect AEB, lane support, blind-spot monitoring, and a full airbag suite. It is an old-school ballistic hatch wrapped in very modern protection, which helps when Sydney traffic forgets the concept of indicators.
Running Costs
Official combined fuel use sits around 8.9 L/100 km for the A45 S, though spirited driving will bump that. It drinks premium and it will happily remind you of that at the bowser. Mercedes service is structured around alternating Service A/B inspections, typically every 12 months in Australia, and the brand offers prepaid plans that can soften the sting. Tyres and brakes are big-ticket items if you track it, so budget with a little respect.
Comparison To Its Competitors
Audi RS3: the five-cylinder hero. Newer update lands mid-2025 with prices from $104,800 before on-roads. It matches the A45 for real-world speed and wins on sound, but you will pay similar money when optioned.
BMW M135i xDrive: now 233 kW and from $83,600. Quick and tidy, but down on drama and output versus the AMG. It is the sensible-shoes option in this set.
The A45’s trick differential and sharper front end make it feel more alert than both when you are chasing apexes on a favourite road. In daily use, the RS3 rides a little more fluidly, while the BMW is easier value.
Conclusion
If you want a car that does school runs at 8:30 and sets personal bests at 9:15, the 2025 MERCEDES A45 still feels unmatched. The 2025 Mercedes A45 performance is outrageous, the 2025 Mercedes A45 interior holds up to luxury scrutiny, and the 2025 Mercedes A45 features list reads like a track-day wish sheet. Price is the bitter pill, and the ride will not flatter broken backroads, but that engine and the 4MATIC+ wizardry make every detour feel justified. Put simply, it is the sort of hatch that turns “quick stop at the shops” into an alibi.
Rating: 9/10
The A45 S remains the hot hatch benchmark for outright pace and grip in Australia. It loses a point for cost and firmness, but if your checklist reads 2025 Mercedes A45 price, 2025 Mercedes A45 release date, 2025 Mercedes A45 features, and 2025 Mercedes A45 performance, the answer keeps steering you to the AMG. It is silly fast, properly engineered, and still feels special enough to justify the badge.