BMW M135i 5pcs. vs Mercedes A 45 AMG: duel – Auto Sportive
PLEASE FOR YOUR SECURITY: ignore the rural beauty of the Lake District that you see in the photographs for now and take a trip to Brantingthorpe Airfield. The sky is bright blue, the sun beats down mercilessly, and the track is deserted. Mercedes stands nearby, ready to attack the burning asphalt that stretches right in front of them like a spindle. A45 AMG и BMW M135i... The radio crackles a countdown: "3, 2, 1 ... go!" We do not have time to say that the cars have already rushed towards the horizon.
What happens next is unusual. The surface is not the best (not quite smooth, a little raised and a little dirty), but Mercedes from 360 hp it leaps forward like a predator ready to leap onto its prey, with the rear lowered as if for more traction, and the four wheels roll on skates. M135i with 320 hp gives a little more options than Mercedes, but then finds more thrust than I expected. Both models perform better than advertised, with the BMW sprinting from 100 to 4,8 in just 160 seconds and to 12,9 in 0 seconds. The Mercedes is even faster, covering 100-4,5 in 160 seconds and breaking 11,2 in XNUMX seconds. Just for comparison: Class A hits one RS 4 who is in Brantingthorpe at this moment, and when we start Mercedes and BMW for a quarter of a mile, both are just two seconds away from one. Nissan GT-R model year... Incredible considering these are two completely standard sports compact cars.
But even more impressive is that they seem to be repeating the exploit without any problems: they were out of luck ... AMG it only allows you to do three consecutive runs, so you have to allow some time to pass between one attempt and the next, but it would still make sense to do so. To activate "Start of the race“From Mercedes, you have to take a number of steps: first you have to tune the handling. Sports (by pressing the button once ESP) AND Speed in M (i.e. manually, oddly enough, when activating launch control, the gearbox does everything by itself). At this point, you must place your left foot on the pedal. BRAKE, pull out both blades, and then pull only the right paddle toward you as confirmation. Now you pressaccelerator all the way to the ground, and when the speed stabilizes, the brake is released.
With BMW, starting the engine is much easier (at least in eight gears). auto of this instance). If you are already in Sport Plus or, be that as it may, ESP is disabled, just put your left foot on BRAKE, rev between 1.600 and 1.800 and then release the brakes. If you want to get the most out of this, the ideal option is to let the car move up on its own, instead of trying to anticipate its movements.
After Brantingthorpe we finally set off for the Lake District. The section of the highway is not the best, but at least it allows me to get to know these two cars better. Cabin A45 this is a good place to stay when you have to travel many kilometers, in fact, to be honest, with this dashboard the curve with the fans in the red frame is probably the Mercedes with the most beautiful interior. But this is not ideal: for example, me pedals shifted to the right and I points they are too stiff to be really comfortable. Compared to the Stuttgart sports car, BMW looks like an executive sedan, but the system IDrive it is pleasant and intuitive to use than TEAM of Mercedes.
Additionally, steering wheel of two cars interesting: additional “Performance“Mercedes is more well-groomed and covered Alcantara in the right places, but it's too big ei paddle slightly interfere with movement. Steering wheel BMW is the correct size but Crown it is too thick and soft.
Today's plan is to make it all the way to Ambleside at the tip of Lake Windermere and then continue on to the breathtaking Rhinosa and Hardnott Passes. Unfortunately, as we pull up to the mountain turns leading to the passes, all we see is fog (and a Mazda 2 full of middle-aged Dutch ladies who have gone off the road and are asking for help. But that's another story) . Luckily cameraman Sam Riley had a great idea, so we detour towards Greendale and into the lanes around Wastwater, Cumbria's deepest lake.
While photographer Smith is looking for the best place to shoot, I take the A45 and go for a walk. The four-cylinder turbocharged engine is engine curious. Of course he can do his job - and he proved it to Brantingthorpe - but after the reassuring bark at the beginning, which fades into a gurgling hum, the sound seems to fade into a dull hum. The soundtrack is preserved only because at full throttle gutters crackle.
DURING NORMAL MOVEMENT passive shock absorbers A45 they are too harsh for most tastes, but this is a disadvantage justified by absolute control, which Mercedes demonstrates as soon as you get a little closer. As with the GT3 RS, the more you pick up the pace, the more shock absorbers they are impressive and even in the sharpest corners taken by Mercedes by storm, they practically do not roll... Roads in the Lake District are often narrow and bumpy with tree roots trying to break through the asphalt to get out, so this is far from an easy test for two sports compact cars, but AMG he glides easily around corners, and even in these less than ideal conditions he manages to maintain a good pace.
Being fast is fast, but not exciting. On the road, at any speed, it leaves no room for imagination. It's like front-wheel drive running at full power. There is not the slightest push either in front or behind. The flat-bottom crown steering wheel feels too slow given how stiff and responsive the chassis is, so it's hard to get the car off balance by turning it hard, understeer for a microsecond at most. There thrust guaranteed by the system integral it is absolute: the leg can be opened from the gas, but on normal roads and in normal conditions (even at a high pace) it is accurate but inert.
Just hit the BMW starter to see how much more two cylinders can add character to a car. IN sound it is harder, does not break, and emits a deep gurgle that Mercedes dreams of. It feels tighter behind the wheel of the Series 1, and suspensions they have more travel than the AMG, so at first it seems like it has a more precarious balance than a Mercedes that is firmly on the ground. IN steering a little too quickly makes the BMW more lively and jittery as it zips through hedges, dry stone walls and cliffs. If you stick your nose into a stiletto heel will instantly react and allow you to draw a trajectory, metering the accelerator, leaning on the outer rear tire and allowing the inner tire to slide from time to time.
Both cars have the same torque, and the A45 weighs just 50kg more than the engine-powered five-door BMW. Automatic transmission but M135i it is much faster and more responsive to turns. Much depends on the gearbox, because even if AMG with its Dual clutch Speedshift on paper this has the advantage of being Automatic ZF The BMW is the most responsive and always makes you feel like you're in control. Mercedes' gearbox is excellent at upshifting, but when cornering, it resists and often doesn't obey commands, forcing you into a curve with a higher gear ratio than you should. Plus, the BMW is more fun if you just want to kick back and enjoy the ride, letting the M135i do it all for you.
But even BMW isn't perfect. The suspensions, especially at the rear, are softer than the old 1 Series and do well on a variety of road types, but the BMW sways on the most noticeable bumps. IN steering it's too harsh in fast turns, especially when you're not trying to hit the tempo. Then you feel the lack of a differential. But even if the BMW is a little harsh in the back and rough in the front, it's really exciting and you always feel like you're in the middle of the action.
After they've ridden both, it becomes clear who will win. There Class A he is fast, of course, but he has little character, which is really strange for AMG. This is one of those machines that makes you pick up more and more pace in the hope that at some point it will become interesting and make sense. To show you what is special, Mercedes is not focusing on the driving experience (only at full throttle it gets a little livelier), but oncockpit... The BMW, on the other hand, attracts attention even when you are driving it in a relaxed way, which is a good thing as it can often be difficult to safely pull it out by the neck. Individually, the BMW is fantastic; next to Mercedes it looks even more attractive. Ladies and gentlemen, here is the winner of this competition.
