BMW X6 vs Mercedes-Benz A45

What's the difference?

I was not expecting to like the BMW X6 xDrive 40i M Sport as much as I do. The styling is still polarising but the facelift will throw more people towards the liking rather than disliking side of the fence. The cabin and boot are super practical and the X6 nails all the premium elements you expect at this level. It’s driving and handling are what win me over, though.

My son loves this one and doesn’t want to hand it back. My husband also noted how nice he thought the X6 was… and that’s saying something for a born and raised 'country boy'!

The Mercedes-AMG A 45 4Matic+ may have grown up a bit in that it’s not as noisy or uncomfortable as the first-generation version which arrived in 2013, But if anything, its more portent than ever. Superb Mercedes-AMG craftmanship, outstanding performance and good value as far as bang for your buck goes.

SUV coupe styling with its raised platform and pinched bum just doesn’t do it for me usually but I like it on the new X6 model. The facelift helps the X6 appear more athletic and just plain meaner than the previous version.

The front end sees the most change with new adaptive LED headlights and a bigger 'kidney' grille. The kidneys are illuminated, which adds to its night-time presence and the extended blacked-out intake vents at the front and around the car make it look sharp as hell.

The weird prong on the side mirrors has been dropped in favour of a more seamless design (hurrah) and the 22-inch alloy wheels give total va-va-vroom sport-vibes. 

On the interior, the dashboard has been revamped with a more pronounced shape and a curved display panel that houses the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 14.8-inch multimedia system.

The air-vents now blend more into the dash but the little knobs for them might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The ambient lighting is customisable and the quilted seats look beautiful but purists will wince on learning it’s synthetic leather, especially at this price point, but it feels and looks very nice. 

When I went to pick up the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ I walked right past it and then like that lost and confused John Travolta in Pulp Fiction internet memes, wandered around before asking where the car was.

That’s because I was looking for something with a gigantic spoiler on the roof and probably hi-vis green with stripes. But the car assigned to me was the A 45 S in its standard form, and the styling is subtle enough for it disappear into a crowded car park like James Bond into a lavish dinner party.

But like Bond, chances are the A 45 S is the most hardcore person in the room, it just doesn’t walk in announcing it to everybody.

Look closely and you'll see that the A 45 S is not just another small prestige car. There’s the 90mm quad exhaust poking out of the chunky diffuser, the giant 'Panamericana' grille, and the angry looking front apron.

Then, there are the 19-inch matt black alloy wheels wrapped in low-profile Michelin rubber and enormous brake discs with their red calipers, all barely contained by the pumped up front wheel guards which are much bigger than those on a regular A-Class.

The cost option my test car wore was the 'Mountain Grey Metallic' paint, but if anything it made the A 45 look even more covert.

The cabin is small but luxurious and sporty with two-tone leather upholstery (the red and black 'Lugano' leather in my test car is a no-cost option), there’s the microfibre-clad AMG steering wheel, brushed aluminium trim, metal-trimmed pedals and the large display panel (it’s actually two screens joined) is also standard.

The A 45 S is a hatchback measuring 4445mm in length, 1850mm wide and 1412mm tall. Not keen on a hatch but want something with similar dimensions? The CLA 45 S is the A 45 S’s four-door twin-under-the-skin and is just as much of a weapon.

And if you want your A 45 S to look more aggressive, you can option the 'AMG Aero Package' which will see a giant rear wing fitted to the roof.

Or you can buy the Edition 1 version of the A 45 S which includes the big spoiler and shouty design bits to makes sure everybody knows you’re the assassin in the room.

You know you’re in a large SUV when you slide into the X6 because the cabin has a lot of space in both rows.

But also because of the higher centre console design, you feel tucked into the car despite the higher seating position. It makes it feel far sportier than your typical SUV. 

Even back rowers enjoy decent legroom and headroom, despite the panoramic sunroof and sloping roof design. Six-footers should be relatively comfortable in both rows but it's best to reserve the middle seat as a sometimes position for adults. The raised floor won’t allow true comfort for a longer trip.

Let’s chat luxury because there’s plenty to be had with the electric front seats and their cloud-like comfort.

The electrically-adjustable side bolsters and adjustable lumbar support makes it feel like you’re being cuddled by the seat and also hold you in place in a turn. The extendable under-thigh supports minimise leg fatigue on a longer trip.

However, the back seat is almost as comfortable as the fronts in terms of cushioning. You also sit in, rather than on top of the seats which is a nice change for an SUV. 

Individual storage is great in both rows and up front you get a dual-opening middle console, glove box and a handy utility area that houses the cupholders and two phone pockets.

There is also a storage nook on the driver’s side that will comfortably hold a wallet. 

In the rear you enjoy two map pockets on the front seat backs and retractable cupholders in the fold-down armrest.

The armrest houses a shallow device holder and sits at a good height. Both rows enjoy deep storage bins in each door and a large drink bottle holder.

Happily, the holder is tilted towards the user, rather than away which is what you usually see.

The boot is a great size at 580L with all seats in use. There’s a little lip that has practical metal scuff plates but otherwise the loading space is level.

The hands-free powered tailgate is welcome and the handy 40/20/40 split on the back row opens up your storage options.

You get a temporary spare tyre underneath the floor and it’s cool how the floor has a gas strut, which makes the area much easier to access.

The concertina-style cargo cover is a bit dicky to use but I like how solid it is. It could easily double as a shelf by itself. 

Charging options are abundant with a total of two 12-volt ports, a USB-A port, three USB-C ports and a wireless charging pad to choose from throughout the car. But it is annoying to use the pad when the front cupholders are in use.

I like having hardened kickplates on the backs of the front seats because my seven-year old loves putting his feet on everything.

The higher ground clearance makes this an easy car to get in and out of but it also makes for a great view for my son. He finds the doors a little heavy to close but the massive door grab handles help!

Amenities in the rear row make it a pleasant space to be in for kids and adults alike. You have reading lights, map pockets, two storage shelves and directional air vents.

There is manual climate control in this row, too, but it feels at odds with the rest of the high tech in the car.

On that note, the updated technology looks gorgeous.

The head-up display is clear and the digital instrument panel offers plenty of customisation. It's a super handy feature to access your recent call log via the steering wheel controls and see it pop up on the instrument cluster. 

The touchscreen multimedia system is responsive but you can also use the rotary dial to get around it. There is a stack of information in it, though, which will take a bit to get your head around. Can’t fault its graphics, it looks hot, but some users may feel flustered at first.

The system has built-in satellite navigation that features an augmented reality feature, which overlays dynamic instructions on the video feed. What makes it practical is how it can be viewed on your instrument cluster, which means more on-road focus for the driver. 

There is wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, with the latter being simple to connect to. You don’t have the important climate control buttons/dials up front and I find it annoying to access the multimedia screen to change climate and fan speed settings. 

What you lack in controls there is more than made up for in the centre console. There are a lot of buttons, from the push-button starter, rotary control wheel and everything in between.

Even after a week, my mind still has a mini freeze looking at them while on the go.

Along with good performance and handling, part of the appeal of hot hatches is that they’re practical… to a degree. The A 45 S is a small car, but it has four doors, five seats and a boot.

The cabin is small, no doubt about it, but even at 191cm tall I had plenty of room while driving, the seating position is perfect actually, although sitting behind my driving position saw my knees just touching the seat back.

Headroom is getting limited back there, but I still had space. Could you get away with the A 45 S as a family car? I had my family in it for a while, but there’s just the three of us and my son is pre-school-aged. So, a young, small family, yes… until it starts to grow.

Cabin storage is good with two cupholders in the rear centre fold-down armrest along with small door pockets and seat-back nets. Up front there are another two cupholders, giant door pockets, a big split-opening centre console bin and a tray for the wireless charger big enough to fit an iPhone 11 Pro Max.   

Boot space is good at 370 litres. The big shiny CarsGuide suitcase fitted in easily (see images) and apart from the wide-opening of the boot, another hatch power of practicality is that you can fold the rear seats down to open up more cargo carrying space, and in the A 45 S’s case that’s 1210 litres.

I’ve mentioned the wireless charger but there are also four USB-C ports (two up front and two in the rear), back seat passengers also have directional air vents, which is another bonus, along with dark tinted windows (welcome when my son was sitting back there in his car seat).

The new Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ lists for $93,600. Coming standard are the 19-inch matt black alloy wheels, the quad exhaust and chunky diffuser, Panamericana grille and AMG front apron, the red brake calipers, small roof-top spoiler and privacy rear glass.

Inside, the A45 S comes standard with sport seats and tone-tone leather upholstery – there’s ‘Yellow cut’ leather with contrasting yellow top stitching (or in the case of our car the no-cost option of red and black Lugano leather), and an AMG Performance steering wheel clad in 'Dinamica' microfibre.

Also standard is the large landscape display which is actually two 10.25-inch screens; one for the digital instrument cluster and another for the media system.

There’s also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, a Burmester stereo, 'Mercedes Me' (voice recognition) assistant, digital radio, wireless phone charging, power adjustable and heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, proximity key, LED headlights and a panoramic sunroof.

The only feature I felt was missing was a head-up display, which needs to be optioned.

In the first year of sale (until the end of 2020) an Edition 1 version of the A 45 S will be sold. Listing for $101,690 the limited edition comes with a tougher look thanks to the addition of the AMG aero package which fits the giant rear wing, along with 19-inch twin-spoke matte black alloy wheels, door decals and AMG performance seats. Oh, and it only comes in 'Sun Yellow.'

Rivals to the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ come in the form of Audi’s RS3 Avant, the BMW M2 or, and this may seem like an odd suggestion, the Tesla Model 3 hatch. The latter is a pure electric vehicle but has a 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds and an output of 335kW… just saying.

Sitting under the A 45 S 4Matic+ in the A-Class range is the A 35 4Matic for a list price of $69,300. The A35 doesn’t come with the big Panamericana grille and the 2.0-litre engine has a lower output but still packs an impressive 225kW/400Nm.

The xDrive40i M Sport has a 3.0-litre, inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with maximum outputs of 280kW and 540Nm. That’s 30kW and 90Nm up from the previous model.

It has a smooth eight-speed auto transmission and is all-wheel-drive.

The facelift sees the addition of a new mild-hybrid system which makes for almost imperceptible stop/start functionality when idling and a smidge better on-road fuel economy. 

With a 0-100kmh sprint time of 5.4-seconds, it’s obvious that it has plenty of power to have fun with.

There may be hot hatches out there which look wilder than the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ but do they have the most powerful four-cylinder engine ever to go into a mass-produced car? Nope, but the A45 does: it’s a 310kW/500Nm turbo-petrol four.

It doesn’t sound as angry and gravelly as the previous A 45’s engine but it has more grunt (an extra 30kW/25Nm) and is claimed to catapult the hatch from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds.

The '4Matic' part of the name indicates the hatch is all-wheel drive and the '+' means it’s a more sophisticated version of the system which allows all of the drive to be sent to one axle, if need be.

What need would that be? The need to drift, of course, which should be up there with other human rights such as clean air, fresh water and free speech.

Yep, the A 45 S comes with 'Drift Mode' (for the racetrack, of course), along with a 'Launch Mode' for perfect-every-time transitions to warp speed.

Changing gears gunslinger-fast is an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Expectations for a thirsty engine were high, considering the hefty power available, but this version of the X6 has proved to be quite economical.

The xDrive40i M Sport variant has an official combined cycle fuel economy figure of 9.3L/100km but my real-world usage averaged 8.8L/100km.

That’s after mostly open-road driving with only a little ‘city’ thrown in but I didn't hesitate to use the power, so I'm happy with the result.

The X6 has a big 83-litre fuel tank and based on my usage, you’d see a driving range of around 943km, which is great.

BMW only recommends a minimum 95 RON petrol to be used.

Mercedes-AMG says the 2.0-litre, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder in the A 45 S should use 8.9L/100km after a combination of open and urban driving.

My fuel test saw me drive 131km of urban and country roads, plus some motorway sections, and needed 16.9L of premium unleaded petrol to fill the 51-litre tank back to full.

That comes to 12.9L/100km, which is thirsty, but my driving style may have contributed significantly to that high figure.

The X6 is a thoroughbred on the road. It’s wide stance and massive wheels provide a well-balanced and grippy on-road ride experience.

Seriously, the tyres feel glued to the road even in the wet. Confidence is high with this one.

There is plenty of power to enjoy and you don’t feel like you’re digging deep for it, either, when you have to get up to speed or overtake.

It has the handling and power of a much smaller and sportier car but at no point does it feel wild or reckless to drive. It’s got a certain elegance and maturity to its handling.

Despite those massive wheels, the ride comfort is fantastic with the adaptive suspension. You still feel the road but you’re not knocked about by it. It’s very much a driver’s car in that sense but passengers still feel well-cushioned.  

The cabin is insulated and you get basically no road noise or wind noise but occasionally you get some feedback from the tyres depending on the road surface. Longer journeys are comfortable and quiet.

The steering is light enough that you don’t feel like you’re hauling a massive SUV around but is still responsive. Meaning you can tackle a winding road or urban traffic easily.

When it comes time to park it, you’ll love having the 360-degree view camera system. It’s the best and clearest system I’ve sampled.

Add the front and rear parking sensors and no car space is an issue. But if you’re unsure, you can use the Park Assist feature to help out.    

I wasn’t lying in the introduction to this review. The previous A45 was a pretty intense driving experience. The ride felt brutal, the exhaust note screamed and crackled like somebody had set a wheelie bin full of fireworks alight.

And then there was the sweating. I seemed to sweat a lot driving it and there was nothing wrong with the climate control, that just happens to me when I’m under pressure and excited.

So, has the new-generation A 45 S 4Matic+ gone all soft and quiet on us? No, but things have been toned down a tad.

The exhaust note is not as gruff or loud, and even in 'Sport +' and 'Race' mode it’s still quiet enough to pull into a driveway at night without making enemies of your neighbours.

And the ride is also not as harsh, although even in 'Comfort' mode my wife still found it verging on too firm.

The performance and dynamics, however, felt as sharp as ever.

Acceleration is supercar quick at 3.9 seconds. My gawd, you needed a Ferrari F40 to do that in the mid-’80s, and even now the new Mercedes-AMG GT S supercar gets there only a tenth of a second earlier, and it has a twin-turbo V8.

Top speed for the A 45 S is electronically limited to 270km/h. But hot hatches aren’t really about straight-line speed, they’re more about bent-line speed. You know, corners.

So, I took the A 45 S on the twisty roads I take anything that calls itself sporty. The agility of the A 45 S is outstanding thanks to a rigid chassis that handles a change in direction as quickly and easily as you can turn your head.

The brakes bite hard when they have to, and the all-wheel drive hatch scrambles tenaciously out of corners.

A racetrack is really the best place to truly test a serious sports car's limits and our own James Cleary did just that when he drove the A 45 S at its international launch.

As a daily driver, though, for somebody who occasionally likes to get into it on a curvy road the A 45 S is comfortable enough to live with, but hard enough to remain engaging and dynamic when you get the chance to have a squirt.

The Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ received the maximum five-star score when it was tested by ANCAP in 2018.

The safety equipment list is impressive. Along with nine airbags and a 360-degree camera there’s advanced safety tech such as AEB with cross traffic function, blind spot warning, lane keeping assistance, lane change assistance, auto parking and adaptive cruise control.

For child seats there are three top tether points and two ISOFIX mounts across the second row. Small hatches are the easiest cars to put top tether seats in thanks to the good access to the hook point. I fitted my son’s car seat into the back of the A45 S without any problems.

The ongoing costs are surprisingly reasonable for a large luxury SUV! Like its rivals the X6 enjoys a five-year/unlimited km warranty.

However, you can pre-purchase a servicing plan for up to five years or 80,000km, whichever occurs first, for a flat $2400. Or an average of $480 per service which is inexpensive for this class.

Service intervals are also good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first. 

The Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing is recommended at 12 month/20,000km intervals. Servicing is capped at $850 for the first year’s visit, $1200 for the next and $1600 for the third.