The hatch market is especially hot lately with entrants like the ever-present Golf R and the upcoming Civic Type R. This comparison puts two of the hottest against each other, and they are not from brands that typically compete with each other: Ford and Mercedes. The Ford Focus RS has AWD, drift mode and, thanks to Mountune, 370 hp. The Mercedes-AMG A 45 uses its 380 hp to claim the title of fastest hot hatch according to Top Gear.
This comparison shows the Mercedes' shortcomings against the Ford. Sure it is faster, but the Focus RS is more fun thanks to its manual transmission and better balanced all wheel drive. And the Ford costs $15k less. Advantage Ford.