The smallest Mercedes came in for some surgery, but the changes are so subtle that you’d never guess.

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The updated Mercedes-Benz A-Class was revealed a few weeks ago, but the facelift was only officially introduced to the local market more recently. To this end, Mercedes closed a few street blocks around their flagship, muti-storey dealership in Sandton, and had their AMG  Driving Academy create a closed circuit, complete with a pit lane and strategically-placed bollards, to demonstrate the facelifted AMG models’ agility.

The AMG monsters receive the same minor updates as the normal A-Class variants, but the opportunity to extend their abilities under controlled conditions served as a reminder just how capable these finely-honed machines are when they flex their muscles.

As before, the baby AMG can be had with two output levels, with the lower-power A 35 being offered in both hatchback and sedan forms. Opting for the A 35 gets you a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 225 kW and 400 Nm, sending power to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT). It presents a very appealing alternative to other premium-brand hot hatches like the Audi S3 or BMW M140i xDrive, being fun to drive and more than quick enough. Whichever body style you select, the A 35 arguably strikes the best balance between speed and daily usability in the junior AMG range.

The fire-breathing A 45 S is still only available with the hatchback body style, however, but its stupendous performance credentials more than compensate for this restriction. The extra money over an A 35 buys output upgrades to 310 kW and 500 Nm, along with an eight-speed DCT, a bespoke AWD system with clutch-actuated torque vectoring, a stiffer body shell, and 45-specific suspension control arms and brakes.

Performance in the AMG A 45 S is consequently blistering, with its 0 – 100 km/h dash dispatched in a claimed 3.9 seconds. It’s just as capable around corners, with the advanced stability control system, specially-tuned suspension and clever AWD system giving the top-end A-Class a level of dynamic prowess that belies its comparatively humble hatchback underpinnings.

The range of lower-tier A-Class variants have been slashed during this facelift, leaving only one petrol and one diesel engine from which to choose. The petrol in the A 200 is the familiar 1.33-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit producing 120 kW and 250 Nm, mated to a seven-speed DCT and driving the front wheels only. This engine can also be had in sedan- or hatchback flavours.

Buyers can only get diesel power in the sedan body style, with the A 200 d offering 110 kW and 320 Nm from its 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine. Previous experience has shown this power unit and its eight-speed DCT has shown it to be a most agreeable combination: refined and potent, with a focus on efficiency and driveability. This might be the nicest mainstream A-Class power plant at the moment, which makes the decision to not offer it with a hatchback somewhat puzzling.

Apart from the range rationalization, this mid-life facelift mostly entails some cosmetic enhancements in the form of new all-LED light clusters at both ends, attractive new grille designs, and reshaped bumpers. The changes are subtle, though, and it will likely take an expert to distinguish between the original and facelifted models from the outside.

The interior update is almost as subtle, except that the steering wheel has been redesigned to accommodate touch-sensitive controls on the spokes as opposed to the pre-facelift model’s physical buttons. Whether this is a real step forward is open to debate, however, as the touch pads are very sensitive to accidental inputs when twirling the wheel.

To go with the new steering wheel controls, the infotainment system has been upgraded to the latest MBUX user interface as well. This brings wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with a USB-C port and increased charging capacity from the existing USB ports. Optional extras are also enhanced, such as the Parking Package which now supports parallel- and alley parking as well as an enhanced 360-degree camera system with 3D visualisation.

While some might bemoan the deletion of the GTI-challenging A 250 from the new model range, the reality is that most sales of pre-facelift non-AMG A-Class models came from the entry-level A 200 derivatives. These variants are now nicer than ever, thanks to a series of subtle tweaks to keep it fresh for the remainder of its model cycle.