• A45 S houses the world's most powerful four-cylinder engine

•Up against the BMW M8 Competition in a drag race

•Both feature all-wheel drive

It's one-sided match up on paper, isn't it? The world's most powerful four-cylinder production car lines up next to the BMW M8 Competition powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. 

I drove the Mercedes-AMG A45 S in July 2019 and was astounded (like everyone else) at how the engineers are able to squeeze 375kW and 500Nm. 

Like other AMGs it features four-wheel drive and uses a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox to distribute its mighty power. A launch control function sees the smallest AMG rocket to 100km/h from standstill in under five seconds. 

So what about the M8 Competition then? It's the most powerful production M car, with 460kW and 750Nm. It uses an eight-speed automatic sports transmission to all four wheels. 

It has a large power advantage over the A45 S, so to make things more interesting the team at Carwow ran the M8 in two-wheel drive mode. 

Perhaps that would give the littlest Mercedes a shot at getting close to the burly Beemer. Don't despair as they do pit them against each other in four-wheel drive too.

What's crazy is how powerful hatchbacks are in 2020. It's remarkable how there are street cars with this much power too, I mean they make power than old Formula 1 cars.  

Carwow says: "It's the drag race you didn't realise you wanted... Until today! Mat's in the new Mercedes-AMG A45 S, one of THE fastest hatchbacks around! And he's going up against... The BMW M8 Competition!"

"You might think the result is a foregone conclusion, is it the smarter choice if you're looking for an everyday supercar? And more importantly, can it spring a surprise on the BMW?!", says Carwow.