As far as premium hot hatches go, this lot here is the creme de la creme. Sure, some might argue that the VW Golf R is not exactly premium, but then again, it is a premium car if we look strictly at its performance credentials, don’t you think?

That said, the only carmaker that didn’t line up a hot hatch is BMW. Although the Bavarians sell the M135i, Carwow’s video features the BMW M2 competition, which, believe it or not, is not the most powerful car here.

The Mercedes-AMG A45 S outclasses every contestant in terms of power

Dropping the world’s most powerful 2.0-liter, four-cylinder mill inside a pocket-sized hatchback creates a monster. Just ask the Mercedes-AMG A45 S about it. Through the wonders of twin-scroll turbocharging and other AMG mechanical wizardry, it packs 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque sent to all fours through a slick-shifting nine-speed dual-clutch ‘box.

Right below the A45 S in the power hierarchy sits the BMW M2 Competition with its 405 horsepower 3.0-liter inline-six mill, but the BMW bests the AMG when it comes to torque with 406 pound-feet. It, too, can be equipped with a dual-clutch transmission (a six-speed manual is also on offer) but with just seven gears, routing the resources to the rear wheels exclusively.

Packing 394 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque churned out by a 2.5-liter, turbo’ed and direct injected TFSI engine, the Audi RS 3 comes in third place on paper. It sends power to all four corners through a Quattro all-wheel-drive setup and a seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission.

Last but not least, the Volkswagen Golf R is fitted 2.0-liter turbo inline-four tuned to produce 288 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque sent to the wheels through 4Motion AWD and a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch unit.

That said, let’s have a look at their theoretical acceleration times, shall we? The A 45 S needs 3.9 seconds to zip from 0 to 62 mph, the Audi RS 3 does it in 4.1 seconds, the M2 Competition in four seconds, and the Golf R in under five seconds.

On that note, head to the video below to see which one gets the cake.