ROAD
The CLA45 AMG feels as excited as you do when you start it up. The four-pot motor with a pair of twin-scroll turbochargers takes a deep breath and whistles as you set off. Just what you need. Almost immediately, you realise that the CLA is a low car, and the 4MATIC bit means that it’s even lower. With a ground clearance of just about 120 mm, it makes you think twice about the roads you traverse on a regular basis. It’s also a light car, weighing 1,585 kg. Get on the throttle and the car lunges forward, eager to get up to speed. The motor doesn’t sound very vocal about its intentions, though. Since the peak torque of 450 Nm kicks in at just 2,250 RPM and stays on until 5,000, there is effortless driveability, but also the urge to keep the motor boiling above 3,000 RPM just so you know it’s there. At low revs, you can’t really hear it.
The steering feels good and light and very responsive. The car, as you would expect, is stiffly sprung but the ride isn’t bad at all as long as the road surface is smooth. The bumps, however, can get very annoying. Heading to the city’s outskirts and the hills, we showed it some curves and threw it into a few corners. The CLA obliged happily, feeling absolutely planted with handling dynamics that are extremely reassuring and confidence-inspiring. It can dart into corners flat on all fours and change direction like an antelope out-stepping a big cat. There is no real sign of any kind of roll and 80 km/h is handled like a fast-food chain’s burger in my hands when lunch is two hours late. At those speeds, you’re barely scratching the surface of the CLA’s performance dynamics.
Our performance tests revealed just how quick the CLA45 AMG 4MATIC is. Yes, I use its full name now, because I’m trying to make a serious point. Find an open road, step on the accelerator and the CLA splits its torque and lunges forward: 100 km/h comes up within six seconds, 200 km/h takes about 20 seconds and the needle keeps climbing towards its 250 km/h limiter with a consistency that makes you wonder if it really is a four-cylinder engine. What confirmed that it was indeed so was the all-important fuel efficiency test. The AMG CLA returns seven kilometres to the litre in the city and 11 on the highway. Not bad for a petrol-powered 360-PS 4×4!
