The all-new CLA 45 is less than a year away from making its debut, and it promises to change the performance car market. And here it is, looking tasty with red paint peeking out from under the camouflage.
From what we understand, the CLA 45 will be something of a sports car alternative. Where BMW said it couldn't build an M car with four cylinders, AMG went ahead and did it... again.
There's likely to be two versions of this, the S model having around 410 horsepower from a ridiculously over-tuned 2.0L. It's certain to have some kind of complex electric assistance too, an EQ Boost motor like the CLS 53, perhaps even an electric supercharger to get rid of turbo lag.
We can't make out if it's twin-charged, but we can point out the styling, which is more aggressive than the previously filmed CLA 35. Of course, both use 4Matic AWD systems, which are new and electromechanically controlled, making them faster than the old CLA 45. It should also be able to send more power to the rear wheels for dynamic handling.
The extra 100 horsepower is going to cost you a lot of money. Of course, that should come as no surprise to previous AMG buyers, but Mercedes hopes these compacts will bring new ones too.
For what it's worth, we're sold on that new design, which is vaguely reminiscent of the new AMG GT 4-door. This comes down to the slope of the roof ending in a spoiler, the Panamericana grille, and wide stance.
Inside, we expect to see a similar configuration to that of the new A-Class. Mercedes has already announced that the all-new CLA will be shown (as a base model) at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. So perhaps they have something new to present other than the MBUX which we've already seen.
There's likely to be two versions of this, the S model having around 410 horsepower from a ridiculously over-tuned 2.0L. It's certain to have some kind of complex electric assistance too, an EQ Boost motor like the CLS 53, perhaps even an electric supercharger to get rid of turbo lag.
We can't make out if it's twin-charged, but we can point out the styling, which is more aggressive than the previously filmed CLA 35. Of course, both use 4Matic AWD systems, which are new and electromechanically controlled, making them faster than the old CLA 45. It should also be able to send more power to the rear wheels for dynamic handling.
The extra 100 horsepower is going to cost you a lot of money. Of course, that should come as no surprise to previous AMG buyers, but Mercedes hopes these compacts will bring new ones too.
For what it's worth, we're sold on that new design, which is vaguely reminiscent of the new AMG GT 4-door. This comes down to the slope of the roof ending in a spoiler, the Panamericana grille, and wide stance.
Inside, we expect to see a similar configuration to that of the new A-Class. Mercedes has already announced that the all-new CLA will be shown (as a base model) at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. So perhaps they have something new to present other than the MBUX which we've already seen.