BMW M2 and Mercedes-AMG CLA45 Go Head to Head at Hockenheim

The two premium manufacturers are usually trying to entice their clients with posh interiors and comfy rides, but when the sports outlets get involved - the M Division and, respectively, AMG - then it's an entirely different ball game. Luxury and practicality take a step back and performance and power move forward, giving the best war cry they've got.

That's how cars such as the BMW M2 - essentially a coupe version of the 1-Series, but BMW might not agree with that description entirely - and the Mercedes-AMG CLA45 - a four-door coupe version of the mad AMG A45 hatchback - come to exist. Their purpose? To show the world that small(er) cars can be more than just fun, being able to pose as pretty decent track weapons as well.

If the showbiz world has the Chuck Norris versus Superman dilemma, the automotive world has a much simpler one: it's BMW versus Mercedes-Benz. Well, at least in Europe it is. And unlike the former, we can actually get an answer for this one, and that's exactly what's going on in the clip below.

Of course, when the question first came up, it wasn't the M2 and the CLA45 that those asking it had in mind, but it will have to do for now. The two cars aren't all that similar either - come to think of it, they've got more features that are different than they have in common. Let's start with the most obvious ones.

The BMW M2 is a two-door coupe, and that description would be completely pleonastic were it not for the CLA45, which is dubbed a four-door coupe. The Bavarian machine uses a straight-six turbocharged engine with a three-liter displacement, while the neighbor from the North has two fewer cylinders and only two-thirds of the displacement. So the Merc is at a clear disadvantage, then.

Well, yes and no. You see, this tremendous engine block - that's also the basis for the glorious 4.0-liter V8 in most of the larger AMG models - is capable of delivering 376 hp, which is 11 hp more than what the BMW gets from the larger unit. Plus, the CLA45 has a suffix that says 4MATIC, which means it's got all-wheel-drive, something the BMW M2 doesn't. But that's actually a trick meant to disguise the fact that the CLA is originally a front-wheel-drive car, as opposed to the 2-Series, which channels the power towards the rear wheels only.

So, there you have it, two completely different solutions from two competing manufacturers battling it out on the Hockenheim track. No spoilers here, but we do have a clear winner. Watch the clip below.