Mercedes presented the all-new CLA about a year ago, and we knew all along that several AMG versions had been planned. This is the "vanilla" model called the CLA 35, going up against the BMW M235i Gran Coupe that got shown in LA the other week.
Based on drag races featuring the smaller hatchback models, A35 and M135i, the CLA 35 will be a little slower. But we decided to take a look at what it can do with another one of those drag races.
AutoTopNL put the compact sports four-door coupe to the test and timed it from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 4.95 seconds. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155mph). That's not bad for a base model coupe with a 2-liter engine. It could certainly play games with a normal 718 Cayman.
The numbers are in line with the official claims from Mercedes. Of course, cars like this cheat a little bit to look this fast. Unlike something like a Toyota Supra, the CLA 35 builds boost and sends it to all four wheels via an electrically operated differential.
The CLA is available with a variety of other powertrains, at least in Europe. There's even a 1.3-liter turbo model with a couple of power outputs. But besides the AMGs, the only one that makes sense is the CLA 220 d, which is a 190 horsepower diesel, since some people might want to do long trips.
At 1,515 kilos (3340 lbs, but it's a European rating), it's not that heavy for a four-door coupe. Besides the BMW we just mentioned, the only other main rival is the Audi S3 sedan, of which a new generation will be revealed next year. For the first time ever, Mercedes-AMG also offers the A35 as a sedan, but that car doesn't have the same long hood, sloping roof or frameless windows.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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