2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG Test Drive Score Sheet

A heady mix of power and Salma Hayek gives you the CLA 45 AMG.

In my rating chart, I gave the CLA 45 AMG full marks for its drivetrain. In fact, I rate it slightly (only very slightly) more than even the F-Type R Coupe. The point is that there’s an angry Frankenstein of an engine in the F-Type – a brutal animal of simply massive proportions that only the very, very, gifted among us can tame. Slight suggestion of happiness on that large throttle pedal, and the R Coupe goes absolutely senseless in its enthusiasm to consume its rears. Its 5-litre supercharged V8 generates so much power (542bhp and 680Nm) that it can haul you from rest to bloody-hell-I-wet-myself in the time it took you to read this sentence!

There’s no such issue with the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG – it’s an everlasting romance. And even on looks, it’s almost as striking as the F-Type – if not as… gorgeous, if I may. The first thing that you notice about this little packet of enjoyment is how manageable it is – despite laying claim to being the most powerful 4-pot in the world (a tag that brings with it ample bragging rights).

The CLA 45 features an all-wheel drive system (4-MATIC in Merc-speak), but the rear wheels only join the party when you start pushing the boundaries of its tolerance. The power can be split between the front and rear axles in a 50-50 ratio, and the grip from this thing is sensational. There are moments when you think that the car might go into oversteer-mode – but you can just keep the throttle pinned as that never happens. It just keeps gripping, and only at the absolute end of adhesion does it go into predictable understeer – which is cured by just a light lift of the throttle.

The CLA 45’s chassis balance is absolutely brilliant, and its handling character is mainly safe-understeer when on the power pedal – and it neutralizes as soon as you lift off a bit. That doesn’t, however, take away from the fact that the CLA 45 is bloody precise. The steering is beautifully direct, and it turns in very predictably. It’s especially entertaining around the high-speed sweeping turns.

The CLA 45 AMG doesn’t offer any big surprises or challenges – it’s missing that typical AMG madness. Most AMG’s are burnout-making, tyre-consuming disciples of drift – the CLA 45 is a stylish party-crasher among the raw and burly. It’s a rap song in an album of Blues. But, strangely, it fits in. And it’s immense fun!

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