Mercedes-amg CLA45 packs on power
The 2020 Mercedes-amg CLA45 made its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the first weekend in July, with a powerful engine and impressive performance.
The turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the CLA45 makes an insane 382 horsepower from just 2.0 litres, which means it’s more torque-dense than the new Shelby GT500’S V8.
The engine is paired to an eightspeed automatic transmission and sends power to all four wheels, which helps get the CLA45 to 96 km/h from zero in just 4.0 seconds.
That four-wheel-drive system is clever as well; it can electro-mechanically send power to any wheel that needs it, and there are separate clutches in the rear axle that allow the power to be sent side to side as well. The suspension is impressive, too. There’s a four-link in the back, and aluminum wishbones up front.
Mercedes isn’t stopping there. A hot CLA45 S will be coming soon with up to 416 hp but, unfortunately, that one will be for Europe only.
To squeeze all the extra power out of the tiny motor, AMG had to make the cylinder walls more slippery, add roller bearings to the turbochargers and add electronic control to the wastegate.
A set of 19-inch wheels come standard on the CLA45, as well as twin 10.3-inch displays and bucket seats. Larger brakes, sport suspension and a limiter readjustment allowing a higher top speed of 268 km/h (up from 250) are also available. Pricing and availability have not yet been announced.