Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S 2020 Review – International

It’s stifling hot in Madrid. The former home of the Spanish Grand Prix, Jarama, is baking in the sun, with track temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius.

In many respects, the conditions make a fitting backdrop for the global launch of the new Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S as it negotiates its way into the junior sports sedan establishment.

The sub-$100,000 sports car category currently plays host to some the hottest affordable performance machinery in recent memory – the BMW M2 Competition and Audi RS3 sitting atop the charts, mixing it with the polished Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS.

In second-generation guise, the CLA 45 S aims to better its competitors courtesy of added firepower and a new all-wheel drive system that lends the baby AMG greater versatility and driveability than before.

It does away with the belief that fundamentally front-driven sports cars can’t be fun, either, as our track test at Jerama quickly proves.

The new Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S lands in Australia in the first half of 2020, with a price tag that will go close to $100,000 courtesy of some significant performance, equipment and tech upgrades.

Key to the S version’s credentials is its engine, officially coined the world’s most powerful four-cylinder in production, offering 2.1 bar of turbocharger boost pressure and water injection for its twin-scroll turbocharger.

With stratospheric outputs of 310kW and 500Nm, the four-pot is a tied to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, bringing a claimed 0-100km/h time of four seconds flat (0.2sec quicker than its predecessor) and a top governed speed of 270km/h.

The power fillip is met by some significant underbody revisions by AMG. The suspension retains the same MacPherson strut front and four-link rear design as the garden variety CLA, but adds a wider front track and bespoke front axle carrier with unique geometry and reduced unsprung mass. The CLA 45 will be suspended by AMG Ride Control adaptive damping in Oz.

A stiffer body shell wrought by an aluminium plate bolted beneath the engine and a strut brace between the front suspension towers pairs with a re-engineered steering rack with variable ratio and two different software maps.

Subjectively, the styling is better resolved, too. Any disproportionate features of the original have been eschewed for a cleaner skin with tighter lines and intricate highlights.

AMG’s Panamericana grille is incorporated into a front-end with wider guards, flared wheel-arches, a bonnet buldge and ‘jet wing’ canards, while at the rear, there are twin 90mm exhaust outlets, two-piece tail-light clusters and an integrated diffuser.

The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S rides on staggered 19-inch wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber, wrapping mammoth 360mm front and 330mm rear discs, with red six-pot front and one-pot rear callipers.

The first-generation CLA 45 was a sales and brand revelation for the German car-maker. But it was not without shortcomings, most notably a harsh ride, ever-present tyre roar and an elastic power band compounded by an at-times jarring dual-clutch auto.

Turning a wheel on our initial road loop outside of Madrid, it’s clear the boy-racer antics have been tempered somewhat in second-generation guise – and only in a good way.

A decidedly smarter interior presents the first portent to a more mature character, with two large screens dominating the dashboard, bookended by quality materials, tasteful interior plastics and a minimalist yet effective switchgear layout.

Mercedes’ latest MBUX infotainment software is correct and present, its satellite navigation guiding us through the Spanish countryside with only one or two faux pas directions, and the seats offer adequate support and comfort – a nicely struck balance across a day of road touring and track duties.

Delving deeper into the sub menus reveals AMG’s new Track Race feature, which facilitates GPS-based timing around some of the world’s best circuits including Phillip Island and a ghost mode ala Gran Turismo to compare against previous lap times.

The interior looks and feels befitting of the anticipated $100K price tag, save for the occasional squeak and rattle from the dashboard: never nice traits in a brand-new car, even if ours have been punished by the world’s media.

Then, thumbing the starter button reveals the CLA’s other distinguishing factor from take-one: its noise.

Tightening European sound restrictions have slightly dulled the aural factor; there’s less pop and crackle though a similar degree of in-cabin rasp, the latter factor now owed partially to artificial sound enhancement.

In any case, there’s little complaint as we cruise along a Spanish highway, the suspension shrugging off road joins with greater compliance and the cabin more hushed than before.

Make no mistake, the AMG origins are still present in the form of a firm ride over sharper bumps and carryover tyre roar, but proceedings are more refined than in the past, aided by light steering.

Even in casual conveyance, the engine is the real talking point here, creating a more linear power band and gently seguing through its eight ratios.

The elasticity of the predecessor is gone, though the manufacturer’s claims of a ‘naturally-aspirated engine feel’ seem a little over egged. The 2.0-litre meets peak torque outputs between 5000rpm and 5250rpm, but crucially, you get the bulk of the 500Nm much lower in the count.

The GPS points us in the direction of a twisting mountain descent at which point the steering wheel mounted drive select dial is promptly spun to Sport Plus, bringing a spicier throttle map, more aggressive gear changes and heavier steering (though there’s a lack of corresponding feedback).

One minor gripe – it is not possible to isolate steering and suspension settings in the drive settings. So if you want your suspension firm, the steering will automatically adopt a heavier bent too.

Progress on a tight mountain road is rapid. In fact, it’s hard to think of much else that would claw its way out of corners, negotiating the varying camber changes, tight lanes and guard rails that loom large at all times with the same efficacy.

The engine is in its happy place especially around the mid-range, pulling almost maniacally to a 7200rpm cut-out with the help of some intervention from the rear Michelins.

The all-wheel drive system isn’t infallible; there’s still a degree of torque steer under heady acceleration – the kind familiar with front-drive cars – but in some respects it only adds to the sensation of speed.

Elsewhere, there are no complaints about the exhaust note at this point, with whip crack-like blats on the up-change and a rorty tenor as it climbs the dial.

The road provides an interesting back-to-back comparison with the better-known A 45 S hot hatch, which we’ve piloted up the same stretch only 60 minutes earlier.

A 40kg weight deficit ultimately makes the CLA 45 feel a tad slower in directional changes, but otherwise, the two are similarly matched.

On one section of road, both cars encounter a sharp spike in the surface underneath that unloads the suspension with some steering lock applied; there’s a momentary wiggle before the dampers resume control and peg the chassis down on its outer rail.

The hill climb ends and we resume regular progress, finishing with a fuel use average of about 10L/100km.

Jarama is steeped in Formula 1 and MotoGP history, but most Australians will relate to the technical farce surrounding Alan Jones’ ‘win’ at the circuit in 1980.

On this baking hot summer’s day, the backdrop is much simpler, thanks in part to the way the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S goes about its business. In short, stringing together a lap of the 3.4km circuit is a breeze between the engine and gearbox combination, all-wheel drive system and cognitive electronic parameters.

The engine is again the centrepiece, blasting out of tighter corners and offering the right ratio for middling speeds. Its 310kW power figure feels less imposing on an open space as opposed to a tight road, though the baby AMG never feels breathless or short of mumbo around Jarama.

In the firmest Race setting, the CLA exhibits impressive levels of composure and stability at speed, holding a tight line through corners and offering decent levels of mechanical grip. An inherent front-drive feel carries over from the predecessor, though drive it as intended, and it’s possible to build some serious pace.

With all systems switched off, there is an inherent playfulness in the chassis, a readability that makes massive yaw moments feels relatively controlled. This bodes well for the car’s biggest party trick, Drift Mode.

After a process that is tantamount to patting your head and rubbing your tummy while hopping on one leg, the car’s digital instrument cluster eventually chimes with the words ‘Drift Mode activated’.

Pushing aggressively through a bout of understeer to swing the tail wide, the system then spins the rear wheels in a fashion similar to the Ford Focus RS, relying on two multi-plate clutches on the rear axle (one on each wheel) to create a tyre-devouring smoke show.

Getting the drift right is relatively straight-forward, so long as you have a road wide enough to plan your arc ahead. From there, right foot planted, the CLA gently works its way out of the sideways movement and resumes forward progress.

The novelty of a Drift Mode would likely wear off in daily ownership, but it does in fact lend the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S a whole other dimension. This is no longer a FWD-centric hot hatch with a boot – it is now much more mature and resolved.

Things will be busy and indeed heated when the CLA 45 S touches down next year.

How much does the 2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S cost?
Price: $97,000 plus on-road costs (estimated)
Available: Early 2020
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 310kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 8.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 189g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP