After releasing their test of the A45 AMG a few days ago, Autocar has now also tried out the sedan variant built on the same front axle-biased all-wheel drive platform, and powered by the same turbocharged engine.
Mercedes-Benz claims identical acceleration and top speed figures, even though the CLA 45 AMG is some 30 kg (66 lbs) heavier than the A-Class, but reviewer Steve Sutcliffe says the sedan does not feel as edgy to drive as the hatch, getting a more dulled down throttle response.
It’s still very fast with the same two-liter turbo with 355 hp, but apparently it’s not as sharp as the A-Class. This is odd because they not only share the actual chassis components, but also the same settings for pretty much all of the important bits. It may, however, have something to do with the redistribution of masses around the body, which was caused by the squashing of the A-Class and giving it a long tapering boot like that of the larger and much more expensive CLS.
The rest of the review is a positive one, the car being praised for its radical styling, good interior with surprisingly decent space in the back, excellent amount of tactile feedback through the steering and good road manners.
One last thing that the review notes is about the four-pot engine noise, which cannot be masked, and is not necessarily nectar for one’s ears… They can always pump fake V8 noise through the speakers, since that’s so in right now – for instance, the Renault Clio RS 200 EDC can give you V6 sound, despite only have four cylinders.
By Andrei Nedelea
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