This is the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S, a very fast premium subscompact four-door coupe with a jaw-dropping price tag.
Whilethe top-of-the-line S spec isn’t available in the USA, where it’s only offered in the regular 45 variant with an MSRP of $54,800, on the other side of the pond it starts at €64,960 ($77,455) in Germany and £51,135 ($68,245) in the United Kingdom.
As for the example driven by CarGurus in their review, it came with a few options installed, like the Plus package styling kit, LED headlights, panoramic glass roof and Burmester premium audio system, lifting the price to almost £60,000, or $80,000 at the current exchange rates.
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That’s a lot of money for a small AMG, and the build quality doesn’t seem to be on par with it either – just listen to the sound made by the door closing at the 1:56 mark.
On the plus side, the adaptive dampers make it a comfortable daily driver. The steering is sharp and there is enough grip to help put the 415 HP (421 PS / 310 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque, produced by the strong 2.0-liter turbo-four, to the ground, via the eight-speed DCT and 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system with limited-slip differential.
The CLA 45 S can sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.0 seconds and hit a 168 mph (270 km/h) top speed. The version sold in our market has 382 HP (387 PS / 285 kW) and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm), adding one tenth of a second to the 0-62 mph acceleration time and maxing out at 155 mph (250 km/h).