A Drive In A CLA45 AMG

[developer]

At 381hp/c1600kg I was expecting something special.

It was very quick as a point and squirt tool, between say 3000 to 5000 rpm, but on more open roads, when it was given the beans, I was disappointed .

It was somewhat asthmatic, running out of steam in each gear, in an almost diesel like fashion - the redline is much lower than I expected, at just over 6000rpm, not the heady 7000+rpm I was expecting from a small 2 litre 4 pot.

However, in a reverse to what I'd expected, the sound was really entertaining, and the DCT gearbox was super responsive.

At just shy of £43K basic it's a lot of cash for a very small car.

A strange looking thing too, even in AMG trim.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Yes John, I agree.

That's why I think that the C43 for similar money is great value.

What was the reason for the drive?

 

[developer]

A courtesy car for a day.

 

[AMGBlack]

At 381hp/c1600kg I was expecting something special.

It was very quick as a point and squirt tool, between say 3000 to 5000 rpm, but on more open roads, when it was given the beans, I was disappointed .

It was somewhat asthmatic, running out of steam in each gear, in an almost diesel like fashion - the redline is much lower than I expected, at just over 6000rpm, not the heady 7000+rpm I was expecting from a small 2 litre 4 pot.

However, in a reverse to what I'd expected, the sound was really entertaining, and the DCT gearbox was super responsive.

At just shy of £43K basic it's a lot of cash for a very small car.

A strange looking thing too, even in AMG trim.

You drive a AMG63 S like me as your normal car...
Of course 381hp is going to feel slow lol.

 

[John]

You drive a AMG63 S like me as your normal car...
Of course 381hp is going to feel slow lol.

Unfortunately, I was utterly disappointed with the A45 I drove as well John.

I'm sure it is a great car in its own right but just feels slow as fook!

Exactly for that reason probably - albeit a 55 in my case.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I've driven the A45 on a number of occasions and I quite enjoyed it, good sound for a four pot and quite snappy when pressed.

Obviously aimed at those younger drivers who can't cope with the misters V8 RWD motors but it's all good practice for them.

A £43k car it is not though, the CLA carries the tag a little easier but still not great value for money Imo.

 

[developer]

You drive a AMG63 S like me as your normal car...
Of course 381hp is going to feel slow lol.

Yes, you're right, but I don't think it was that - the 0-60mph figure is very impressive, but the "on road" progress less so - I was expecting more of a rev mad pocket rocket than I got.

It's made me re-assess my view of hot hatches, with it being one of the quickest of the bunch (in A45 form) as this week's Top Gear showed.

 

[John]

Probably the one Acid tuned was more like it...

Not sure what power it was running at its peak though.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Yesterday I had a go in the A45 AMG (381PS) around the International Circuit at Silverstone, and it surprised me just how good it was.

I had driven an A45 AMG on a test drive when I thought I was going to buy one, but the test drive was in central Birmingham, the traffic was heavy and I wanted to know whether it could fit my daily driving style, so I gave it zero beans. I was impressed, but it felt like you had to really "drive" it even when you just wanted to waft home, or pop to the shop.

On track I thought the 381PS version was impressive. I'm not a great driver however at times it had no problem keeping up with more powerful cars driven by other not-great drivers. Even on the straights the difference wasn't as marked as I had expected. The C63S Coupe could inch away from me on the Hanger Straight but I expected a bigger difference.

I struggled to get the best out of the car on some corners though, limited by my own ability and not by that of the car. However it was relatively forgiving in the turns, and if I misjudged Club Corner and the front was starting to run wide, then a quick lift of the accelerator was enough to tuck the nose in, and get back on the power. All very predictable and good fun.

 

[Sanke]

Great review, this is why I chopped the 45 in for a 63S.

Acceleration wise it was great, but it just ran out of revs.

Now if they (mb) could put the 43 lump in it and lose a little weight to compensate. That'll be a real hyper hatch.

Steve

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[def90cars]

With AWD and nearly 400bhp - they are not point and squirt. That's jut how you are driving it. IMHO

 

[Grovsie31]

Wow are they really 1600KG. Amazing for a hatch.

 

[DannyHall]

Love mine! Comparing it to a C63S is slightly unfair as it's around 30k more.

Does whatever I need from it perfectly and I love the styling of it with the 19 Multispoke wheels.

 

[HB]

It's a cheap low rent car imo. The Golf R, S3 are massively more premium than this thing. £43k, they're having a giraffe.

 

[DannyHall]

It's a cheap low rent car imo. The Golf R, S3 are massively more premium than this thing. £43k, they're having a giraffe.

Do you think? I find it's a real head turner and I get a lot of good comments about it.

What about those 2 cars do you think make them more premium? Both lack in power and the although the S3 is gorgeous from the outside, the interior left me feeling empty. I considered an RS3 when buying mine but preferred the coupe shape.

Everyones entitled to an opinion though ofcourse!

 

[flango]

It's a cheap low rent car imo. The Golf R, S3 are massively more premium than this thing. £43k, they're having a giraffe.

^^^ What he said. I drove one before buying my golf. Left me totally underwhelmed interior looks like it's been designed by a 10 year old performance good but no top end. I bought a golf GTE -R. VW mototorsport conversion to twin turbo of the GTE plus a bigger kers pack. £15k cheaper than an A45 and just as quick. You can't beat the instant torque of a DC motor. Those on the forum who have been in it have now christened it the F1 milk float best 0 - 60 so far 4.47 secs. It's just covered it's first 10,000 miles at an average of 74 mpg. Now that's what I call a car.

 

[Lennox]

^^^ I bought a golf GTE -R. VW mototorsport conversion to twin turbo of the GTE plus a bigger kers pack.

Tell me more???

 

[C36fan]

^^^ What he said. I drove one before buying my golf. Left me totally underwhelmed interior looks like it's been designed by a 10 year old performance good but no top end. I bought a golf GTE -R. VW mototorsport conversion to twin turbo of the GTE plus a bigger kers pack. £15k cheaper than an A45 and just as quick. You can't beat the instant torque of a DC motor. Those on the forum who have been in it have now christened it the F1 milk float best 0 - 60 so far 4.47 secs. It's just covered it's first 10,000 miles at an average of 74 mpg. Now that's what I call a car.

Lol!

 

[Grovsie31]

74 MPG.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Love mine! Comparing it to a C63S is slightly unfair as it's around 30k more.

Does whatever I need from it perfectly and I love the styling of it with the 19 Multispoke wheels.

Not sure if your comment was aimed at me Danny, as I commented on a C63S inching away from me on track. If it was then, my intention was far from unfair, I meant it as a compliment as it pulled away very very slowly, despite having 130PS more available than the A45 AMG.

And IMHO it's absolutely fair a a comparison as we were on track at the time, and the car in front is the best benchmark of performance in that situation.