AMG A-Class Sedans Get Supercar Famous with 4MATIC+ Upgrades
Latest and greatest from Affalterbach come with the most powerful, mass-produced turbo-fours in the world.
Whatever Mercedes-AMG touches turns to amazing. That luxury E-Class grocery-getter in your driveway? Just a platform for a fire-breathing wagon of fury. The fancy G-Wagen you see parked in front of the nightclub? Could be packing more than the finest leathers around. And what about the CEO’s S-Class? Let’s just say the boss isn’t being chauffeured to those power lunches.
Thus, it was only a matter of time until Affalterbach got its hands on the A- and CLA-Class cars, bestowing their magic on each one. The result? The all-new A 45 4MATIC+ and CLA 45 4MATIC+.
“We have completely redesigned our ’45’ models – from the engine and transmission through the chassis, the elaborately constructed drivetrain to the body structure and of course the design itself – all with one goal: to raise vehicle dynamics and the sporty driving experience to a level previously unimaginable in the compact class,” said Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers. “With the presentation of this, our most powerful and most dynamic compact sports car, we are also reinforcing the significance of this segment for our growth strategy.”
Both the A 45 and CLA 45 4MATIC+ live up to AMG’s gameplan with the help of their 2.0-liter inline-four and its twin-scroll turbo with roller bearings, putting out 387 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque to the corners through the Speedshift eight-speed dual-clutch. The engine is, according to AMG, “the world’s most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine in manufactured for series production.” The S variants take that up to 11, though, pushing out 421 horses and 369 lb-ft of torque.
The exteriors of the A 45 and CLA 45 4MATIC+ match the ferocity of the turbo-four, starting with AMG’s radiator grille, and continuing with contoured headlamps, powerdomes, and fender flares. The A 45 hatch gets a big wing for itself, just to let everyone else know this car isn’t just on its way to IKEA.
The interiors of both cars are more or less the same, but only as AMG can make them. Aside from the MBUX infotainment system hidden behind the massive touchscreen, there’s also leather-and-cloth seating all around, with yellow trim added in S models in tribute to AMG’s racing heritage. The MBUX itself has AMG-specific touches, beginning with the choice of Classic, Sport, and Supersport displays. From there, the driver can check on everything from oil temperature to how well they did on a given lap around the track.
Alas, the A 45 4MATIC+ won’t be coming to the United States anytime soon. We’ll likely see the CLA 45 and CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ though, if only because the non-4MATIC model is already available starting at $53,100. That car has a 375-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-four, paired with a seven-speed Speedshift dual-clutch automatic.
Photos: Mercedes-AMG
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