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8 Questions for the CLA 45 AMG

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Old 04-25-2021, 03:26 AM
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Smile 8 Questions for the CLA 45 AMG

Hello to everyone, new member here.

I gathered 8 questions on the CLA 45 AMG and I would love to hear the feedback from owners of the car or from any other car-guy who can help. So, I’m in my late 30s and for the past 16 years I’m driving a base model 2005 VW Golf 1.6L. It’s finally time for a new car and after many months of researching, I’m finally leaning towards the CLA 45 AMG. I’ve been at the dealership and got an offer for the following:

2021 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4MATIC+ Coupé
  • Mountain Grey metallic
  • 19” five-twin-spoke black alloy wheels
  • Night Package
  • Panoramic sunroof
  • Burmester surround sound
  • Parking sensors / Reverse camera
  • Voice command / Wireless charging / Ambient lighting
  • AMG steering wheel in nappa leather / Function buttons
After a lot of negotiating, they dropped my configuration from €70K to €61K which is around $74K. I should mention that the car is not available at the dealership and this scares me quite a lot, since I’ll be buying a car without a test drive (or even see it in person). Putting that aside, I’ve never driven a fast car before and I’m only experienced with my Golf which is a very slow car. The CLA 45 AMG is meant to be my daily (and only) driver:
  • I will drive to work every day in average traffic, which takes 25-35 minutes to get there.
  • Night driving around the city.
  • Going at the beach in the weekends, which is an hour-long freeway drive.
Question 1: Daily driver?
So, my first and most important question is whether the CLA 45 AMG can actually be used for what I plan to use it for: an everyday car that is comfortable in both the city roads and the freeway. I don’t have any interest in taking the car to a track, or race other drivers, but I do enjoy going fast on an open road.

Question 2: Fuel economy?
My second concern is fuel consumption. My Golf is very economic (I fill it up just once every 4 or 5 weeks) and I worry that the CLA 45 AMG may turn out a big disappointment in this area. Assuming I'll generally drive the car in Comfort mode, how soon do you estimate the tank to go from full to empty? Will it be in a week? Two weeks? Three weeks?

Question 3: Reliability?
Is an AMG-engine car and specifically the CLA 45 AMG reliable for long-term use (say 5-10 years)? I do not plan to buy this car and look for a buyer in a year or two.

Question 4: Car modes?
Does the car in C mode behave like a normal car? Do I need to turn it to S / S+ for the car to “unlock” the power? Or is the car similarly fast in C as well?

Question 5: Loudness?
How loud is the car? My neighbour has an M4 and whenever he starts it up, the entire building learns about it. Is the CLA 45 AMG loud all the time or does it get loud only is S modes? And how loud would you say that is compared to other performance cars? (I can’t make it out from YouTube videos).

Question 6: Tires on 19” wheels?
So, here’s a big concern I didn’t think I’ll get. On my offer there’s a huge disclaimer about the thin tires on 19” wheels and how they’re more likely to be damaged. Is it really that bad? I never worried about tires before. On my Golf I have 15” wheels and I put some cheap tires every 5 or 6 years and never care for them again. I never had a flat tire in my life and I’ve driven my Golf countless times on terrible surfaces. So, is this something I should be worrying about with 19”? How limited will I be?

Question 7: Maintenance?
My question is whether the CLA 45 AMG is more expensive than a regular Merc-Benz when it comes to maintaining. Is the service more expensive? Are the parts more expensive? Do I need to do something extra than what a normal A-Class or a C-Class require?

Question 8: Music in the car?
I forgot to ask this at the dealership. I read the car has 2 USB-C ports. I have a USB-C drive full with MP3 and FLAC music albums. Will I be able to use it and listen to my music from there?

So, these are my questions! I know they’re a lot but if you can answer any of them it will really help me decide. The car obviously costs a lot and I want to be happy owning it instead of regret it.

Many thanks!
Old 04-25-2021, 12:36 PM
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Hi

1- Yes, I don't daily mine as I am fortunate enough to have much of a commute in my life and several cars but when I drive this it is very comfortable. I do have the upgraded seat option

2- Horrible! Almost laughable but it doesn't help I drive it aggressively. However, even during the torturous break-in period of 1k miles I averaged like 19mpg

3- I have only had since December and my only other AMG was my first " real" car out of law school a C36 and it was great. I won't keep this long enough to expire the factory warranty so not a personal concern but the extended warranties are there if priced as if you were a Czar.

4. Yes, very much so although sometimes the DCT doesn't like it.

5. Quiet as a mouse

6 I have no problems on the 19's here in Southern California

7 TBD

8 Yes, I have a 2 TB hard drive in the armrest and it works fine. I also can use Tidal but that is getting canceled going to Amazon HD for now.

Hope that helped.
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Old 04-25-2021, 01:27 PM
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Many thanks USCAMG for your feedback, it sure helps a lot!
Bummer about the fuel economy. I need to investigate whether there’s a difference between the US and European fuel consumption, but I doubt it will be significantly different.
Thanks again for taking the time to answer. Much appreciated!
Old 04-25-2021, 03:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Petaine
Many thanks USCAMG for your feedback, it sure helps a lot!
Bummer about the fuel economy. I need to investigate whether there’s a difference between the US and European fuel consumption, but I doubt it will be significantly different.
Thanks again for taking the time to answer. Much appreciated!
My pleasure.

I would also say that the build quality is not what I expect and I'm tired of the SA telling me " well it's expected in a CLA class" My car was MSRP of 73k and sure, while I got a huge discount they didn't know that at the factory. Car has so many squeaks and rattles, I got rid of a E46 M3 vert for the same reason. They rebuilt the glove box and I am certain its in both door cards. I will probably put Dynomat in there and see what else I can do but I had a RS3 that was built like a tank. Sure the RS3 was built on an established model line but it was still a A3 with a glorious engine...much like this car.

Now don't let me sully you too much, its a very cool car, fun and now that break-in is completed in Race mode its really fun. But the rattles bug me as does the stereo. The B&O in the RS3 is way better!

I think outside of the engine the best things are:

The coupe look

The technology

The handling


All these cars have trade-offs but at 73k dollars there should be base expectations and so far I'm not impressed with build quality. I went and test drove the new M3, the front looks better in person but the car is huge! I had a M5 and this is M5 size! The Alfa QV was on my list, easily the best looking of the 4 door sport sedans but dated tech and reliability are issues not counting if Alfa will even remain in the US. Well, I bought mine without driving it but I did drive a CLA35 and hated it. I trusted YouTube lol! SO lazy, I could have driven any number of them. But frankly this purchase was about the deal, the GM is a fraternity brother and he bought my MKV Supra for 1200 less than I paid for it and sold me this for 62675. So no matter if I keep it or not I am good. Although spending 3800 on PPF and Ceramic probably wasn't brilliant. There is a story behind that as well but I am getting my first two services for free to offset that.

Ask anything else you need to know, I have no axe to grind and own one now so no biased opinions here.
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Old 04-26-2021, 02:47 AM
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Wow, I was definitely not expecting build quality issues. And you're right, the excuse "it's a CLA" is unacceptable; the car costs more than $70K! My questions didn't even involve build issues because I was certain it would be A+. That's disappointing and thanks for letting me know. I test drove a base model CLA180d but I was told the experience has nothing to do with the 45 AMG. So I didn't care for it much.

I gotta ask: You mentioned that you drive aggressively, do you push the car to its limits? I mean track/drag racing, drifting and all that? I want to see if you're very demanding as a driver and whether someone like me, who mostly wants to go fast on the highway, will find the car more acceptable.

I'm also surprised about the sound. I thought that adding the Burmester surround system would offer amazing sound. You are saying that it's not really that good?

The deal breaker so far is the horrible fuel economy you mentioned. Obviously, I expected something worse than what my little Golf offers but not way worse. I can understand that the car has like 380 horses and my Golf has 100 but there's also a 16 year difference between the two cars.

Anyway, my list of candidates included the RS3 saloon, the S5 coupe and the Golf R. M3/M4 not so much because I'm not a fan of the new grille.

These options make the decision a big challenge!
Old 04-26-2021, 10:40 AM
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To be honest nor was I expecting build quality issues. I know mine is the first of the new face lift but I didn't think I would need to place a rubber grommet behind one of my screens to stop a rattle either.

Again, perhaps I'm being overly critical but my 2018 RS3 was a tank, no rattles and had a more powerful motor.

My driving is probably a mirror of yours, I have a GT3 that I use for POC/PCA events but with Covid it just sits and looks pretty in garage as I pay for tags, insurance etc. First world issues here.

I had a R32 as a track car and a big fan of the platform and company in terms of performance for value as well as build quality. I would definitely find a CLA45 to drive....where are you located?

I get the impression in Europe, I would get a S model for sure in an Estate. My daily is a 2020 V60 Polestar and I love fast wagons, we get few choices here and while I wanted a RS6 I could not stomach the 25-40k markups.

The new Golf R is pretty tight, you would also save a pretty penny. I hate to burst bubbles or seem down on a car that I spent a lot of money on , I do like it...I just don't love it, that's directly attributed to the build quality, I can only imagine this car down the line.
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Old 04-26-2021, 10:50 AM
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Let me add about the stereo.

My friend has the B in his E63, it sounds amazing but his car was 55k more so to be expected. I have the Bowers & Wilkins in my Volvo and its the best car stereo I've ever had OEM and I've had the top of the line B&O in a Audi S8. This stereo in the CLA45 sounds lacking, the front stage is just "ok" If I keep this car much longer I will have to upgrade it.

It wouldn't be so bad if the exhaust sounded better, Porsche owners always laugh at the stereo gripes, We too have the choice of the Bermie in many models ( not GT though) but everyone says " I just listen to my engine exhaust" That was fine in my GT4 but let me tell you driving home from Willow after a day on the track I wanted a good car stereo to unwind. The weight is a pointless argument to make as all cars are more powerful than 99% of most drivers abilities and the cost is irrelevant once you have reached a certain price point.The upside for yo is I have a 2020, a early car, perhaps they have sorted much of my gripes, perhaps a 2021 owner will chime in and see if their ownership mirrors mine or I am a outlier.
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Old 04-26-2021, 09:30 PM
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Car & Driver averaged 24mpg while testing the car (probably lots of spirited driving) and 34mpg on the highway @ 75mph. I would be curious what others are averaging.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y-the-numbers/
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Old 04-27-2021, 02:38 AM
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@USCAMG You sure sound way more advanced than I am! And you drove many cars (S8?!) so it's good to hear your feedback. I gotta say you got my hopes up: first, I’m far less demanding than you, so maybe the car will be more generous with me fuel-wise. Second, there may indeed be a difference between the '20 and '21 models. They told me that delivery takes 5-7 months due to covid, so I guess *my* model will even be late '21; who knows, maybe they fixed some things!

Sound-wise, I think I can live with what you describe. I’m okay with not perfect as long as what I get is well above average. It’s disappointing though how you add a nearly-grand worth of “premium” surround system and the results are not perfect. I mean, how terrible would the stock system be?!

Originally Posted by SuperSaloon
Car & Driver averaged 24mpg while testing the car (probably lots of spirited driving) and 34mpg on the highway @ 75mph. I would be curious what others are averaging.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y-the-numbers/
@SuperSaloon Thanks for the link friend. Curious on others' averages too!
Old 04-27-2021, 09:05 AM
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2021 AMG CLA 45 (Sold 14 CLA 45 AMG, 05 C55 AMG)
I purchased my 2021 AMG CLA45 exactly 3 months ago at the end of Jan 2021. It is my daily driver, in fact, I find any excuse to drive it I can. I traded in a 2014 AMG CLA45 that I owned for 3 years, it had about 60k miles on it when I traded it in.
My car is almost exactly the same as the car you are looking at.

2021 AMG CLA45 4Matic+
Mountain Grey Metalic
Classic Red / Black Leather
AMG Design trim
RSX 19" AMG Twin 5-Spoke wheels
Heated & Ventilated Front seats
Heads-up Display
Burmester Sound
DA3 Park Assist
DA5 Multi-Media package
DC1 AMG Night Package
DC3 AMG Aerodynamics Package
DE6 AMG Dynamic Plus Package

Question 1: Daily driver?
This is a very capable daily driver. I have used it almost on a daily basis, short trips around town, commuting, and a few longer trips (5 hour round trip). For me, there has been no downside to driving my car in any situation. It is much improved over my 2014, the ride and in particular, the drive train is so much better. The response from the engine is great, with little to no lag. This makes driving in busy traffic easy. The transmission is also much improved over the 2014, smooth shifting when you want, less mechanical "clunky" feel, more of a well-matched experience.

Question 2: Fuel economy?
Fuel economy is good. I recently took a road trip that was a 500miles (800km) round trip. I found the car to be comfortable for hours on the road, easy to drive, in fact, it was a pleasure. Data for the trip overall was 65mph (105km/h) average, long parts of the highway were at 80mph (130km/h) fuel economy was 34mpg US, 41mpg UK, 7 l/100km. On that road trip, I went 425 miles before filling up. Daily driving with more than the occasional spirited driving (it's hard not to drive it fast) has got me 27mpg US. This gives me a range of about 325-375 miles.

Question 3: Reliability?
My 2014 AMG CLA45 that I had before this car was very reliable, I had no major issue in the time I owned it. Keep up with the maintenance and it will last you many miles.

Question 4: Car modes?
The drive modes do not change the amount of power the engine makes. They do change the way it is delivered. In C comfort mode the car is quiet and smooth. It will use a higher gear to reduce engine rev's it will shift smoothly, and generally drive and handle softer. In other modes such as S and S+ the car "feels" faster, sounds faster, and drives a little harder. But as I said before power is the same, if you are driving along at 40mph and floor it the car will accelerate just as fast in C as it does in S+, it will just be more stealth/quiet in C mode.

Question 5: Loudness?
As I mentioned above, the modes can change how the car sounds. On normal startup, the car is quiet, with no loud rev or exhaust. You can do what Mercedes calls an "Emotion Start" by holding one of the padel shifters at the same time you push the start button. This will open the exhaust and rev the engine a little on start-up.

Question 6: Tires on 19” wheels?
I live in near Chicago, IL. We get decent winters here and hot summers. This turns our roads into a pot-hole mess. If you drive without a care and hit holes in the road you will end up damaging a tire and or a wheel. If you take a little care to avoid most of the holes you should be good. It will require a different driving style compared to driving your Golf with 15" wheels and tires.

Question 7: Maintenance?
The maintenance cost is a little higher than a regular non-AMG Mercedes. It's a high-performance car and does need a little extra care. Research this for your region and budget for it. You might want to take advantage of pre-paid maintenance packages, these can be negotiable so do not just accept the first price you are offered.

Question 8: Music in the car?
Yes, I have a 500GB SSD that I use for this. I have played mp3, FLAC, and even movies from this drive. This works very well, you can also "Ask Mercedes" to play a certain track, album, or artist from the drive.

Other things to note:
I too had a rattle in the glove box, the cause of the rattle was this, there is a compartment inside the glovebox designed for the Drivers/Owners manuals, I did not have anything in the compartment, my manuals were not in the car. Placing a manual/book in this compartment solved the rattle for me.
I am very happy with the sound system, I am not an Audiophile, but I do enjoy my music. I have no problems with the sound quality.
I find the build quality of my 2021 to be much better than my 2014. My 2014 wasn't bad, it just had some minor things like gaps in trim and panels that were bigger than I'd like to see. After 3 months of ownership my 2021 is still tight and new, and still has that awesome new car smell!








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Old 04-27-2021, 02:03 PM
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Can't thank you enough for your answers @Zeebrock, appreciate it a lot!

Thanks for the conversions too: I learned to understand miles but I'm often worrying that I'll get the US and UK mpg wrong! Your 7l/100km makes perfect sense! My little Golf gets around 5-ish l/100km in the highway, so 2 liters more is very acceptable for a car as powerful as this.

Thanks for explaining car modes too. I had no idea how these work. It’s interesting to learn how C and S handle the same power.

Daily driver / reliability / loudness / USB music ... all very good news.

Maintenance seems like it will be new territory for me. I think the days of taking the car for a general service every 18 months will be over! Owning a performance car must be quite different than owning a toy car.

Turns out my only major worry left is the tires. There’s no actual winter here and I tend to drive a lot around a coastline which faces 4-5 months of extreme Mediterranean heat: I’m talking 40 Celsius or 104 Fahrenheit. You can guess how our roads are around here! The only thing that gets my hopes up are all those 20” and 21” AMGs, Ms, RSs I see all the time. If they can manage, why shouldn’t I? (unless of course they get a flat once a month)

As for the sound system, I don’t go by Audiophile either, but I can appreciate good sound. Glad to hear you’re okay with it.

Finally, something else I want to ask you; the same thing I asked @USCAMG who was also kind enough to help me out. Are you a demanding driver? Do you go hard on the car, besides just stepping on the gas?

Thanks.

P.S: those red calipers are sick; can’t afford those!
Old 04-27-2021, 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Petaine
Can't thank you enough for your answers @Zeebrock, appreciate it a lot!

Thanks for the conversions too: I learned to understand miles but I'm often worrying that I'll get the US and UK mpg wrong! Your 7l/100km makes perfect sense! My little Golf gets around 5-ish l/100km in the highway, so 2 liters more is very acceptable for a car as powerful as this.

Thanks for explaining car modes too. I had no idea how these work. It’s interesting to learn how C and S handle the same power.

Daily driver / reliability / loudness / USB music ... all very good news.

Maintenance seems like it will be new territory for me. I think the days of taking the car for a general service every 18 months will be over! Owning a performance car must be quite different than owning a toy car.

Turns out my only major worry left is the tires. There’s no actual winter here and I tend to drive a lot around a coastline which faces 4-5 months of extreme Mediterranean heat: I’m talking 40 Celsius or 104 Fahrenheit. You can guess how our roads are around here! The only thing that gets my hopes up are all those 20” and 21” AMGs, Ms, RSs I see all the time. If they can manage, why shouldn’t I? (unless of course they get a flat once a month)

As for the sound system, I don’t go by Audiophile either, but I can appreciate good sound. Glad to hear you’re okay with it.

Finally, something else I want to ask you; the same thing I asked @USCAMG who was also kind enough to help me out. Are you a demanding driver? Do you go hard on the car, besides just stepping on the gas?

Thanks.

P.S: those red calipers are sick; can’t afford those!
I can answer your question very easily, yes I sometimes drive my car hard. Take a look at the video:


I track and race my car about 10 times a year. I did the same with my 2014, no real ill effects (apart from wearing out tires and brakes). The car is very well built and engineered, almost like they designed it for this type of driving
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Old 04-27-2021, 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Zeebrock
I can answer your question very easily, yes I sometimes drive my car hard. Take a look at the video:

https://youtu.be/r8DgjJ8S7tQ

I track and race my car about 10 times a year. I did the same with my 2014, no real ill effects (apart from wearing out tires and brakes). The car is very well built and engineered, almost like they designed it for this type of driving
Nice. Do you do just timed events with the CLA or actual race track events? I think this car is well suited for time attack but was shocked at how well it did in recent testing on actual race tracks. I give you props though for do something with it, I have fellow GT3 owners who just wax their cars and bring them out for cars and coffee.
Old 04-28-2021, 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by USCAMG
Nice. Do you do just timed events with the CLA or actual race track events? I think this car is well suited for time attack but was shocked at how well it did in recent testing on actual race tracks. I give you props though for do something with it, I have fellow GT3 owners who just wax their cars and bring them out for cars and coffee.
I do a mix of mostly Autocross (what you see in the video) and track events. I plan to do more track events this year. I do not do wheel-to-wheel racing, this is my daily driver and I can't afford to have it taken out by an on-track accident.
Old 04-28-2021, 08:13 AM
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The 7l /100km was mostly highway/motorway driving. With more mixed driving I'm getting about 9l /100km, sometimes as low as 10l /100km. It is not really a fair comparison to your Golf. They are 2 very different cars, and economy is an area where there is a big difference. The AMG CLA45 has more than 3.5 times the power of your Golf, so it will use a lot more fuel and its range will be less. Also, your Golf also has a larger tank, 55l vs 51l.
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Old 04-29-2021, 12:44 AM
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2021 CLA 45 AMG, Subaru WRX STI
I took delivery of my 2021 in December. I love it so far. As always, I recommend (as Im sure everyone else here will) to go drive as many of the cars on your list as possible. I know that may not be possible with all of them, but its worth it if you can.

I purchased mine without test driving it and I am not disappointed. There were none around last year to test drive.

Question 1: Daily driver?
Ive found it to be great as a daily so far. Great tech, fairly quiet, handles well, perfectly fine at leisurely cruising in comfort mode.

Love the steering wheel and the alcantara sides of it.

I do recommend the adjustable dampers if you live in an area that gets snow often or has roads that aren’t great. Roads in the NE US get torn up through winter pretty badly as mentioned previously, and that certainly helped smooth the bumps imo.

Question 2: Fuel economy?
It’s certainly not terrible. How you drive it obviously can vastly change what you average. I easily get 30-34mpg when commuting mostly highway with a smaller amount of city driving.

Question 3: Reliability?
Not sure we can really say. Should overall be pretty solid, but the engine is new. It was engineered to last by all accounts, but that remains to be seen. MB is using it in many model refreshes (new c63, etc) so you would hope so.

Question 4: Car modes?
As others have said, if you slam on it in C mode it will get going. Just takes slightly longer than in other modes.

Question 5: Loudness?
Not loud. The piped in engine noise in the cabin actually sounds pretty good with the exhaust flap open / in S mode. Its piped in from actual exhaust noise.

Does it sound as good as a V8, RS3, or older cars? Not at all, but you can thank European sound regulations.

My car from the outside is actually louder than I expected, after watch / listening to some videos of European version. Something might be slightly different there vs the Euro model. Again, still pretty quiet tho.

Question 6: Tires on 19” wheels?
I think you worrying about this a bit much. Unless your roads are TERRIBLE, I dont see this as a concern. Sounds like you mentioned you dont get cold weather or snow, so I wouldn’t be worried.

The stock summer tire Michelins that come on it are great.

Question 7: Maintenance?
More then cheaper cars, as expected. But as far as Ive gathered, not too bad. First standard maintenance isnt until 1year / 10k miles (Service A).

From what Ive read, thats only costing people $250-300ish in the US, which isnt bad at all imo. This will vary by dealership a bit.

Question 8: Music in the car?
As mentioned, yes you can. The upgraded sound is decent imo, its all about what you compare it to.

Upgraded sound systems in more expensive luxury cars, C class, E class, 5 series, etc blow it away.

However, compare it to lower end sound systems in cheaper cars, and its significantly better.


Ive not experienced any rattling, loose panels, etc yet in my 2021. Im sorry to hear others have. Hopefully I wont have any develop.


Good luck whatever you decide!

Last edited by ozo; 04-29-2021 at 12:56 AM.
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Old 04-29-2021, 03:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Zeebrock
The 7l /100km was mostly highway/motorway driving. With more mixed driving I'm getting about 9l /100km, sometimes as low as 10l /100km. It is not really a fair comparison to your Golf. They are 2 very different cars, and economy is an area where there is a big difference. The AMG CLA45 has more than 3.5 times the power of your Golf, so it will use a lot more fuel and its range will be less. Also, your Golf also has a larger tank, 55l vs 51l.
You're very right @Zeebrock, I'm only using my Golf as reference. I'm not expecting same or even similar results; I mostly want to see how much my overall experience will change by driving the CLA45. The 5.5l/100km I mentioned for the Golf is also for highway. In the city it usually goes 9l/100km. Oh, and thanks for your mixed figures. That 10l/100km you mentioned sounds way better than the 15l/100Km I was worrying about.
Old 04-29-2021, 03:42 AM
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Thank you @ozo for all your replies!! You were very helpful and encouraging!

Yep, EU regulations are very much toning down the sound. I hear there's also a limit as to how much you can rev your car now (Audi sure does it). This applies for the US imports too. I believe the Mustangs we get here are also something called Ecoboost. I don't know if you have it too but overall I hear the horsepower is much less than the us versions.

I gotta say, that 19" wheel situation has probably been my biggest worry of the car; everything else I'm quite okay with. I generally tend to drive quite fast (for my Golf standards), especially when the road is open. So whenever I see a pot hole or a speed bump or whatever it's usually too late. The impact can be big and at times I really think to myself: there goes my tire or my wheel... but my Golf always has by back! Well, I don't think the CLA will Not even close! I'll be forced I guess to change my habits
Old 04-30-2021, 03:02 AM
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If you are that concerned, you can go with one of the top two wheel options, as they are forged. Forged wheels are generally lighter and stronger than cast or flow formed wheels.
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Old 05-07-2021, 03:14 PM
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I have a 2021 A35 AMG as a loaner car right now and have had it for the last week while my E450 coupe is having some issues taken care of. It's got over 8k miles on it and is completely squeak and rattle free. The Burmester system is ok but is definitely a step below the Burmester in my E450 with the main culprit being weak-ish bass even with lossles audio files. There's also more road noise/tire roar with the 19" Pirelli P Zero's which hinders the stereo performance somewhat as it raises the noise floor.
I do like the "attitude" of this little AMG-lite car and would definitely like a go in a CLA or GLA 45 based on my experience. Even in the A35 there's a spiky, peaky feeling to the power delivery, aggressive shifts from the DCT and pops and burbles from the exhaust. It also handles pretty well for a front wheel biased AWD system and stays flat and neutral unless you are really leaning on it. All in all, I am fairly impressed while also being quite sad the we don't get this same package in the hatchback which would be a much more usable configuration and a worthy (in my mind) upgrade from a Golf R.
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Old 05-08-2021, 03:36 PM
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I like the A-Class AMGs too @MattRG. My only minor "dealbreaker" with the 35s is that they don't get the panamericana grille. However, I read an article online that the A35 (hatch and sedan) as well as the CLA35 will get the panamericana in 2022. Maybe, that means more aggresive front vents too (but I'm pretty sure they'll stick with the single pipes left and right). So, hopefully this means that by the end of the summer you'll be able to order a 35 AMG with the updated looks.
Old 05-08-2021, 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Petaine
I like the A-Class AMGs too @MattRG. My only minor "dealbreaker" with the 35s is that they don't get the panamericana grille. However, I read an article online that the A35 (hatch and sedan) as well as the CLA35 will get the panamericana in 2022. Maybe, that means more aggresive front vents too (but I'm pretty sure they'll stick with the single pipes left and right). So, hopefully this means that by the end of the summer you'll be able to order a 35 AMG with the updated looks.
I wouldn't believe everything you read on the internet. Mercedes has stated numerous times the grill is only going on full AMG cars. Anything can happen but that would be a dumb move by Mercedes.
Old 05-09-2021, 03:51 AM
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I see your point @USCAMG. I get how some people may not like a car like the CLA35 having a similar front as, let's say, the four-door GT.

I didn't care much for the articles initially, (3 of them: mbworld, carbuzz & motor1) but when I saw the GLB35 with 306PS now having the panamericana, I'm pretty certain it's indeed happening. My bet is during the facelifts, which for the CLA is 2022 I think. There will still be differences though: vents, diffuser and pipes and also there's no aerodynamic package for the GLB (but that's probably becauase it's an SUV). And who knows? Maybe Mercedes will find other ways to differentiate the big boy AMGs from the smaller ones.



Old 05-13-2021, 08:29 AM
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As an FYI for question #5, there is an exhaust flap delete product out there that will keep it in full open mode (equivalent to race mode). When the engine is turned off, the valve goes into full open mode, that's when this delete plug is installed so you won't get any codes or lights registering in the car. The seller has a great deal of experience in making these delete plugs for several brands and types of cars. Seller is ''acconnectivity'' on ebay.

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