When someone says, 'fast Audi', you picture an RS4 - right? Like McDonalds and Big Macs, it doesn't matter what progress is made elsewhere, there will always be a trademark, iconic product. For Audi Sport GmbH, it's the compact, handsome, very fast estate, because of you-know-what from 1994. What's more, a brand becomes inextricably linked with a product when it does the product well; the world might crave a Filet-O-Fish if the Big Mac was rubbish, and Audi might still be most fondly remembered for the Quattro if the RS4 Avant hadn't delivered.
But boy they did deliver: ferocious performance, exploitable dimensions, a perfectly judged moody aesthetic and just about sufficient space made the Audi wagon an ideal family holdall. It didn't matter whether four of you were off skiing for a week or for lunch at Stoke Park, an Audi RS just made sense. And, for all their qualities, it's a combination of talents that Audi's rivals have never quite been able to match.
Because of course the old AMG wagons were hilarious, but hilarity isn't necessarily first on the list when there's offspring, animals and school projects to transport. The message eventually got through and the E63 was made four-wheel drive, only for the RS6 to return in perhaps its most comprehensively talented iteration. A C63 is a much more rounded proposition than it ever was, though it's easy to see why some might be less than enthusiastic about the prospect of 255hp per driven wheel. On a similar note, it would be astonishing to find the upcoming M3 Touring offered with anything other than four-wheel drive and an automatic transmission. Because that's what the people actually buying these cars are after, and why Audi continues to offer evolutions of the tried and tested format: the screaming V8s were a welcome distraction, sure, but fast estates require turbo torque, traction and the ease that comes with an automatic gearbox.
Want proof? Take it from PHer BaldChap, who has an RS4 alongside his Lotus Elise Cup. You can read his full comment on fast Audis on the RS5 drive, though the jist gets through here: "So if you're a person who wants a fantastic, comfortable, rapid, surefooted car that won't shake your fillings our and give you a headache, the RS4/5 is absolutely excellent. I speak from real world experience of both." Most buyers aren't expecting the most compelling handling with a fast estate, because they can have something like an Elise alongside. Audi hasn't always tickled the capricious road tester funny bone, but has satisfied its customers quite nicely. That's why they always seem dependably familiar. Like a Big Mac.
With all that being so, the CLA 45 S Shooting Brake looks like AMG having taken the biggest leaf yet out of Audi's book. The four-wheel drive system uses electronically controlled clutch packs built into the rear differential, technology that's not dissimilar to the Sport Differential used in Audis. If the RS4's engine suggested a downsized future back in 2017, switching the V8 for a twin-turbo V6, then the CLA hints at what the next step might look like, with four cylinders producing more than 200hp per litre. Both have eight gears to best balance efficiency and acceleration, and there isn't even much to separate RS4 and '45 in terms of size: the Audi has the length advantage as a car from the class above (4,782mm vs. 4,688mm) but is barely any wider and actually a fraction lower. If a C63 must be discounted on the grounds of rear-wheel drive, can the CLA provide a worthwhile adversary for the RS4?
It takes all of 200m from Mercedes' Milton Keynes HQ to suggest that the 45 Shooting Brake has more than enough to rival any performance car you have in mind. Precious little of the A45 hatch's feral energy has been lost in the transition to estate size. As a first taste of this new breed of 45 cars in the UK since the international launch a year ago, the first few miles confirm all that was suspected back then: 2.0-litres or not, A-Class-derived or not, four-wheel drive or not, this is as fierce an AMG as they come.
Every control surface resonates with a thousand careful development hours, ensuring the correct response regardless of scenario. Naturally, there are modes aplenty to tinker with this and fiddle with that, though the innate feel permeates through regardless. That feel is all business, from a reassuringly firm brake pedal and consistent, linear steering rack to a spookily sharp DCT and taut, precise damping.
Truth be told, the old A45 was very good in those aspects, but was let down slightly by rather one-dimensional, prescriptive handling. No longer. Where 4Matic felt like a dampener to the experience beforehand, 4Matic+ has become an enabler; and not in Drift Mode histrionics - because, like all such systems, it feels a bit synthetic - but in delivering neutral, adjustable, engaging 4WD-style handling the whole time. Through different corners and with different approaches you can feel the front LSD doing its work, the rear moving ever so slightly under power and a balance that just wasn't there before. It's multi-dimensional and rewarding in a way the smallest AMG never has been - which is nice.
An explosive powertrain is simply another weapon in the '45s armoury; the old engine was spectacular, in fairness to AMG - but this is even more so. The 2.0-litre inevitably has some lag, which you can feel and watch on the boost gauge, though it's far less than expected. Moreover, the turbo's kick comes more as a bolstering of its strength low down rather than a bolt from the blue. But you'll know when it happens, because the CLA torpedoes from 3,000rpm to the its limiter beyond 7,000rpm, revving with so much vigour that it feels like there are hundreds more to go. It makes all the comparable 2.0-litre petrol motors feel limp and lethargic - if indeed any can be compared - aided by a very good dual-clutch that snaps up and down impressively. That third gear is pretty much done by 70mph exaggerates the accelerative potential, too - it's an absolute rocketship.
But the CLA can be restrained, just about, when required. You'll never be in any doubt about its performance billing and potential, though neither will any occupants be irked by it either. What they might be a little more irked about, however, is the space that's on offer in a car that's ostensibly a £60k estate - snug would probably describe the CLA best. Particularly so given cars like the new Cupra Leon will probably be more accommodating inside, if not so rabidly quick.
The RS4, by contrast, is a much simpler car to understand. Oh sure, it still has modes - comfort, auto, dynamic, plus RS1 and RS2 presets - but this isn't the groundbreaker the CLA is. It does what fast Audis have always done - specifically, delivered the maximum amount of performance with the minimum amount of fuss - and it does that as well as any other. It sounds almost demeaning to say that when you steer it goes, when you brake it stops and when you get on the throttle it goes, but that's what the RS4 does, to a very high level and without fail. In any situation. It's an obedient car to the point of almost being obsequious, never deviating from the chosen path thanks to its towering grip and enormous performance. It might not be an illuminating dynamic experience, but when you're thinking about the credit card bill, what to cook for your mother-in-law this weekend and whether the back door is locked, that doesn't matter. People who have RS4s are busy; they typically need to be somewhere, and be there quickly, which is why they work - ask BaldChap.
Its stability bias would be lamentable in a sports car (see practically every review of a TT ever) but it's the other way round here, and the ease with which an RS4 delivers such mighty performance - matching the CLA on the road - deserves credit. There's less lag, the eight-speed auto arguably suits the billing better (while still being reasonably quick) and, remarkably, there seems to be even more grip as well. If sometimes the junior RS Audis can feel a little staid in isolation, a direct comparison works wonders for showing off what they're capable of.
That said, there's no escaping the CLA's dynamic superiority, and one corner shows it off perfectly. The braking area is bumpy and downhill, the corner itself off camber and the exit soon turns into a sweep the other way. The AMG is imperious: body control and braking performance exacting on the way in, downshift exactly when requested, turn in precise and acceleration thrilling as the next turn approaches. Any concerns of an estate not being able to manage its mass or haul itself into a bend are dispelled in about five seconds.
The Audi isn't so impressive. Its weight floats precariously over the bumps, the brake pedal inspires less confidence and a flash of the stability control light highlights its duress. Then comes the gear change that was asked for. It's simply not a match for the AMG as a driver's car, from both the perspective of sheer ability as well as outright satisfaction.
Does this matter when you're carting life's paraphernalia around? Possibly not. Not when the RS4 is more accommodating of paraphernalia and is surprisingly languid in its suspension settings. In fact, 'Comfort' mode suggests that existing RS4 owners have requested a good deal more pliancy than ever before (potentially too much for undulating B roads). The result, helped along by the smoothness that comes with additional cylinders and a sleeker gearbox, is more easy-going when not pushing on. Which, of course, is the majority of the time. The ability to slip on this invisibility cloak, and better satisfy the requirement of every occupant not sitting in the driver's seat, is exactly the sort of thing which earns the RS4 such a loyal following.
Which isn't to denigrate AMG's achievement with the Shooting Brake one bit, because it's a stunning car. The wagon shape has been expertly wrapped around the endlessly willing combination of engine and chassis, and the CLA is another reminder of just how far on AMG has moved the 45 concept since its introduction. Nevertheless, its necessary compromises are highlighted in the Audi's company; making it slightly less unhinged than the hatchback was prudent, but it can't claim to be as commodious or as family friendly as the RS4. The Shooting Brake feels like a car cleverly engineered for a microscopic niche; the Audi feels like a car which is maturing into middle-age alongside its fanbase.
Consequently, that makes the CLA better to drive - and harder to recommend. Its buyers will surely be delighted to hear that it outdoes the RS4 on its own terms (in fact, the flip side of the handling coin is the extent to which the Shooting Brake underscores the RS4's slightly anonymous congeniality) but there will be less of them. The happy few can take delivery safe in the knowledge that they have bought the more affordable, more exciting compact estate car, and wave away its shortcomings as inconsequential. For everyone else who thinks those shortcomings supremely consequential - i.e. anyone after space, effortless performance, understated good looks and a well-organised interior - there is the familiar convenience of an RS4.
Or, alternatively, there is the prospect of a wait. Because the third way is inbound, courtesy of BMW's decision to finally do what the world has been imploring it to do for 25 years - and offer an M3 Touring. If it can combine the Audi's legendary usability and desirability with the AMG's dynamic sparkle - and there's no reason to suggest that M GmbH aren't capable of that - then something truly special might be waiting just over the horizon. Until then RS4 customers like BaldChap can continue with the Big Mac, and AMG can begin supplying Gorgonzola, pear and walnut triangle sandwiches to the adventurous. Feels about right.
SPECIFICATION | MERCEDES-AMG CLA45 S 4MATIC+ PLUS SHOOTING BRAKE
Engine: 1,991cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 421@6,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 369@5,000-5,250rpm
0-62mph: 4.0 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Weight: 1,705kg
MPG: 32.8
CO2: from 191g/km
Price: £59,470 (as standard; price as tested £60,065 comprised of mountain grey metallic paint for £595)
SPECIFICATION | AUDI RS4 AVANT
Engine: 2,894cc, biturbo V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, permanent all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 450@5,700-6,700rpm
Torque (lb ft): 443@1,900-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 4.1sec
Top speed: 155mph (optional 174mph)
Weight: 1,745kg
MPG: 29.1
CO2: 211g/km
Price: £64,600 (as standard; price as tested £79,655 comprised of Sonoma Green metallic for £675, Audi Sport alloy wheels (20-inch, '5-arm flag design') for £2,375, Black styling package for £770, Side assist and pre sense rear for £260, Advanced key with boot opening for £625, Electric front seats with driver's side memory for £210, Storage package for £195, Extended LED interior light pack for £135, Traffic sign recognition for £210, RS Sports exhaust system for £1,250, RS Sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) for £2,000, Panoramic glass sunroof for £1,600, Rail system with load-securing kit in luggage compartment for £210, Heated front and outer rear seats for £390, Carbon inlays for £995, Black exterior mirror housings for £110, Top speed increase to 174mph for £1,500, Full leather package for £670 and Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system for £850)
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