Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 spied!

The arrival of the A45 Saloon ought to allow this swept back four-door to grow into its premium skin

By Sam Sheehan / Monday, 1 April 2019 / Loading comments

Mercedes has long argued that the A-Class Saloon and CLA, its two four-door-with-coupe-esque-roofline models, appeal to different buyers despite their obvious likeness. And the reasoning for the A-Class Saloon 45 and CLA 45 is apparently the same. The CLA is ever so slightly larger, for starters, plus its design and image are intended as a step up from Mercedes's entry level A cars. And now, it will also have enough punch to threaten cars of even higher status thanks to Affalterbach's extra attention.

AMG's engineers have squeezed more than 400hp from the upcoming 45 line-up's 2.0-litre four-cylinder - a leak suggesting that the exact number is 421hp - which is absolutely bonkers. That'd give it 210.5hp per litre, meaning the German petrol motor will be more highly strung than the McLaren Senna's V8, cubic centimetre for cubic centimetre. Among 45 models, the CLA version will likely be priciest, which could enable a sub four second 0-62mph time, and should make for some pretty explosive rolling acceleration - something the old 'ballistic' 45s became famous for.

The 2019 CLA 45 is in a unique position as the arrival of the A45 Saloon ought to push it further up the price ladder. With an anticipated £50k plus starting price, it's far too expensive to concern the Audi RS3 Saloon and future four-pot BMW M235i, which will serve as direct competition to the A45 Saloon. It instead will offer the same performance from AMG's torque-vectoring-capable all-wheel drive powerplant, but in a package for the segment above. The spied test car shows how its design, for example, is sharper than the saloon and appears more inspired by CLS 53 that sits above it.

Expect the trend to continue inside, where a CLA 45 will likely add more chintz and extra standard kit to AMG's four-door cabin, which includes its dual screen digital displays. The CLA's slightly longer body will also add better rear headroom and more boot space, plus it might shift the weight distribution rearwards slightly to encourage the use of unique rear damper parameters. But, by and large, it ought to be a case of business as usual: the car being a posher, slightly bigger A45 - with its positioning gently altered by the A45 saloon's introduction.

While at glance offering cars of such incremental improvements at this end of the market might seem odd, the sales of the regular A models speak for themselves - there's no shortage of global demand. And perhaps a plusher CLA 45 will now have the space to grow into its own skin now that proximity to the A45 hatch is no longer a concern. We'll find out later this year.