Ahead of its official unveiling in New York (March 29 – April 7), here are the first official images of the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG, which have leaked onto our laps, leaving us with a warm – but slightly shameful – feeling.
Utilizing the same platform and drivetrain as the cheeky A 45 AMG, the CLA has 265 kW (360 hp) and 450 Nm of torque at its disposal thanks to the newly developed all-aluminium AMG 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
That power is transferred to a revised version of the company’s AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive system via a SPEEDSHIFT DCT seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, resulting in a sub-five second 0-100 km/h time and a limited top speed of 250 km/h.
Uprated hardware includes an SLS AMG-derived cooling circuit, an AMG braking system with cross-drilled 350 x 32 mm front discs and 330 x 22 mm rears, tweaked speed-sensitive sports steering, stiffer steering knuckles and more rigid bearings in the lower link plane for increased cornering properties.
Visually the CLA 45 AMG wears a matte grey twin blade radiator grille, AMG front apron with oversized air intakes, side skirts, a rear apron with air outlets and diffuser, twin trapezoidal tailpipes and matte 18-inch AMG light-alloy wheels covered in 235/40 tyres.
[Source: Autoblog]