This might be one of the smallest AMGs
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MotorTranscript
00:00 (car engine roaring)
00:03 Hi, I'm Randy Popes with Motor Trend
00:17 and this is a Mercedes-AMG CLA 45.
00:21 It's Mercedes take on a mini muscle car.
00:25 Poopy styling and some serious aerodynamic additions
00:28 make the CLA 45 AMG worthy, even without a V8.
00:32 AMG's 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive is tunable
00:36 and that should be great for putting down power
00:38 out of the corners.
00:39 And despite being based on a front drive platform,
00:42 the CLA 45 comes equipped with a drift mode.
00:46 Tons of tire smoke at the flip of a switch.
00:49 This mini AMG comes equipped
00:53 with an eight-speed dual clutch transmission,
00:55 adaptive dampers, and an active exhaust system,
00:59 which tries to emulate the bellowing AMG motors
01:02 that we're used to.
01:03 Let's take a look.
01:05 These quad exhaust tips look just right
01:07 on a performance car.
01:08 And just above them, the three-pointed star for quality.
01:12 Carbon rear spoiler to improve high-speed performance.
01:15 Sitting on the back of a mini coupe shape,
01:18 we're riding on 18-inch AMG aluminum wheels
01:22 with big brakes.
01:23 Under the hood, that four-cylinder engine
01:25 making 382 horsepower.
01:27 They turn the whole rig around
01:29 and put the turbo on the back of the engine
01:31 for the AMGs to improve airflow.
01:34 They drive that power
01:35 through an eight-speed dual clutch transmission
01:37 and into my favorite feature,
01:39 a torque vectoring rear differential.
01:41 This all-wheel drive system can do anything.
01:45 The grill.
01:46 And the look comes straight from the '50s Mercedes race cars
01:49 that ran in the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico.
01:52 And a modern racing touch,
01:53 these canards or dive planes.
01:56 They make the car look like it belongs on a racetrack.
01:58 Let's take it out on Willow Springs
02:00 and find out if it really does.
02:01 (dramatic music)
02:04 (car engine revving)
02:09 CLA45's got good cornering balance.
02:16 We're getting well over 130 into one.
02:19 Come on, baby, sit down.
02:21 We need more tire.
02:23 Woo!
02:24 (laughing)
02:26 It's getting a lot out of the straight tires,
02:31 but it could use an R-compound.
02:33 Sticky, sticky tire.
02:35 Beautiful cornering balance in turn two.
02:41 Quick brake response up in three.
02:50 Slow training response.
02:51 Beautiful balance diving into five.
03:01 Good stability.
03:02 I want the transmission to already have the gear
03:10 and the AMG, eh.
03:12 It thinks about it and then gives it to me
03:15 a little moment later.
03:17 I want that moment back.
03:19 (car engine revving)
03:22 Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig.
03:35 (laughing)
03:37 Right to the edge.
03:39 CLA45 is definitely comfortable on track.
03:47 (car engine revving)
03:49 Now that's what I came for.
03:51 Mercedes AMG CLA45.
03:55 It's got a little two liter turbo four
03:58 that runs like a V8 from a few years ago,
04:01 but it pulls well in the mid range
04:03 and it's got a real strong top end.
04:05 My favorite thing about the car was the balance.
04:08 I love the all wheel drive system.
04:10 We had it in race mode and all the way around
04:13 turn two carousel, long right hander,
04:15 tail ends hanging out, beautifully balanced.
04:18 The thing I liked the least was that the gearbox
04:21 was sometimes a little slow to respond.
04:24 I'd go my pedal to the floor
04:26 and I could tell the systems were thinking
04:29 about what gear or even what throttle setting to use.
04:33 It's an impressively fast little sedan,
04:35 especially for a two liter.
04:38 One strong two liter turbo.
04:40 Transmission gets a little bit confused.
04:43 It's happier when I went to throttle earlier.
04:46 Early throttle, which is not a great strategy
04:49 for track driving, but in this case,
04:51 it works with the CLA45.
04:54 Good times out there.
04:56 Thanks for watching.
04:57 We'll see you next time.
04:58 (upbeat music)
05:01 (upbeat music)
05:03 (upbeat music)
05:06 (upbeat music)
05:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]