Sutcliffe Tests Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG, Finds it Competent but Not Sharp Enough

After releasing their test of the A45 AMG a few days ago, Autocar has now also tried out the sedan variant built on the same front axle-biased all-wheel drive platform, and powered by the same turbocharged engine.

Mercedes-Benz claims identical acceleration and top speed figures, even though the CLA 45 AMG is some 30 kg (66 lbs) heavier than the A-Class, but reviewer Steve Sutcliffe says the sedan does not feel as edgy to drive as the hatch, getting a more dulled down throttle response.

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What if the New Mercedes-Benz CLA was a Proper Coupe?

There have been many heated discussions over the past few years about whether sedan models with low rooflines (sometimes lacking door-window frames) should be called four-door coupes and if the term itself is contradictory, but at the end of the day, this is how we have come to know and call cars like the Volkswagen CC, the Mercedes-Benz CLS, and more recently, the CLA.

We're not going to get into that discussion again, though, you're more than free to do so if you wish in the comments, but we will share this rendering of a proper Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupe made by the creative minds at Hungary's X-Tomi Design.

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Piecha Design's Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 GT-R Tune is All About Looks

It was to be expected that the tuning industry would jump on the Mercedes-Benz CLA shortly after its market launch and prepare a multitude of accessories and performance parts for the compact model, and already, we have at least two companies that have announced an initial tuning program.

Following Brabus, Germany's Piecha Design also released images and details on a new package for the CLA 250 called the GT-R, though, don't let the name fool you as this is mostly a styling kit with no performance upgrades under the hood – for the time being.

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Mercedes' Comprehensive Accessories Package for the CLA Includes...Nail Polish

Owners of the Mercedes-Benz CLA now have some individualization options to choose from as the carmaker released its accessories package for the four-door coupe model.

Ranging from multimedia systems to customizing options and practical transport solutions, these accessories are meant to make the CLA more suited to owners’ needs. The Genuine Accessories range comprises over 170 products, with the CLA Selection series even including…yellow nail varnish in the color of the stitching used in the CLA Edition 1.

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Brabus Gives the New Mercedes-Benz CLA Some Light Upgrades

There's no way that the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA would have gone unnoticed by the aftermarket specialists at Brabus, which has developed a light tuning package for the front- and all-wheel drive premium saloon.

To make the CLA look sportier, Brabus offers Monoblock wheels in diameters of 18 or 19 inches in five different designs. Brabus says the largest version, with wheels sized 8.5Jx19 and tires up to 255/30 ZR 19 for the rear axle, provide even more dynamic looks and handling.

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China May Get Stretched Mercedes-Benz CLA in 2015

The Mercedes-Benz CLA is not a bad looking car, but it’s not particularly long and therefor rear legroom is not its strongest selling point. However, if the Stuttgart-based automaker wants to sell its new front-wheel drive four-door coupe in any kind of meaningful numbers in China, a major market, a modification to its wheelbase is required – it needs to be stretched. Read more »

This Mercedes-Benz CLA Starts from Only €29.90

We're talking of course about Mercedes-Benz's newly launched line of scale models of its new slippery-shaped CLA compact four-door coupe, the real life size version of which is already available to order in many countries around the world, including the UK, and will soon go on sale in the States as well, starting from $29,900 for the 208hp (211PS) turbo CLA 250. Read more »

Mercedes-Benz Design Boss Says CLA Shooting Brake in the Pipeline

The Mercedes-Benz CLA is so new, hardly anybody has seen one on the road, but there are already talks to add an additional model to the Stuttgart-based automaker’s front-wheel drive model lineup.

According to British publication Whatcar, which spoke with Mercedes’ design chief, Gordon Wagener, a shooting brake (estate or station wagon) variant of the sleek four-door coupe is in the works.

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MotorTrend Praises New Mercedes-Benz CLA, Drives it On Twisty Road

Mercedes-Benz has definitely taken a gamble with the CLA, which along with the new A-Class hatchback, represent the Stuttgart-based manufacturer's attempt to “attract younger buyers,” a phrase which is quickly turning into a cliché, as it seems to be the declared purpose of every other automaker these days – what of more mature buyers?

They are the ones with the real cash and the ones for whom Mercedes cars have always been made - there are only so many people in their early 30s who can freely spend around $30,000 or more on a car anywhere around the world…

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Mercedes-Benz Expects FWD Models to Be Most Sought-After Models

There are so many examples of manufacturers breaking their regular mold of vehicles they are familiar with, and start doing something new and different on the side, to boost profits and sustain a solid growth figure – this is contradictory, though, because growth, by definition cannot be endlessly sustained…

Still, that thought hasn't stopped Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar (with the X-Type), Audi, Porsche, and well pretty much all premium carmakers in trying, and being fully confident of the success of their strategy each and every time.

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2014 Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Fully Exposed, Priced from $47,450 in the U.S.

Following the Geneva debut of the A 45 AMG hatchback, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its four-door variant, the CLA 45 AMG, just ahead of its 2013 New York International Auto Show debut.

AMG’s four-door coupe comes with the same powerplant from the A 45 AMG hot hatch, the world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine in a series production model today - a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit that develops 355-horses (360PS) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque.

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First Photos of New Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG Sports Sedan with 355HP

Allow us to introduce you to the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG hatchback's roomier and swoopier brother, the all-new CLA 45 AMG sports sedan, in the first official photos of the car before its global public premiere at next week's New York Auto Show.

Being that its world debut takes place in the Big Apple, we don't need to tell you that unlike the hatchback, the sedan model will be offered in the States with sales likely to start towards the end of the year.

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Mercedes-Benz Opens UK Order Books for CLA, Priced from £24,355

The all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA sports saloon is available to order now in Britain where it is offered with a choice of two engines and two trim grades. On-the-road (OTR) prices range from £24,355 to £31,555. By comparison, the current entry-level C-Class, the C180 starts at £26,270. Read more »

Mercedes-Benz Announces New Sport Products for the A-Class in Geneva

The CLA front-wheel drive compact sedan was the single most important model from Mercedes-Benz’s extensive range that debuted at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. We’d rate the A 45 AMG a (very) close second, though; plus, the three-pointed star also decided to spray some of the 355HP mega-hatch sporty sparkle on the rest of its premium B-segment contender. Read more »

New Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG Freshly Visualized

Not that it's difficult to envision what the promising Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG will look like after seeing the regular model with the AMG styling package, but if you prefer a photo from using your imagination, photoshop specialist Khalil Bouguerra has provided us with precise CGI (computer generated image) of the performance sedan. Read more »

Mercedes-Benz Shows Digital CLA 45 AMG for New PlayStation 4 Racing Game, Debuts in NY

The next generation of Sony's best-selling gaming and media console series, the new PlayStation 4 (PS4), was formally announced and detailed, but not shown, during a special event in New York on Wednesday.

Set to go on sale during this year's holiday season, the PS4 console itself sports some impressive specs such as the eight-core X86 AMD "Jaguar" CPU, a PC-style 1.84 Teraflop AMD Radeon graphics processor and no less than 8GB of RAM, but it’s another announcement made during Sony's NY presentation that caught our attention.

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New Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 Priced from $29,900 in the USA

While browsing Mercedes-Benz's US consumer website to see what you can buy with the equivalent of $59,611, which is the price for the German market CLA 250 Edition 1, we were caught by surprise as the automaker has listed the base MSRP for the CLA 250 that starts at $29,900 – evidently, excluding destination and handling.

That's close to $6,000 less than the entry level C250 sedan, which is powered by a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol rater for 201hp and 229 lb-ft of peak torque.

Under the hood of the CLA, you will find a slightly more potent 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four delivering 208hp (211PS) and 258 lb-ft of torque, with the base model equipped with a standard 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission driving the front or optionally, all four wheels.

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Mercedes-Benz Announced New CLA Edition 1 Special for Europe, Priced from €35,402

47,291: That is the equivalent of €35,402 and 50 cents (sic) in good ol' U.S. dollars at today's exchange rates, and it's what Mercedes-Benz is asking for the new limited production CLA Edition 1 compact sports saloon in base form with a 122PS (120hp) 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol engine in Germany. Read more »

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA Order Guide with Option Prices Hits the Web [Updated]

The next big -or shall we say, small- thing coming from Mercedes-Benz to a showroom near you in the United States is the brand's entry in the compact sedan market, the new CLA.

We've seen the car multiple times and even know the available engines on both sides of the Atlantic as well as it's starting price in Germany - €28,977 or US$39,400 at today's exchange rates for the 120hp 1.6-liter turbo'd CLA 180.

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New Mercedes-Benz CLA with AMG Package Filmed in Barcelona

Whereas in the U.S., most gearheads are on the lookout for the 2014 Corvette Stingray, across the Atlantic, it's the new Mercedes-Benz CLA compact sports saloon that is garnering a lot of attention lately.

Mercedes, which seems to have a soft spot for Spain when it comes to filming, photographing and hosting media events for its latest cars, brought the CLA to Barcelona, and as luck would have it, YouTube channel owner "WillLillo", was in the right place at the right time with his camera set to record mode.

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