Mercedes Benz CLA-Class Coupe

Like the exterior, the interior layout and features list of the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ also feels more extreme than the standard version of the CLA-Class, making it a more youthful and sportier place to be in. The cabin and AMG sports seats are wrapped with ARTICO black man-made leather, while the AMG performance steering wheel is here wrapped with Nappa leather.

Behind the power-adjustable, Nappa leather-wrapped multi-functional steering wheel, the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ gets a full-TFT rectangular cockpit comprising of twin 12.3-inch screens for instrument console and touchscreen infotainment system with AMG menu, comprising of different themes for the gear engaged, G-meter, racetimer and engine data. The corners of the dashboard and centre console here are occupied with rounded propeller-themed AC vents.

The lower dashboard of the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ gets a slim panel for the dual-zone automatic climate control and the AMG-specific centre console, through which one can control the real performance sound, manual transmission mode, three-stage ESP, and AMG ride control suspension.

Based on the regular Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, the CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ sold in the Malaysian car market gets all the bells and whistles of an AMG car, as far as looks are concerned. With the inclusion of AMG trim, the CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ has become much more outrageous to look at, making it the sportiest version of the CLA-Class ever.

The front look of the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ has a trapezoidal AMG grille in the middle, which has rounded edges and comes with vertical chrome slats. The headlamps here are shaped in a wing-like fashion and come with boomerang-shaped daytime running LEDs and LED projector bulbs. Even the front bumper here gets an aggressive design theme, with sporty-looking air dams with body-coloured surrounds on the corners.

The most beautiful-looking angle to look at the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ is the side profile, where this four-door coupe showcases itself as a stunning design with a rounded roofline and 19-inch forged black wheels with cross-spoke design and red brake callipers behind them. The smooth contours over the fenders and door panels enhance the aerodynamic appeal of the CLA-Class even more.

At the back, the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ comes with an AMG apron, which is integrated with a specific diffuser and two rounded chrome-plated outlets for the AMG exhaust system. The coupe also comes with a sleek set of LED combination tail lamps and an integrated boot-mounted spoiler.

Another aspect which matches the extreme look and aura of the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ is its suspension setup and driving dynamics. The four-door performance coupe from Mercedes-Benz comes with AMG torque control, which uses two separately-acting clutches on the rear axle for fully variable and individual power distribution to the rear wheels in case of additional boost. The AMG ride control suspension can change one’s mood from sedate driving to racetrack-inspired driving with three personalised drive modes – comfort, sport, and sport+ - for varying between a comfortable and sporty setup.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ gets the top-of-the-line powertrain option, which is the most powerful mill ever to go under the hood of any version of the CLA-Class. This 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbocharged petrol engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and churns out 421 PS of maximum power and 500 Nm of maximum torque. With this powertrain, the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ is capable of hitting the 100 kmph mark from a standstill in 4 seconds.

Besides having airbags all around, ABS with EBD, an electronic stability program, front and rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, a tyre pressure monitoring system, auto headlamps and rain-sensing wipers, the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ also gets radar-based forward collision mitigation, attention assist, adaptive braking technology with predictive brake priming and automatic brake drying. It also comes packed with hill-start Assist, brake hold feature, Emergency-sensing Brake Assist, Advanced Tire Pressure Monitoring System, crosswind assist, trailer sway assist, Blind Spot Assist with Exit Warning Assist and Active Parking Assist.

The Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ is a dramatic car in every sense – be its loud and aggressive exterior design, the outrageously focused and expensive interior, or the bonkers engine, which happens to be the most powerful four-cylinder engine for production cars at the moment, or its chassis setup, which can go from ‘keeping you cocooned’ to ‘go bonkers’ mode in a matter of seconds.