The new EV model from the compact class that punched above its weight on the Nürburgring Nordschleife costs around $77k or €66,420, while the more practical Shooting Brake is slightly more expensive at around $79k or €67,570. However, there’s a big catch – because at home in Germany you also have to pay VAT.
That means the record-breaking Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4Matic+, which posted a spectacular lap record on the Green Hell of 7:32.070 minutes, is actually way more expensive. So, the sedan actually costs €79,039 at home in Germany, while the Shooting Brake, which is also available to order now, starts at €80,408. Those figures translate to no less than $90k and almost $94k at the current exchange rate, respectively.
The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4Matic+, a completely new compact sports car, has recently set a segment record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, but with these prices we’re not sure it will also post a positive sales record anytime soon. Of course, the premium German brand thinks it’s well worth the money.
As such, the German company offers the new CLA 45 with the innovative triple axial-flow motor setup just like on the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe and an 800-volt architecture. The maximum outputs are 500 kW (680 ps or 671 hp) and no less than 1,759 Nm or 1,297 lb-ft of torque, and the car will hit 100 kph or 62 mph in 2.7 seconds or go on for up to 670 km or 416 miles for the sedan version.
Meanwhile, the charging technology enables DC recharges from 10 to 80% in 22 minutes under ideal conditions. Since they are completely decoupled, the three axial-flow motors also enable greater variable torque distribution between the front and rear wheels, and there’s also torque vectoring for the rear wheels.
Mercedes-AMG will offer the CLA 45 4Matic+ with the AMG Ride Control suspension featuring adaptive three-way damping, an active rear spoiler on the sedan and roof spoiler on the station wagon, active radiator louvers at the front, and more.
“AMG was born on the racetrack. In almost 60 years, we have proven with numerous vehicles that this DNA remains intact to this day. The CLA 45 now writes the next chapter of this story. It is the fastest vehicle in its class on the world’s most demanding racetrack,” said Stefan Weckbach, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, when the car took the record.
But it’s not all about track racing – the Mercedes-AMG compact sedan and Shooting Brake have more power than ever before, along with the fully variable all-wheel drive system but also emulate combustion models. The company offers the AMGFORCE S+ driving program, which emulates the “characteristic sound of a high-performance AMG four-cylinder engine” and also interrupts “traction during simulated gear changes.”