Ten Second Review

With a cargo capacity that ranges between 495 and 1354-litres, a 381bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre engine delivering drive to all four wheels and a beautiful level of fit and finish, the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Shooting Brake ticks a lot of our boxes. It's not cheap at around £45,000, but it's hard to deny its sheer effectiveness.

Background

Mercedes has some history with small, fast estate cars. Most of those have worn C-Class badges and there have been some corkers. The C36 and C43 models were lovely, the C32 was fast but a bit fragile, but Mercedes came back to form with the C55 and C63 variants. Times change though, and while there will continue to be punchy C-Class estates, the fact is that the C has edged upmarket to such a degree that many of us are priced out of the chance of buying a new fast one. Enter the CLA model. Originally a 'four-door coupe', this was actually bigger than a C-Class saloon. It subsequently spawned a five-door 'Shooting Brake' estate version and the ultimate model in that line is the hugely impressive CLA 45 4MATIC.

Driving Experience

The CLA 45 carries some serious firepower under its bonnet, but with just 1991cc of cubic capacity you would never guess at quite how rapid it is. The four-cylinder engine leans heavily on a big twin-scroll turbocharger that runs at 1.8 bar to develop a heady 381bhp of peak power and 475Nm of torque. Aided by the tenacious grip of its all-wheel drive chassis, this catapults the baby Benz to 62mph in just 4.3 seconds. You don't even have to grab at gears either. The AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT-7 twin-clutch gearbox with comfort, sport and manual modes does all the heavy lifting for you. The top speed has been sensibly limited to 155mph and buyers get an AMG sports exhaust with an automatic flap for increased volume when required, and three-stage ESP stability control with Dynamic Curve Assist. Power distribution is fully variable: in normal driving, power is sent to the front wheels in the interests of optimum efficiency. When the driving dynamics so require, the variable AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive splits the torque between front and rear axle up to a ratio of 50:50 percent. The all-wheel drive system is ingeniously compact and lightweight, typically weighing around 25 per cent less than rival systems.

Design and Build

There's an understated muscularity about the CLA 45, with just enough of Affalterbach's AMG jewellery to clue the casual observer in that this isn't your usual shopping wagon. The 18-inch alloys are shod with 235/35 tyres, there's a twin blade radiator grille and cross strut in the front grille that are finished in matte titanium grey, big air intakes with aero flics and a set of beady bi-xenon headlights. Move round to the side and you can't miss the matte-grey detailed side sills, while the rear end is garnished with an AMG rear apron and chromed tail pipes. The 19-inch alloy wheel upgrade is expected to be selected by around 60% of customers but our advice - for the sake of ride quality - would be to stick with the 18s. The interior features trim elements which have been given an electroplated finish, resulting in brushed aluminium dash. The instrument panel is divided into a wing profile-type upper section and a solid lower section. Perhaps the most interesting design touch is what looks like an iPad sitting on the upper part of the centre console but which is in fact an integrated touch-screen system. Sports seats in ARTICO man-made leather/DINAMICA microfibre with red contrasting top stitching, red seat belts, the multifunction steering wheel with shift paddles, the AMG DRIVE UNIT and AMG door sill panels are all standard fitments. Thanks to a versatile luggage compartment with a maximum capacity of 1354-litres and the increase in headroom compared to the four-door version, the CLA 45 Shooting Brake offers a decent degree of practicality too.

Market and Model

The question many of you might well be asking is whether this car is worth £10,000 more than that other ultra-quick all-wheel drive 2.0-litre German estate, the Volkswagen Golf R. Well, it is. Comparing Volkswagens to Mercedes models is like comparing Hondas to BMWs. They're not quite the same thing at all. As well as delivering another 80bhp, the CLA 45 also offers a plusher interior and better residual values. It features as standard a radar-based collision warning system. Working with adaptive Brake Assist, which lowers the risk of rear-end collisions, the Collision Prevention Assist system gives a visual and acoustic warning to alert a distracted driver to identified obstacles, and prepares Brake Assist for the most precise braking response possible. This is initiated as soon as the driver steps firmly on the brake pedal. There are a number of options offered for the CLA 45 including carbon fibre exterior and interior packs, 19-inch wheel upgrades, and an AMG Night package which includes privacy glass, black anodised beltline trim strip, black tailpipe trims in chromed finish, radiator fins in silver chrome, high-gloss black painted finish for front splitter, exterior mirrors, side sill panel inserts and rear apron trim.

Cost of Ownership

Clearly it's dependent upon how hard you trouble the right-hand pedal but you can't argue with the numbers. The Mercedes CLA 45 Shooting Brake returns some very creditable efficiency figures, recording 40.9mpg on the combined cycle and emitting just 161g/km of carbon dioxide. Perhaps some perspective is required to illustrate quite how outstanding these metrics are. Let's look at something fairly modest in comparison. How about a 2011 Mazda MX-5 2.0 for example? That would emit 181g/km and return 36.2mpg, while delivering 160bhp - considerably less than half the Mercedes' power output. Not all AMG models boast the greatest residual values but that's largely due to thirst and cost to keep running, two aspects which aren't going to be a big issue with the CLA 45 Shooting Brake. You'll still need to keep a very keen eye on the options you build into it if you're to keep its pence per mile figure within check, but from what we've seen there's a steady demand for hot small Mercedes estates. Just look at how well C63 AMG wagons hold onto their value compared to saloons.

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Specification

Body Glass
Privacy glass
Front and rear electric windows
Heated rear window with timer
Automatic rain sensing wipers
Brakes
ASR
ESP curve dynamic assist
ABS with Brake Assist
Brake pad warning light
ESP with ASR
Brake calipers in red
Electronic parking brake
Hill start assist
AMG high performance braking system
Adaptive brake system
Communication
Bluetooth system
Driver Aids
Reversing camera
Attention assist
AMG speed sensitive sports steering
DYNAMIC SELECT with a choice of driving modes (ECO, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual)
Driver Information
Door/boot open warning light
Outside temperature gauge
Trip computer
Low fluid warning light
AMG instrument cluster
Service indicator (ASSYST)
8" colour display screen
Driving Mirrors
Electric adjustable heated door mirrors
Embellishment Trims
High gloss black front and rear apron trim strip
black air vent surrounds with red insert
Entertainment
Mercedes Audio 20 radio/single CD
USB Connection
Media interface
Exterior Body Features
High gloss black front splitter
High gloss black rear apron trim strip
AMG side sill panel inserts in high gloss black
Body colour door handles
Body colour bumpers
AMG body styling
Body colour side skirt
Black high gloss beltline
AMG Performance exhaust
AMG radiator grille with twin louvre
Exterior Lights
High level LED brake light
LED Indicators
Rear fog lights
Automatic headlights
Adaptive brake lights
LED tail lights
Adaptive high beam assist
LED headlights with LED daytime running lights
Heating/Cooling/Ventilation
Dual zone climate control
Interior Features
Illuminated glovebox
Centre console with cupholders
Height/reach adjustable steering column
Front centre armrest with storage box
Luggage compartment cover
Leather gear knob
Black roof lining
Easy-pack tailgate - Powered opening/closing automatically
Load securing rings in luggage compartment
Aluminium effect gearshift paddles
Illuminated storage compartment
Sports pedals with rubber studs
Interior Lights
Front door courtesy lamps
Courtesy light in boot
Reading lights
Front footwell lights
Door sill illumination
12 colour Ambient lighting
Rear footwell lights
Packs
Mirror pack - CLA
Safety
Child lock for rear electric windows
Front side airbags
Occupancy sensor for passenger seat
Child proof door locks
Warning triangle and first aid kit
Dual stage Driver/Passenger Airbags
Tyre pressure monitoring system
Drivers knee airbag
Front passenger airbag deactivation
3x3 point rear seatbelts
Window airbags
Active bonnet
Front and rear seatbelt reminder
Crash responsive emergency lighting
Seats
Front sports seats
Rear head restraints
Height adjustable front seats
1/3 to 2/3 split folding rear seats
Auto Mercedes-Benz child seat recognition sensor
Front head restraints
Isofix rear child seat fastenings
AMG performance seats
Security
Chrome surround electric key
Immobiliser
Remote central locking
Anti theft alarm system
Keyless Start
Vanity Mirrors
Sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors
Wheels - Spare
Tirefit

Options

Entertainment
6 speakers	Standard
Packs
AMG Exclusive pack - CLA 45	£1,640.00
AMG Ride Control sports suspension	£595.00
Lane tracking pack - CLA	£595.00
AMG Driver's Package - CLA AMG	£1,940.00
Load compartment package - CLA	£545.00
AMG Dynamic Plus Pack - CLA	£1,995.00
AMG DINAMICA Cockpit - CLA 45	£195.00
AMG Aerodynamics pack - CLA 45	£735.00
Driving assistance package - CLA	£1,695.00
Audio pack - CLA	£995.00
Paint - Metallic
Metallic - Polar silver	£660.00
Metallic - Cosmos Black	£660.00
Metallic - Mountain grey	£660.00
Metallic - Cavansite Blue	£660.00
Metallic - Orient bronze	£660.00
Paint - Solid
Solid - Polar white	Standard
Solid - Jupiter Red	Standard
Seats
Heated front seats	Standard
Black seat belts	Standard
Exterior Body Features
Metallic paint	£660.00
Solid paint	Standard
AMG spoiler lip	Standard
Designo Magno Paint	£1,795.00
Chassis/Suspension
AMG sports suspension	Standard
Interior Features
Artico leather/Dinamica upholstery	Standard
Dividing net - rear	£390.00
Designo seat belts in red	Standard
AMG performance dinamica/nappa leather steering wheel	Standard
Driver Information
Mercedes connect me	Standard
Garmin Map pilot navigation system with SD Card	Standard
Mercedes connect me with remote online	£150.00
COMAND Online navigation with radio/CD/MP3/HDD, SD card slot, media interface and smartphone integration	£1,870.00
Driver Aids
Cruise control + speed limiter	Standard
Driving Mirrors
High gloss black door mirror housing	Standard
AMG carbon-fibre exterior mirror housings	£1,230.00
Paint - Special
Designo Magno - Polar silver	£1,795.00
Trim - Leather
AMG Exclusive pack - Leather - Lava black/red	£1,640.00
Embellishment Trims
AMG carbon fibre trim	£920.00
Dinamica microfibre trim in black	Standard
AMG black/red design interior trim	Standard
Wheels - Alloy
19" AMG multi spoke alloy wheels painted in black with high sheen finish	£995.00
18" AMG 10 spoke alloy wheels in titanium grey with High sheen finish	Standard
Trim - Part Leather
Artico leather/Dinamica - Black with red stitching	Standard

Performance

Performance
0 to 60 mph (secs)
0 to 62 mph (secs)	4.3
Engine Power - BHP	381
Engine Power - KW	280
Engine Power - PS
Engine Power - RPM	6000
Engine Torque - LBS.FT	350
Engine Torque - NM	475
Engine Torque - RPM	2250
Top Speed	155