When Mercedes-Benz announced the front-drive CLA-Class cars would be coming to the United States, questions were asked. “Is Mercedes making a mistake going so down market? Are they risking tarnishing the brand? A four-cylinder front-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz—are they kidding?”
Turns out the company wasn’t kidding. The CLA-Class is very real, and by many accounts, very good too. It also forms the basis for a rather interesting performance model; the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG—host to what Mercedes-Benz asserts is the most powerful four-cylinder engine ever fitted to a production automobile.
The CLA-Class Mercedes-Benz also holds the distinction of being the smallest four-door sedan to get the AMG treatment for the North American market to date. It is also the most affordable AMG model ever offered here. Thing is, affordable can also be a highly relative term.
Does it apply here?
Read on…