11-21-2013, 08:11 PM | #1 |
Captain
421
Rep 735
Posts |
Drove AMG CLA 45
FYI - this is a repost from the 2 forum but I thought that you may be interested ...
The new AMG CLA 45 was at my local MB Dealer for a one day engagement and i was one of the lucky few that got to go for a test drive First impression is that everything is light and almost flimsy - throttle, steering, shift levers, etc. The car is comfortable, smooth, quiet, yet is only exciting at max boost (an incredible 26lbs) and when executing full throttle shifts; other than that you can’t even tell if it is running. Comparatively, the 135i that i drove recently is similar in size but is a solid RWD car that has the soul of a true BMW. (Sorry I have never driven a 1 M) As i drove away in my E90 M3 i concluded that the CLA 45 is simply a $30k car on ‘turbo’ steroids; just like my brother's STI. Nothing wrong with it but it is not a BMW and certainly not an ///M car. The M3 is loud and rough, maybe a bit raw for the average consumer, but everything is very solid and feels planted. It feels like an $70k car that has earned its muscles through solid engineering. At the end of the day for $55k (CDN) you can have a "stripper" 2014 CLA 45AMG or a 2010/11 CPO M3 with 30,000km - i know what i will be driving while i wait for the M2!!! PS: I find it next to impossible to load photos to this board ... thus the "video" Last edited by scrammer; 11-27-2013 at 09:03 AM.. |
11-26-2013, 04:14 AM | #4 | |
Captain
421
Rep 735
Posts |
Quote:
The craziest thing in the CLA is the shift lever that that moves P D R - it looks and feels like it's from a kids toy car . Unlike the bmw DCT you can not shift with the stick either Last edited by scrammer; 11-26-2013 at 04:22 AM.. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
11-26-2013, 09:04 PM | #5 | |
Captain
47
Rep 691
Posts |
Quote:
Leif W. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
11-27-2013, 08:58 AM | #7 |
Captain
421
Rep 735
Posts |
Good question .... I have tried every trick in my book to post photos on this board and it always says that the resolution is too big. I have used iPhoto's lowest setting and no dice. It doesn't matter if I use my android, go pro, or SLR I can't make it work. However, if I import the same photos into iMovie, add some music, and upload to my YouTube channel there is no problem with a link.
It is a lot of work to get three photos posted but I wanted to prove that this was not an arm-chair review of the CLA - I actually did drive it. |
Appreciate
0
|
11-27-2013, 09:14 AM | #8 | |
Captain
421
Rep 735
Posts |
Quote:
Last edited by scrammer; 11-27-2013 at 09:19 AM.. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
11-27-2013, 07:45 PM | #9 |
First Lieutenant
65
Rep 302
Posts
Drives: 1M
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: MD
|
Thanks. This was really helpful. I was contemplating trying the car but not you solved it.
|
Appreciate
0
|
11-27-2013, 09:06 PM | #10 | |
Banned
1130
Rep 4,686
Posts
Drives: L'Orange
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
|
Quote:
the Porsche PDKs and the Audi s-tronic/DSG are the best ones i've driven..i had a brief drive in a BMW DCT and thought it was decent but not quite to the level of Audi's dual clutches, however plenty of other people i've spoken too think the BMW DCTs are on par with Audi...haven't tried an MB DCT, but the early reviews of the CLA AMG seem to infer that it is 'laggy' as compared to better gearboxes around. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
11-27-2013, 11:16 PM | #11 | |
Captain
421
Rep 735
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|