The BIG A

[TS135i]

Originally Posted by choppedliver

I saw one today as well. Wierd looking, kinda ugly really.

B

Yep, spotted a white one in Mosman, extreme boy racer image from the outside, well I suppose it is rather extreme given the specs from a 2L 4 pot.

[MO3]

Originally Posted by TS135i

Yep, spotted a white one in Mosman, extreme boy racer image from the outside, well I suppose it is rather extreme given the specs from a 2L 4 pot.

Spotted that exact one over the weekend. I'd take a 1M over that thing any day!

[Knightelf]

Went to the Brisbane Mercedes-Benz CLA launch last night, but they only had the CLA200. CLA45 AMG deliveries start later this month, but the CLA250 is early next year.

Good looking car. Rear seat room is a little tight for a 4 door car (especially head room - anyone over 180 will feel squashed). Interior feels ok but definitely not as good as the E/C coupe. But at this price ($55k driveaway for a CLA200) it's decent value, if you don't mind how slow the CLA200 is (0-100 8.2s). The "night package" is a nice touch, and I loved the panoramic roof.

Was told their first CLA45 AMG will arrive next week in Brisbane and start taking test drives.

[choppedliver]

Originally Posted by TS135i

Yep, spotted a white one in Mosman, extreme boy racer image from the outside, well I suppose it is rather extreme given the specs from a 2L 4 pot.

And yes it's quick, but no quicker than a 135i with a tune. Heck my vert is about as quick with just a tune, and I get a foldy roof to boot! In fact I'm pretty certain I could do the same time with a few more runs.

I know mod vs standard is unfair comparison though.

B

[froop]

Originally Posted by choppedliver

And yes it's quick, but no quicker than a 135i with a tune. Heck my vert is about as quick with just a tune, and I get a foldy roof to boot! In fact I'm pretty certain I could do the same time with a few more runs.

I know mod vs standard is unfair comparison though.

B

Well not too unfair I'd say. I'm not sure how much more you can safely squeeze out of that little four pot. It's so highly strung already.

[Gumball]

Originally Posted by froop

Well not too unfair I'd say. I'm not sure how much more you can safely squeeze out of that little four pot. It's so highly strung already.

The A45 felt more like a tuned car than my bolt on + 135. I doubt more than 15-20 % gain (exhaust, intake, intercooler, meth and e85) without swapping turbos or modding the actual motor.

Since seeing them on the road I have really gone off them.

[Alpine*]

Originally Posted by Ian///M

+1
a bit disappointing in the flesh

Better looking or otherwise than a M135?

[PeteA]

Thought these weren't out yet? Spotted this morning going to work...

[choppedliver]

Originally Posted by froop

Well not too unfair I'd say. I'm not sure how much more you can safely squeeze out of that little four pot. It's so highly strung already.

Another clue is the normal run of the mill W204 bluefficiency motors in the C200 and C250. Those cars run almost 1.5bar from factory.
Look at burger tuning if you want, they were only able to squeeze out 10whp and less for peak numbers IIRC. Not holding my breath with this unit.

B

[david.orr]

I had similar discussion with an AMG guy a few months back and arguing for the A45, he said to treat it as a factory tuned A class with all extras - suspension exhaust extra etc .... at low price and with factory warranty. Couldn't fault him.

[Alpine*]

This looked pretty impressive, maybe it's just that it was shinny black lol

[DR-JEKL]

I would go with one of these over a 428i!

[bsm135]

Originally Posted by Alpine*

This looked pretty impressive, maybe it's just that it was shinny black lol

Have you got any more pics of this black one? It looks amazing!

[Alpine*]

Sorry no, maybe one of the Sydney boys or girls could get some shots for you. We just dropped in for a look, up from Canberra. The car is at Merc Parramatta.

[1_dez]

that black cla got my palms itchy.. i really like it!

98k otr says price calc.. very tempting!

[travisaus]

Took some pics of a black CLA45 on display at the Japanese GP last weekend. Very impressive in the flesh.
They had an A45 next to it and side by side the CLA is much nicer.
I'll upload tomorrow.

Also:

[Zuzu]

Ha...Nice.

[Smiley1175]

I test drove a CLA45 today and on paper it's an excellent car.
After the drive I was left feeling ... underwhelmed.
It feels like Merc have done everything to tick all the boxes so when a buyer does a comparison it's a stand out. It just felt like corners were cut, the steering never felt great and I got a few jolts from the steering for no reason, I assume this is a quirk of electric steering?? I wasn't a fan of the large difference between the brake and accelerator pedal, I felt like I was climbing a stair transitioning from one to the other.
It also didn't feel anywhere near as fast as what the numbers state. Not sure if this is the 4matic (all wheel drive) that's really contributing to great text book numbers but in the real world it feels different. I prefer the look of the A45 to the CLA, not sold on the rear panel, CLS really does this better than CLA.
What I did like was the seats, the practicality of the car, it's large enough for a small family, very smooth gearbox, nice sunroof, traction (it was raining and no wheel spin, something the 1M can never match), on the road it's a great package.
I was warned that AMG don't recommend many hard launches using launch control ... I find this frustrating and can see a number of warranty claims/issues with this car going forward. If the car can't handle it, don't offer the feature, unless it's there to grab headlines for acceleration. Which it's definitely doing.

I don't want this to sound like a 1M owner justifying their purchase, if I were in the market today and both cars were available new, I'd get the A45 AMG, at 30k less it's hard to justify the price. Shame Merc weren't selling this thing a year ago, BMW would never have been able to charge such a premium for the 1M. Getting back in the 1M afterwards I had an instant smile, it felt like a much better car with better build quality (wasn't expecting that) and character. The difference was quite substantial.
The AMG's will sell like crazy, there's already a 9 month wait for them and for most drivers it's a fantastic car. If you were thinking of getting an STi, talk yourself up to the A45.
In regards to pricing, without negotiating prices were CLA $94k OTR, A45 $82k OTR using the corporate package they offer.

[AndrewCowley]

Will be interesting to see what price the upcoming M235i comes in at. These AMG cars are a game changer in terms of price!

[drjekl]

Originally Posted by travisaus

Took some pics of a black CLA45 on display at the Japanese GP last weekend. Very impressive in the flesh.
They had an A45 next to it and side by side the CLA is much nicer.
I'll upload tomorrow.

Also:

That's impressive for a big barge!!!

[HecticX5]

GTS is such a hectic car. It deserves a place in me garage if i ever think about moving to Penrith.

[skidz]

Originally Posted by HecticX5

GTS is such a hectic car. It deserves a place in me garage if i ever think about moving to Penrith.

thats over the bridge right