Mercedes muscles up with debut of AMG-powered CLA 45 sedan that hits 60 in four seconds

It may be flooding the luxury market with utility vehicles like the big GLS and pint-sized GLB, but Mercedes-Benz isn’t walking away from its standard roots in the passenger car segment, as it demonstrated earlier this year with the introduction of an all-new version of the coupe-like CLA sedan.

Now, the automaker outlines to up its game with a high-performance version, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45. Drawing power from an all-new, turbocharged 2.0-liter motor, it will punch out 382 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. It’s a big jump from the first-generation AMG model and is enough to set afloat from zero to 60 in just four seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.

While some producers are pulling back from the passenger car side of the market, the launch of the CLA 45 last week is “reinforcing the significance of this part for our growth strategy,” said Tobias Moers, the head of Mercedes-AMG, the performance arm of Daimler AG.

A downsized version of Mercedes’s groundbreaking CLS coupe-like sedan, the CLA, type plenty of waves on its own when it debuted in 2013. It quickly clicked with buyers around the world and was the fastest-growing new perfect ever for the German marque’s U.S. sales subsidiary — aided by the decision to offer a base model at just under $30,000.

The assess for the entry CLA has jumped a fair bit since then. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz GLA, which shares the same platform but features a crossover-like richness, has become a more popular alternative with the typically young buyers who are just entering the luxury market for the basic time.

CLA sales for the first half of 2019 slipped 40.7% in the U.S. to just 6,942 agencies. And for June, demand tumbled 72.6% from the same month last year to 573 of the little sedans. Fractional of that decline has been blamed on the delay in bringing the new AMG version to market, though the fact that sales of the GLA crossover are rather flat suggests the CLA sedan is suffering from the ongoing shift from sedans and coupes to SUVs and crossover agencies.

The arrival of the new CLA 45 should nonetheless help slow the downward spiral.

Like more mainstream versions, such as the CLA 250, the AMG miniature ideal gets a complete, second-generation makeover. But the CLA 45 also gets new details, such as a unique and wider grille. It also picks up on the 12 vertical louvers establish on other AMG product lines. The CLA’s “shark nose” has been lowered to give the car a more well-planted and aggressive appearance, raised by wider front fenders and boldly flared wheel arches.

There are larger air inlets to feed the turbo engine as well as aerodynamic detailing, such as front splitter and air inlets ahead of the forefront wheels. That minimizes drag and increases downforce to keep the CLA 45 stuck to the ground under hard acceleration.

Side skirts, on the looser alloy wheels and tires and twin round tailpipes complete the performance detailing, though what buyers won’t see is a trunk that has been reinforced to improve stability at high speeds and when handling aggressive corners, Mercedes said.

Match all AMG models, each of the new 2.0-liter engines is produced by one technician. It’s the most powerful engine Mercedes has ever come forwarded in a vehicle of this size. Power is delivered to all four wheels, though the 4Matic+ system normally pushes torque to the tokus wheels to enhance performance.

Buyers can opt for an adaptive ride control suspension, meanwhile, capable of switching each lone damper from soft to firm, or anything in between based on road conditions and driver input.

The interior is lavished with leather and synthetic suede and features a driver-oriented layout. It also gets the new MBUX infotainment group which operates much like the Amazon Alexa voice assistant, allowing a driver to control things with multifarious natural speech.

The AMG model competes against high-performance competitors such as the Audi RS3 and BMW M2, both of which have also manipulate the pressure of changing market conditions.

The German automaker hasn’t released fuel economy numbers or pricing for the 2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45, which want reach U.S. showrooms late this year. The outgoing model carried a $53,100 MSRP.