Looking down at the bottom of the largely unoccupied mountain pass, I soaked in one of the last moments I will have with the CLA 45 Final Edition. The brake pads are pretty much at half the thickness they were at some two hours ago. The fuel tank is emptied, the fumes now mixing with the forest along the 30-something kilometres of pure driving bliss behind me.
A sense of fulfilment was in the air, knowing there is no better way to celebrate this machine than one final blast. But this is a sombre moment, too, as it marks the end of the internal-combustion CLA 45 for good. It’s a lot of feelings to feel for a car, especially one from a brand we are so familiar with. But that’s also half the point here. It’s a car that captivates not with what it has but how it makes you feel.
The CLA 45 is a niche model within the Aufrecht, Melcher, and Großaspach field. While it does share some architecture with the A45, this sports car is more suited to its niche as a driver’s car than a hot hatch. One that offers a connection between driver and car that isn’t filtered by the excesses of digitalisation or overbearing safety features, one that responds to inputs with precision but leaves enough space at the reins to feel like you are the one in control. It’s more than what fits under the blanket description of a sports car. There is a sense of character and connection that are both dying in the performance space but remain plentiful in this sports car.
Let’s travel back a few years. It was 20-something, and with my freshly printed driver’s licence in hand, I was itching to get out onto a race track. The AMG academy offered what I was longing for, and off I went for a day with Mercedes-AMG. I took a lot out of that day as a driver, but as an enthusiast, the CLA 45 was the reason I fell in love with high-performance driving. I sampled everything that day, from the AMG GTS to the G63 with a C63 S in between. And yet, the CLA was different.
Inside the 45, I soon noticed that the safety features weren’t keeping a constant eye on me, but rather, the car encouraged me to have fun. I began to gel with it. Lap after lap, I started to understand what being on the ragged edge really felt like. So I pushed it harder, and with every late braking manoeuvre and aggressive corner entry came a composed rear end that rotated as I anticipated, and the feedback was communicated in a way I could readily understand.
Many years later, and I thought that throughout my career of driving mental machines quickly, I had grown up, and fast compacts like the CLA 45 couldn’t impress me anymore. But that naivety vanished the second I planted my behind onto the firm seats of the Final Edition.
The 45’s stickers on the doors, the yellow trim hugging the seats and dash and the darkened ‘black packages’ that come with the Final Edition might mask its age, but the CLA 45 is no new car. The Alcantara-lined steering wheel, smaller screens and low seating position felt familiar and acted as a reminder of how much I enjoyed the CLA all those years ago. It still imparts a feeling of being centred around the driver. Yes, the cabin space is posh with all its darkened design features and AMG branding. And yet, it’s not overdigitised with a screen that’s useful for easy access to music and navigation. The rest is almost background noise.
The forest road beckoned, and my time with this car was running out, so we made a beeline to the mountains. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think, ‘What if it’s not quite as good as I remember… ‘I didn’t have to linger on that thought for long. The instantaneous acceleration shook the car to life, with sharp and aggressive gear changes that rang in my chest. The speed increased as I cycled through each gear on the 8-speed DCT. With each snap, the car’s sense of urgency heightened. Before I had time to wrap my head around the madness which is launching the CLA 45, a corner approached.
Jumping on the brakes, I realised that the CLA stops shorter than I expected. I flicked the steering wheel to the left, and the nose nodded in agreement whilst the rear lightened and offered the perfect amount of rotation to keep the car on my chosen line. I distinctly remember letting out a ‘holy s**t’ as I was reminded of why exactly I loved this car. The second corner loomed, and I tried upping the ante.
Slightly later on the brakes, slightly more aggressive with my turn-in, and it stuck, spitting me out the other side with a level of grip that I would normally only trust in cars with excessive downforce numbers. I was locked in when I realised the crew car that followed was nowhere in sight. Five minutes later, it rocked up with brakes fuming.
Checks on the support vehicle were checked, and with no time to waste, I pulled the car out onto the tar with a newfound respect for just how capable this machine is before planting my feet on both the brake and the accelerator pedals. It became vocal as the needle started bouncing at the launch limiter. I dumped the brake pedal, and what followed felt like a dog coming upon a rabbit. It hooked up, and I was firmly forced into my seatback with a sharp jolt and a rapidly advancing speedometer. It showed a 0-100km/h time of 4.0 seconds.
It’s rapid, yes, but that’s only half the story. Feeling it settle under braking, turning into plentiful grip with a rear end that slides out when you need rotation. Step back on the power, all 310kW and 500Nm yanking you out of the corner, again and again. No brake fade, no embarrassing moments, just bare, pure, communicative performance on a perfect road. There are no safety features chirping at you and no electronics that are attempting to distract from the driving bliss here.
Turn after gorgeous turn, my appreciation intensified far past my prior expectation of the CLA 45, but when the sun started to glow orange, I knew that this story, the CLA 45’s story, was nearing completion. The CLA 45 name will remain for the foreseeable future, but it will have a completely different identity. This new one will be fully electric, with three electric motors producing 500kW and a 0-100km/h time of 3.0 seconds. And of course it will come loaded with tech, sensors and weight. It’s a shame, as the CLA 45 was never about the numbers.
It is one of the few modern cars that leaves you with a lasting impression. It’s one that in many ways captured the spirit of AMG a decade ago. A time when soft limiters and 360-degree cameras were unwanted. But that’s also what differentiates it from newer AMGs. It focuses on what the enthusiast craves, the feel when you get on the brakes, feedback through your steering inputs and a detailed focus on the driving experience. Is it like the A45? No, it feels lighter on its feet and more playful in the twisties. Going forward, the CLA is a different machine, one that speaks to the modern AMG customer, and that’s admirable, but with each step forward we do lose a step from the generations before.
But I won’t lose any sleep. The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Final Edition didn’t just restore my love for this car but also, with experience, gave me a more fulfilling time behind the wheel. So as I sat in silence, looking down the valley, I could have grumbled about new cars losing the plot. I chose instead to be grateful that I got to live in the moment with the CLA 45 on the limit. No regrets, just a reminder of engineering at its finest with one epic, final burn.
