Should you see a Mercedes-AMG CLA45 S Edition 1 on the road, be sure to take a good look. Only 25 are slated for production, so you'll likely never see one again. And don't worry about mistaking it for a standard CLA-Class. With orange trim and huge AMG letters on the sides, it's impossible to miss.
Those are the biggest highlights of this exclusive Merc, coming to dealerships later this year. When it arrives, it will carry a not-insignificant sticker price of $82,435 — $81,195 for the car and $1,150 for the mandatory destination fee. You get a good deal of stuff for your money, though. The Edition 1 comes standard with a handful of otherwise optional gear, including the AMG Aerodynamics Package. That adds a big front splitter, rear spoiler, and a larger rear diffuser among other items. You also get the AMG Night Package Plus, which plugs in black badges and a blackout treatment for the grille, which pairs quite nicely with the Edition 1's Manufaktur Mountain Grey Magno exterior finish.
Exclusive to the Edition 1 you'll find orange trim outlining the edges of the lower fascias both front and rear, the corner intake vents, side mirrors, and the rocker panels. It's also the color of choice for prominent AMG lettering on both sides, and it largely hides a checkered stripe also running along the bottom of the car. Look closely and you'll see those checkers are actually tiny AMG logos.
Moving inside, the AMG Performance Seat Package is standard but Edition 1 adds orange trim and contrast stitching to the mix. There's more orange stitching on the dash, CLA45 S branding on the headrests, and special interior lighting.
This is strictly an appearance package, but that's just fine considering the standard powertrain is plenty powerful. To refresh your memory, the CLA45 S uses AMG's heroic 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, boosted to 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. It turns all four wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and when traction is good, Mercedes claims a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.0 seconds.
Then there's the price. A standard CLA45 S is slightly over $70,000 once the aforementioned packages are added in, around the same price as a well-optioned BMW M2 or Audi RS3. But Edition 1 buyers will have exclusivity along with the performance, so we suspect Mercedes will sell every example they build.
