The AMG CLA 45 is back, though not as you remember it. The gas engine is gone, replaced by three electric motors that push out ludicrous power. Even though it’s an EV, Mercedes says it delivers “combustion engine emotion at the touch of a finger” by activating a dedicated drive mode. With AMG Force S+ engaged, it not only fakes the sound of a four-cylinder engine but also brings simulated gear changes to further mimic an ICE-like experience.
Although the marketing lingo suggests the new AMG 45 is the electric equivalent of its four-banger predecessor, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius goes a step further. He caught up with Autocar and called the not-so-compact-anymore CLA “the best V8 I’d ever driven: it had all the feeling of a V8 but with more power and torque.” That’s not all, as the Swedish-German business executive says he felt “like a born-again Christian” after driving the car for the first time.
