Mercedes-AMG CLA 45: The perfect weekend wheels!

You never forget some cars. The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen for instance, with its door locking with a clang worthy of a Swiss bank vault. Or an SLS AMG, that gets your jaw to drop to the floor when those iconic gullwing doors open up skywards. The Mercedes-Benz CLA is one of those cars that you seldom forget your first impressions of. I remember the swoopy silhouette, as a brand new white-coloured example turned up in my building way back in 2014, and it looked as if it had rolled off the set of the fashionista-centric Sex and the City film. And when the more rorty and amped up Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 debuted on the scene for the first time, it was quite the sight.

It might have been just a sportier version of the seductive sedan that was then on sale in India, but Mercedes-AMG’s unveil of the CLA 45 packed in a lot more than just sportier styling ― it also marked the beginning of a new identity for the brand. Remember those very first ‘Ah My Gawd’ commercials that looked absolutely sick? It was the CLA that starred in those and kicked off a newfound enthusiasm for the AMG marque in India, fuelling the fandom for their performance cars and growing the tribe of enthusiasts who owned these cars. Among these individuals was Antony John from Mumbai, who became a fan of the CLA from the time he first drove one.

We met Antony for the first time at our epic supercar extravaganza last year, the Mod Ball Run, and he is no stranger to fast cars. His garage currently includes a tuned Volkswagen Polo GTI and a BMW M2, but the first time Antony actually drove a performance car was when he went for a test drive in a CLA 45 AMG when it was first launched in the country.

“I got completely mesmerised by it,” says Antony, reminiscing about that first drive. And while plans for buying the CLA didn’t materialise back then, Antony did scratch that itch a few years ago, when he got himself a tuned CLA 45 AMG which belonged to an equally enthusiastic owner. Since then it has been modified, driven at the Buddh International Circuit during the Speedfest track day events and used extensively for weekend joyrides, and it is during one of these drives that we hooked up with a beauty draped in Jupiter red, that is Antony’s CLA 45.

The first thing you notice are the looks, and it looks stunning against the humdrumness of the urban landscape. The red hue just adds to the visual oomph, contrasting beautifully with the assortment of carbon fibre parts which include an assortment of side skirts. The visual aggression is amped up by the presence of a rear diffuser that also integrates the twin-pipes for the upgraded exhaust, and while what you see here are the original alloy wheels, Antony switches them to a set of lighter OZ wheels shod with Pirelli PZero Trofeo R rubber when heading out for a hardcore track test.

The previous owner had fitted a carbon fibre rear wing as well, but that has been replaced with a boot lid spoiler which is a lot more low-key. For the most part, this is a stealthy build ― until you fire up the handcrafted 2-litre turbocharged engine and listen to the lovely burble of the exhaust.

Antony has a craze for modifying his cars by his own admission, and N1 Racing Equipment in Mumbai is where most of the modifications have been installed. This CLA runs a Stage 2 tune from AMS Alpha Performance and the upgrades don’t just stop there, with a carbon fibre intake and a new REMUS exhaust system, complete with an AMS downpipe, allowing the engine to breathe better.

The claimed power output is a shade over 400bhp – 420bhp, claimed – and Antony says that he prefers to boost up the power of his cars up to Stage 2 only as anything more extreme than that can hamper the reliability of his builds. Taking care of the engine’s cooling needs is an intake charge cooler and a heat exchanger from AMS, along with an oil cooler to keep the 7-speed DCT at the optimum operating temperature. The result is a tuned car that might not take off the line in an outright ballistic fashion, but is wonderfully civil and liveable until you really open up the taps. The way this CLA 45 builds speed, with sheer grace is quite a refreshing sight, and to ensure that the AMG stops on a dime, it is endowed with bigger brake discs from DBA and upgraded brake pads from PAGID Racing to keep things tidy.

One of the pain points of the stock CLA was its ground clearance, or the lack of it, a factor that is not aided by the stiff bucket seats which don’t translate to the cushiest ride. That has been corrected with the upgraded suspension from Bilstein that improves things a fair bit over Mumbai’s notorious speed breakers. But the low-slung stance of the CLA is what makes it a head-turner, and Antony is clearly willing to overlook these small niggles in the larger scheme of things.

He continues to be smitten by his CLA, and it’s not hard to see why. Most days of the week, when you’re trapped in the hustle and bustle of the everyday grind, the CLA 45 might not be your go-to ride. But when you simply want a fun set of wheels for the weekend, a tuned CLA just like this one, will make you go ‘Ah My Gawd’!