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vs 2016 CLA45 AMG

J_Maher_AMG

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The CLA/GLA45 definitely has some serious lag, but is the only AMG turbo to suffer that. The 63 V8 turbos do not suffer from lag at all, those things just feel like monsters.

C43's and E43's aren't real AMG's, they are essentially Sport models with AMG styling and upgrades. Their engines are still completely built by Mercedes Benz and not in Affalterbach. Still nice cars though.
The 45 AMG's don't have any turbo lag. People mistakenly diagnose the poor DCT tuning to be lag from a standstill, but there is virtually 0 turbo lag with the motor itself. Makes full torque at a hair over 2000rpms all the way in a flat plateau to 5000 rpms. I suppose there would be some lag if you floored it in like 2nd gear or above at like 1000 rpms for the next 1000 rpms or so... but hell its only a 2L, doesn't have much natural torque off of idle like a V8 would.

Completely agree about the 43 AMG series. Completely watering down the AMG heritage and philosophy of "One Man: One Engine" . The AMG community essentially revolted at them when they were first announced... not sure if they are still the black sheep or whether they have been accepted after some time :lol:
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J_Maher_AMG

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OP: 2016 CLA45 has 375/355 hp/tq and is about 200lbs lighter than a 5.0, with AWD and a fast DCT. The 2014 model I had with 20 less hp and taller gearing tested at 12.7-12.9 1/4 mile at 108-110mph, which is in line with what the current 5.0 GT tests at, though the 5.0 traps in the 110-112mph range.

The 2016 has more power, and gears 3-7 are shorter for better acceleration. They run low to mid 12's in the 1/4 and will be very very consistent. If you are stock, it will take a hero run for you to beat him. They hit 100mph in a little over 9 seconds in which it takes the 5.0 a little over 10 seconds. Beyond 100mph though, you'll hit 130 about a second or so quicker than the 45, so you'll probably pass him by the 135-140mph mark....
 

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The 45 AMG's don't have any turbo lag. People mistakenly diagnose the poor DCT tuning to be lag from a standstill, but there is virtually 0 turbo lag with the motor itself. Makes full torque at a hair over 2000rpms all the way in a flat plateau to 5000 rpms. I suppose there would be some lag if you floored it in like 2nd gear or above at like 1000 rpms for the next 1000 rpms or so... but hell its only a 2L, doesn't have much natural torque off of idle like a V8 would.

Completely agree about the 43 AMG series. Completely watering down the AMG heritage and philosophy of "One Man: One Engine" . The AMG community essentially revolted at them when they were first announced... not sure if they are still the black sheep or whether they have been accepted after some time :lol:
Didn't know about the DCT tuning issue. Feels like lag to me but you're probably right

Stepping back into my Subaru Tribeca (I was test driving cars at the time) the Tribeca felt much faster from standstill. Of course the CLA45 would have killed it after the first 100 feet
 

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The 45 AMG's don't have any turbo lag. People mistakenly diagnose the poor DCT tuning to be lag from a standstill, but there is virtually 0 turbo lag with the motor itself. Makes full torque at a hair over 2000rpms all the way in a flat plateau to 5000 rpms. I suppose there would be some lag if you floored it in like 2nd gear or above at like 1000 rpms for the next 1000 rpms or so... but hell its only a 2L, doesn't have much natural torque off of idle like a V8 would.

Completely agree about the 43 AMG series. Completely watering down the AMG heritage and philosophy of "One Man: One Engine" . The AMG community essentially revolted at them when they were first announced... not sure if they are still the black sheep or whether they have been accepted after some time :lol:


I was a Benz master tech for 11 years and had the chance to race the CLA/GLA AMG's on an auto-x at the Benz plant proving grounds, I can say for certain they have significant turbo lag. Not to mention having quite a few other turbo AMG's to compare to(we also had C43's and a CLS63s on track) the lag is very noticeable and not entirely related to the trans. I can definitely say negative things about the DCT, felt like a 16 year old learning how to drive a manual for the first time haha. We had a few software updates for the trans and also a few early models had their turbos replaced due to excessive play in the impeller shaft, the lag never went away. It is at its worst in daily driving, even when manually shifting the trans if feels like the throttle is scared to ask the engine for more power.

One of my coworkers bought the first CLA45 that hit our dealer and after while he tried a few tunes for both the engine and trans but the lag was still frustrating. Last I talked to him he traded it for a 1LE.
 

J_Maher_AMG

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I was a Benz master tech for 11 years and had the chance to race the CLA/GLA AMG's on an auto-x at the Benz plant proving grounds, I can say for certain they have significant turbo lag. Not to mention having quite a few other turbo AMG's to compare to(we also had C43's and a CLS63s on track) the lag is very noticeable and not entirely related to the trans. I can definitely say negative things about the DCT, felt like a 16 year old learning how to drive a manual for the first time haha. We had a few software updates for the trans and also a few early models had their turbos replaced due to excessive play in the impeller shaft, the lag never went away. It is at its worst in daily driving, even when manually shifting the trans if feels like the throttle is scared to ask the engine for more power.

One of my coworkers bought the first CLA45 that hit our dealer and after while he tried a few tunes for both the engine and trans but the lag was still frustrating. Last I talked to him he traded it for a 1LE.
The DCT was definitely frustrating, no doubt about it. Especially with the gearing being so short, and it seeming to be such a rev happy motor, it was very easy to hit the limiter in 1st and 2nd if you were using manual mode. Had to basically time it shift at 6000 so it would shift by the 6300 redline.

Hmm, I still disagree concerning the lag. Anything above 2000rpms and throttle response was phenomenal for a 2L turbo engine. I imagine it is all a matter of perspective regardless, if you were used to V8's, either turbo or NA, then you are probably going to be more put off by even the slightest delay of power. I believe most who believe the car is laggy, and I mean true lag, i.e engine in it's power band, hitting the throttle and then the delay before power comes on, just aren't used to a turbo 4 that has such a linear powerband. You never, ever get that big whack of torque from the engine, so perhaps they are considering it lag when it just doesn't have a lot of torque comparably. And when it is in the powerband, I never experienced noticeable lag between throttle application and power delivery.

But as I said, perspective matters, and I had come from a Subaru WRX which has about 3500 rpms worth of lag at which point a torque bomb hits you in the back of the head LOL but even after spending considerable time back to back with my CLA45 and my father's Stingray, I never once considered it to have any noticeable lag or delay in power :shrug:
 

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The DCT was definitely frustrating, no doubt about it. Especially with the gearing being so short, and it seeming to be such a rev happy motor, it was very easy to hit the limiter in 1st and 2nd if you were using manual mode. Had to basically time it shift at 6000 so it would shift by the 6300 redline.

Hmm, I still disagree concerning the lag. Anything above 2000rpms and throttle response was phenomenal for a 2L turbo engine. I imagine it is all a matter of perspective regardless, if you were used to V8's, either turbo or NA, then you are probably going to be more put off by even the slightest delay of power. I believe most who believe the car is laggy, and I mean true lag, i.e engine in it's power band, hitting the throttle and then the delay before power comes on, just aren't used to a turbo 4 that has such a linear powerband. You never, ever get that big whack of torque from the engine, so perhaps they are considering it lag when it just doesn't have a lot of torque comparably. And when it is in the powerband, I never experienced noticeable lag between throttle application and power delivery.

But as I said, perspective matters, and I had come from a Subaru WRX which has about 3500 rpms worth of lag at which point a torque bomb hits you in the back of the head LOL but even after spending considerable time back to back with my CLA45 and my father's Stingray, I never once considered it to have any noticeable lag or delay in power :shrug:

I describe it more like a whoosh when the turbo's kick in.

"Nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-wait what's that-maybe-maybe-maybe-oh yeah-here it comes-ssshhhhhiiiiiitttttt's FLYING BOISSSS!!!!!!"

No doubt they would be absolutely BITCHIN' cars with a manual trans.
 
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Didn't know about the DCT tuning issue. Feels like lag to me but you're probably right

Stepping back into my Subaru Tribeca (I was test driving cars at the time) the Tribeca felt much faster from standstill. Of course the CLA45 would have killed it after the first 100 feet
You know I did notice that too, which is why I constantly drove it in S+ mode instead of comfort or sport. S+ held the RPMs right around 2000 while driving around normally, it even brings the idle up to 1000, instead of 700. Plus it makes that cool fart sound when it shifts gears in S+. :lol: Don't these have twin scroll turbos? There shouldn't be much lag with those.
 
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A7X

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GLA/CLA45 is a great car no doubt, but it solidified my decision to stay NA.

Having had 2 SAAB Turbos, I'm used to turbos but this time didn't want one. Having said that I'm sure that I'll get another Turbo one day.

The rubber band WOOOSH when the turbo kicks in is lots of fun!!
 

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Raced a CLA45 from 5-90mph 4 times. Same result each time. No idea if the CLA45 was stock, but I assume it was only because it still had the dealer plates. CLA45 also had his petite-looking gf in the passƩnger. I have a 2017 base GT manual and at the time, had JLT intake, Magnaflow comp catback, SCTX4 with the preloaded tune.
Middle of 2nd gear he would start pulling and by the end of the race, he had a car on me every time. It was a very sad day for me. Worst part is after all the races I gave him a thumbs up and he gave me a look but didnā€™t acknowledge me. What an ass.
I now have added 1 7/8ā€ Kooks longtubes with green cats and a LUND tune, and switched my exhaust to a Corsa Sport. I drive the same road at the same time from work, so Iā€™m hoping to get a rematch
 
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5.Oh Crush

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I have been considering a CLA45, but was told not worth my time by a salesman. That was a few years ago. Is it now worth it with the improvements? It went from starting around 47K to 60K now with HP bump, ect.

:cheers:
 

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Grimace427

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... CLA45 also had his petite-looking gf in the passƩnger. ...

Sounds like he's a winner regardless of the race outcome. :thumbsup:

I have been considering a CLA45, but was told not worth my time by a salesman. That was a few years ago. Is it now worth it with the improvements? It went from starting around 47K to 60K now with HP bump, ect.

:cheers:

They are neat cars but I wouldn't want one to drive very often. Around town they're not very fun dealing with lag and a stubborn transmission. Ride quality is not very good and if you are over 5'10" you will have visibility issues. If I had to pick I would get the GLA45 over the CLA due to the better daily-livibility with its roomier cabin and larger trunk. Both drive exactly the same, if anything the GLA is more controllable. I drove both back to back on an auto-x course as part of MB brand immersion training at their headquarters. They are crazy fun when driven to the limits though!

If they came in a manual then definitely they are a hoot but the way they come from the factory not something I'd pay $45-60k for.
 
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I have been considering a CLA45, but was told not worth my time by a salesman. That was a few years ago. Is it now worth it with the improvements? It went from starting around 47K to 60K now with HP bump, ect.

:cheers:
Hard to justify getting that for $60k, when there are so many other options for that price. Given that it's an AMG model of their entry level car.

For that price, there's a pretty good amount of cars I'd rather have than the CLA45. Like a Corvette, a Hellcat Charger, C63 AMG, M2 BMW, etc. Plus a lot of those come with better options, like a better infotainment system, most of those have a pretty good suspension (not sure about hellcat but I think even that has adjustable shocks). Hell you can even find a used GTR for $60k!

If they kept it around $47k, it would be a MUCH different story, but $60k no way.
 

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I have a RWD e63amg with Renntech tuning and downpipes and a gt350 that only has an aftermarket exhaust. The AMG out-accelerates the gt350 on straights, but the gt350 out handles the AMG and the Cobra feels more planted. The AMG is great for autobahn type drives, the gt350 is more fun to drive in curves and on tracks.

I have driven the e63 hard with a ā€˜17 AMG C63...the C63 is a better handling car and would be a better match for the gt350.
 

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My previous daily driver was a 2016 A45 AMG which is the same car as the CLA45 but in hatchback form. You guys stateside don't get the A45, which is unfortunate because it's the quickest and best handling of the bunch (also looks way cooler with the aero package). I replaced this car with my 2017 GTPP earlier this year.

I took it to my state time attack competition last year and won the street class in completely stock form.




A few points comparing the two cars...

1) the merc is a much more sophisticated car and built to a much higher standard (not surprising)

2) the A45 is a rocket to 60 mph but hits a brick wall after about 100 mph. I find the GT pulls hard even past this point in stock form.

3) A45 handles superbly out of the box and does not need any mods. It tears up the twisty tight stuff. After doing all of the suspension on the mustang, it still doesn't handle anywhere near as nicely

4) the 4-matic gearbox on the merc is great on the street but not so great on the track. It would often become confused about what gear it should be in at the middle of a corner, which is off putting.

5) the mustang is a lot more engaging with its six speed manual!
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