2022 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Shooting Brake | Still Relevant?
Is the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Shooting Brake still a relevant car in this day and age? I tried to find out.
Why another review of a Mercedes-AMG 45 derivative? Do you really need a reason to test a 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Shooting Brake of the brand that offers you one for a few days? I already had the pleasure of driving the A 45 S and the CLA 45 S Coupe, and both vehicles had me hooked from the start. There’s a unique character to the AMG-bred 4-cylinder and to the way 4Matic+ plays with the laws of physics. But three years have passed and in that timeframe, things have changed. Audi has brought their new RS3 to the stage, a car not further pushing the arms race of higher horsepower. Time is also taking its toll on the in- and exterior of the CLA Shooting Brake.
For the latter, Mercedes is to blame. The evolution of their design is moving at such a pace, that it's hard picturing that the EQE and the CLA are offered in the same showroom so to say. Mercedes-Benz and AMG are preparing their cure for this with the upcoming facelift, however. Looking at that future, the new BMW M2 is also on the horizon. Fierce competition is now pushing the brands towards competition on the premium and quality turf. How do the cars feel? How good is their build quality? Straight-line performance and the proverbial one-trick-ponies are dissipating, so how does the pre-facelift 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Shooting Brake look in that light?
Good and bad
In all honesty, and as mentioned above, the toll of time is showing on the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Shooting Brake. But like I also pointed out, this mostly has to do with aging aesthetics. Alongside that, the infotainment is falling behind too. Yet, compared to BMW and Audi, the user interface of MBUX is still unparalleled. It’s just that the screen now seems too small for the cabin. Connectivity is still on par, and that should make you wonder what I’m complaining about? It’s the fact that the focus on quality is fought over on a new level, and in that perspective, the car can’t keep up with competition anymore.
As first impressions matter most, or at least they matter a lot, I started wondering if the car could still draw in new customers. Customers new to Mercedes-AMG and ones also looking at the competition on offer. Putting these next to each other in terms of price, the problem becomes clear even more. And this problem persists, because the drive, which I’ll get to later, can’t show its full potential in just a few moments during a test drive. Time to frame the price tag here in Belgium! For the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Shooting Brake you’ll have to pay a minimum of € 79.376 (BE). Put that against the starting price of €64.230 (BE) for the Audi RS3 sedan or the BMW M240i xDrive Coupé starting at € 58.975 (BE). It has to be mentioned that none of the CLA's direct competitors offer a shooting brake chassis variant.
No other compact wagon comes with this power
So you could say the CLA is in dire need of an update and you could also say that the car is being outpriced by its competition. Yet this car does still offer things that are unparalleled elsewhere in the premium performance segment. I'm not just talking about the combination of the practical trunk and the 421 horsepower drivetrain in this compact car. It is the sum of the CLA 45 S Shooting Brake that justifies its price tag. The summary of its dimensions? Length comes in at 4.809 mm, width at 1.830 mm, height at 1.447, and can carry almost 1400 liters of luggage with the rear seats down.
Back in 2020, I had the opportunity to review the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S. So logically the high expectations that this car generated, I projected on the CLA. Expectations about the drive, the handling, the bizarre 4-cylinder magic, and the Mercedes experience. The latter refers to the premium feel of it all. So were my expectations met? Yes and no. The 'no' comes from the exhaust note in the Shooting Brake protruding into the cabin even when the car was set to 'comfort.' This noise became annoying during long drives as there was never any peace and calm inside the cabin. But besides that eroding on the premium feel, there was little else to complain about (besides the luggage flying everywhere).
Engineering marvel
What the A 45 S excelled in, is what the CLA 45 S excels in. Mercedes-AMG has created a drivetrain around their 4-cylinder that still confuses people who just count cylinders. Its eagerness to pull above 2000 RPM is addictive and the way that this translated into forward motion is equally so. The larger and heavier CLA Shooting Brake is only a tenth slower to a hundred than its A-Class sibling, hitting the mark in 4 seconds flat. And it genuinely hits this number in the real world too, even with damp roads. But it's the pull all the way up to 200 km/h that is so bizarre, this happening in under 15 seconds. Peak power for the car measures 421 horsepower and 500 Nm, just like any other of the compact 45 S models.
If you're a person who's into engineering marvels, this engine is definitely one to love. A few things worth mentioning: the turbocharger benefits from bearings found in the AMG GT 4-Door (review here) for quicker turbo spooling. AMG has mounted an electronically controlled wastegate so they could control the gas response even further. The last one I'm mentioning is a nano-coating borrowed from the F1 division on the cylinder walls, reducing friction to a minimum.
And just numbers and facts don't give the drivetrain all the compliments it deserves though. It's the way the drivetrain collaborates with the chassis that makes it a high-quality driving experience. And stopping experience too. The CLA 45 S shooting Brake offers similar cornering behavior as the A 45 S does, being neutral through the drive but still prone to understeer when entering a corner. The four-wheel torque-vectoring works wonders, allowing you to exit the corner fast after the apex. This used to be something no other manufacturers matched, but times have changed and Audi and BMW haven't been standing still.
Still relevant?
Is the 2022 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S Shooting Brake still relevant? Again I'm stating 'yes' and 'no' here. The recipe might be unique, it isn't unique enough anymore. The car is aging, the premium segment being unforgiving for that. For die-hard performance lovers, there's more worth for your money on offer elsewhere. Yet, for those who are already Mercedes customers, this car will unboundedly still be a dream car they aspire to. And dreams don't always look so good in real life. This shooting brake does come damn close but the facelift is a very welcome (necessary) event and I can't wait to see what Mercedes cooks up.
