Mercedes CLA 45 AMG review

In addition to the CLA’s already striking interior, the CLA 45 gets plenty of sporty touches, including a pair of AMG sports seats, an AMG flat-bottomed steering wheel with touchpad controls and AMG-specific graphics for the digital instruments, which include a Supersport mode with a large central rev counter. 

Meanwhile, the driver’s seat has plenty of electric adjustment and combines with lots of steering wheel reach and rake adjustment to enable drivers of all sizes to find a comfy posture. 

You also get a bundle of bespoke AMG software for the car’s MBUX infotainment system. This can show engine and gearbox oil temperatures, engine power output, record lap times and there's even a G meter to show handling and acceleration forces. You can also log eighty separate feeds of data so you can analyse your on-track performance. It’s something we doubt any buyers will actually use more than once, and like having a dive watch rated to 200m, it’s more about bragging rights than anything else.

To display this array of information, the CLA 45 gets twin 10.3in screens – one directly in front of the driver in place of traditional instruments, with a touchscreen to its left. Both have sharp graphics and the ‘virtual’ instruments are highly configurable yet remain easy to read at all times. You control them using a small touchpad on the right of the steering wheel, a system that can seem fiddly at first but is something you do get used to.

As for the infotainment system, you can control it using a laptop-style touchpad between the seats or another small pad on the left of the steering wheel, as well as by pressing the screen itself. It’s a good system with logical menus, if not quite as intuitive as the infotainment systems fitted to BMW models.