Mercedes has reclaimed its place as a solid brand in the luxury car segment. They’d lost favour over the years by overselling the idea of luxury over performance.
What they never banked on, was the fact that their selling proposition would be to their detriment… people stopped buying their cars, and they became known as the makers of the “old man’s car”.
They worked very hard trying to shed this title, however their efforts weren’t too well-received, their top of the range AMGs were brilliant, but they just couldn’t keep up with themselves. Many of them broke, a lot… it’s likely that, at a point, they were fixing more AMGs, then they were selling. A simple experiment can prove this, how many SL55 AMGs do you still see on the road?
Anyway, this isn’t about Mercedes and their dreadful past. Mistakes happen, it’s the recovery or lack thereof that the market is interested in.
A great big thumbs up to them for creating a set of magnificent cars in their new CLA 35 and 45s 4 Matic + models as well as their A35 and 45s 4matic + models. All wearing the AMG badge of honour.
Bafwethu, ko Benz ba berekile, they’ve reintroduced themselves as the benchmark. What can now be done in these cars, is enough to erase all crimes committed by Merc.
Swartkopz racetrack was the perfect setting for these cars to show off their eagerness to perform – they truly belong there and it’s insane how much of a gaming experience these cars give. Each of the engine derivatives did extremely well around the track, but the winner of them all is the A45matic. What a car, it sprints from 0 – 100 in 3,9 seconds. All delivered from a 2,0 litre engine, producing 310kws and 500nm of torque.
The 4matic + technology keeps the hot hatch firmly on the track, all four wheels get power delivered to them as and when the driver needs it. A neat little trick that invites one to push the engine to its limits. It’s absurd if you really think about how, a car that uses all four wheels can drift and do donuts on a skidpan, without hours or years of training. The A45 can and paints a beautiful picture while doing so. There’s no surprise that South Africa is the third-largest market for AMGs in the world. It’s a well-deserved feat, the team that makes these cars deserve a big round of applause.
Pricing:
CLA45 S 4Matic+ from R1 094 128
A45 S 4Matic + from R819,259
CLA35 4Matic from R956,640
A35 4Matic from R850,000
