Mercedes-AMG CLA45 S Shooting Brake review – practical estate meets hyper hatch

Mercedes-AMG doesn’t have an illustrious history of hot hatches, but the second-gen A45 S is stonkingly good to drive, and one of the best of its kind. It naturally follows that the CLA45 S Shooting Brake, which shares its core componentry with said A45, is one of our favourite fast estate cars.

The CLA operates in a strange niche, wrapping A-class underpinnings in a saloon body and positioned alongside the similarly sized A-class Saloon. The Shooting Brake brings added practicality with a swooping long-roof body, and in AMG 45 S form packs a truly heavyweight punch. In the real world, this is one of the fastest family cars you can buy, backed up by the kind of composure that puts the A45 among our favourite hot hatchbacks.

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Engine, gearbox and technical highlights

It starts with the engine, which is one of the most explosive four-pots ever fitted to a production car. AMG’s M139 unit peaks at 415bhp here – more than the latest 911 Carrera offers – launching it to 62mph in four seconds flat. Despite being turbocharged the power doesn’t come in one big lump either, with the frenzy building as the revs climb towards the limiter. An eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and four-wheel drive mean you can light that fuse at will, picking the road apart at a rate that makes you forget there’s up to 1370 litres of luggage capacity behind you.

The Shooting Brake still covers ground with the same astonishing composure and pace as other 45s and still manages to involve the driver as it does so. That four-cylinder is a marvel, with seriously punchy low-down performance but also a top end worth hunting for, and the snappy gearshift remains fun to operate through the tactile paddles behind the wheel.

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Other key figures are an entirely decent combined fuel economy of 32.8mpg, 191g/km of CO2, and perhaps the least palatable, a fairly chunky kerb weight of 1705kg.

Like the A45 and CLA45 Coupe, the Shooting Brake’s chassis benefits from extra body bracing, rigidly mounted subframes and steering rack, adjustable frequency-selective dampers for the MacPherson front struts and multi-link rear, and the aforementioned torque-biasing rear diff which, among various settings, also allows for a Focus RS-style drift mode.

Performance, ride and handling

But you knew the CLA45 S was fast. What perhaps comes as a surprise is how exciting it is in the bits between the straights, with positive steering response and huge reserves of grip to lean on. Part of the reason for this poise is AMG’s thorough re-engineering of the CLA’s chassis, which includes adding an aluminium stiffening plate below the engine, bracing across the front strut towers, diagonal underbody supports and revised suspension with adaptive frequency-selective dampers.

A four-wheel-drive system with a torque-biasing rear diff is also standard, and rather than dampening the CLA’s adjustability, it gives you more options: work the throttle and it’ll overdrive the outside-rear tyre to help the car rotate through corners. The CLA’s drift mode provides the scope to carve bigger angles too, should you feel so inclined. There are layers to the driving experience beyond raw speed, then, making the AMG not only a great fast estate but a fabulous performance car full stop.

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It’s as adept through corners too, despite the extra weight out back – positive steering, plenty of grip, and that feeling of the outside rear wheel over-driving as soon as you’re back on the power, first neutralising any understeer and then, if you’ve committed to your line, adding a little extra rotation so you can exit with the wheel perfectly straight.

Interior and tech

Compared to the CLA45 saloon, the estate isn’t quite as refined and there are more vibrations inside the cabin, but it’s still a thoroughly modern environment with a feature-rich dual-screen infotainment system on the dash. Build quality is a slightly different story, however, because while the CLA’s interior looks plush and high-tech, some elements don’t feel solidly screwed together or as if they are made from first-rate materials.

A45s are naturally on the sporty side of the ride and handling balance, but this car’s ride quality felt slightly less settled, the road noise slightly higher and the tendency for bits of trim to vibrate was slightly more frequent than with previous cars. The Shooting Brake’s greater interior space might be a factor here (longer estate bodies often amplify noise more than sealed-off saloons), so should the extra room be a higher priority, it might be worth the trade off.

Price and what to look out for

There is a price to pay – and a fairly hefty one – for the CLA45’s abilities if you’re buying new, with the Shooting Brake costing £71,030 before options (significantly up on its 2020 launch price of £53,570). AMG’s baby estate is a rare sight on the road and used examples are similarly scarce, but you can pick up a generously specced example with under 35,000 miles on the clock for around £43k. Don’t get lulled into pre-2020 models, as these are based on the original A45 and fall short of the current version.

Any major reliability issues are yet to appear with this car, but as with any model, you should look out for the key signs of proper maintenance to ensure you get a good one when buying used. Regular oil changes are a must on any performance car, but especially with such a highly tuned four-cylinder, and any unusual sounds from the gearbox are a sign to stay well away – gearbox repairs are eye-watering should you need them.