2022 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Exterior and Dimensions

The CLA 45 looks significantly fiercer than its smaller sibling, the CLA 35, and we love it; it's not overdone yet gives fair warning that there's tons of performance underneath that svelte body. The flared wheel arches hide wide 19-inch AMG twin five-spoke wheels, and the vertical-bar Panamericana grille looks like it wants to hoover up small children. The front bumper also features deeply sculpted intakes, and at the back you get an aggressive diffuser, a small rear spoiler, and four round exhaust exits. Standard exterior features include LED headlights, a panoramic roof, and keyless entry.

Optional extras include a wide range of wheel designs, including our favorite, the 19-inch AMG forged cross-spoke wheels, and styling packages such as the AMG Aerodynamics package. This cool piece of kit adds a big front splitter, lateral airflow breakaway edges in the rear apron, and gloss black details. The AMG Chrome package adds a silver chrome front splitter and chrome side sill inserts. For a blacked-out look, we'd recommend the AMG Night Package, which adds jet-black accents to the front splitter, air intakes, side mirrors, and side window surrounds. At the back you now get black tailpipes.

This luxury subcompact executive car shares similar dimensions with rivals such as the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and Audi RS3. The CLA 45 measures 184.8 inches in length and rolls on a 107.4-inch wheelbase. It is 78.7 inches wide (with mirrors) and 55.4 inches tall. The 4-door CLA 45 is not exactly lightweight: it tips the scale at 3,660 pounds, which is a significant 240 pounds less than the Caddy, but 188 pounds heavier than the Audi RS3.