Playstation preview for Benz CLA 45 AMG

A GLIMPSE of the hot Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG four-door coupe has emerged in the virtual world as part of a computer game ahead of the real car’s world public debut at the New York motor show next month and Australian sale early next year.

Only a rear three-quarter shot from the game has been shown, but it is clear the CLA 45 will be a mean-looking machine with huge dark coloured alloy wheels, aggressive side skirts and a purposeful vented rear bumper with diffuser and large trapezoidal tailpipes.

Its design is not far off the CLA 250 Sport already revealed and the rear-end treatment is much like that of the A 45 AMG hatch.

The new Driveclub racing game, exclusive to the Sony Playstation 4, was launched in New York overnight and also features the mechanically related A 45 that will be officially unveiled on March 5 at the Geneva show.

Both CLA 45 and A 45 deploy AMG’s new hand-built 2.0-litre turbo engine, which develops 265kW of power at 6000rpm and 450Nm of torque between 2250 and 5000rpm, making it the world’s punchiest series-production four-pot.

Endowed with all-wheel-drive and a seven-speed double-clutch transmission with paddle-shifters, the A 45 can crack 100km/h in 4.6 seconds before hitting the electronic speed limiter at 250km/h, making it quicker than the the six-cylinder BMW M135i (5.1s) and all-new four-pot Audi S3 (5.0s).

The CLA 45 is expected to be heavier, blunting performance slightly compared with the hatch, but no official statistics have yet been announced.

Juxtaposing the A45’s towering performance figures is modest fuel consumption of 6.5 litres per 100 kilometres.

The standard A-Class range will go on sale in Australia later this month, with the A 45 arriving around September and standard CLA variants arriving toward the end of this year.