'Specific output' is a term that enthusiasts, anoraks and no one else uses when discussing vehicles. To those in the know, however, the number of horses produced per litre of displacement is a figure that holds just as much importance as the power-to-weight ratio, for this number shows how technologically advanced a car's performance is. The 4G63 from the Lancer Evolution and the F20 from the S2000 will always remain hallowed motors for this reason, and today we believe we've found one more inductee to this hall of fame: the engine from the Mercedes CLA45 AMG, that boasts of 178PS/ tonne!
That figure stems from 355PS and 450Nm being churned out from a mere 2.0litres. Of course, getting those figures isn't an easy task: the intercooler is a water-to-air one, and the turbocharger utilises twin-scroll technology that is popular with Subarus and BMWs. That turbocharger pushes in extra air to the tune of 26.1psi; no mean feat. If you get one, do install a non-silent wastegate.
All that power and torque is funnelled through a seven-speed dual clutch ZF automatic gearbox through Merc's 4MATIC all-wheel drive system. The all-wheel drive is electronically controlled and feeds power to the front wheels during normal usage, but the torque can be split 50:50 front to rear. This seems a little last-generation when you consider that the fourth-gen Haldex AWD systems on production cars with transverse engines can send all the torque to the rear axle, and upto 85 per cent to either rear wheel. The exhaust has an active valve that makes things aurally interesting depending on your throttle position and gear selection.
The CLA45 AMG will have all the trappings of an AMG; carbonfibre on the outside and inside, a rear wing and AMG logos. It will go on sale in the US market this summer for the equivalent of Rs 26 lakh. Expect that price to more than double when it arrives in the Indian market.
