For two years now, an electric car has enjoyed a very exclusive bragging right. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N convinced enthusiasts that an EV can fake a gearbox, fake a redline, and still be liked for the effort. It replaces gears that don’t exist. It changes to the extent that it doesn’t make sense. And it works. Porsche noticed, and the latest Taycan now plays a version of the same trick. The idea has gone from being a novelty to a real talking point, and until recently, Hyundai held the crown alone. Then in this fight a name emerged which no one expected.
Hyundai tried to make the Ioniq 5N as ICE as possible
Give Hyundai its due. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N arrived first, and its N e-Shift and N Active Sound made the case that simulated shifting could feel like a feature rather than a gimmick. It did so at a price that real people could reach, and that’s what matters. What Mercedes brings is a different kind of reliability. The soundtrack comes from a real AMG engine, not a computer’s best guess, and the badge on the nose has decades of noise behind it. A car made the move accessible. the second is trying to maIt feels like it’s earned. That division is the reason this match-up exists.
Meet the Challenger – 671-HP Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 EV
mercedes amg The new CLA 45 was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and it is fully electric. That would be the only news. The number associated with this alone makes people’s ears stand up. It’s AMG’s smallest car, and it makes 671 horsepower. The old four-cylinder version had 416 horsepower and already looked a little uncomfortable for a compact sedan. The electric one almost doubles it.
Three Motors, One Clever Party Piece
Under the skin sit three axial-flux motors, the same thin,The compact design AMG uses in its 1,153-horsepower GT four-door. Two of them drive the rear axle, and one handles the front, which is where things get interesting. In normal driving, the CLA 45 operates as a rear-biased all-wheel-drive car, shuffling torque between the two rear motors for precise, instant vectoring. The front motor reaches 360 horsepower but disconnects completely when you don’t need it, keeping efficiency respectable. There’s a lot of hardware working quietly to make it feel simple.
numbers that matter
The headline figure is zero to 62 mph in 2.7 seconds. For reference, the Tesla Model 3 performsSame run in 3.1. Top speed is 168 mph with the AMG Dynamic Plus package or 155 mph without it. These are not compact-sedan numbers. These tended to be cars that had six figures on the window sticker and lots of badges on the trunk.
fake-shifter fight
Here is the part the Ioniq 5 N should be concerned about. The CLA 45 doesn’t just go fast in silence. Turn on the drive mode called AMGFORCE S+, and the car starts pretending to be a gas AMG. This activates the simulated gearshift. It makes a four-cylinder sound, complete with pops and bangs, and it plays that soundtrack for both the people inside and anyone standing on the sidewalk.
How AMG Faked It
This is where the effort is visible. AMG did not synthesize the general engine note. It set a real record. Engineers captured 1,600 audio files from a real AMG four-cylinder, from an older A45S, using 13 microphones to capture it from every angle. That soundtrack plays with active seat shakers that buzz the front buckets, and traction shift interruptions that mimic the short jolts of real upshifts. A custom driver completes the display task. Turn off the modes, including Race, and the entire display will go silent.
Supported by Real Hardware
Neither theater will care if the CLA 45 falls apart when the roads get rough. If this does not happen. A chassis built to take the punishment under sound and shift shocks.
stay and persist
Like most EVs, the CLA 45 does most of its braking through regeneration, and it continues to do so even when the ABS intervenes. When that’s not enough, there are 15.4-inch ventilated discs with six-piston calipers at the front and 13.7-inch discs at the rear for track days and emergencies. The clever bit is a system AMG calls Predictive Performance Manager, which reads your drive mode and your condition on the circuit to manage power and energy flow. The goal is simple. Lap after lap, the car must not fade or lose its edge.
Aero usually gives you money for supercars
Style makes intent clear. It features an illuminated Panamericana grille, a more aggressive bumper, power dome on the hood, and wider front fenders, all riding on 19-inch wheels with forged 20’s in the option list. The really amazing part is the active rear spoiler that adjusts with speed and drive mode, the kind of thing you usually find on far higher priced cars. Mercedes also fits it on Shooting Brake wagons sold in other markets. Active grille shutters manage cooling and airflow, and adaptive dampers let the car oscillate between comfortable and fast. On paper, this reads like a lot. On the move it becomes a small car that behaves like a serious car.
range and grip
Despite all the noise, the CLA 45 still has to deliver as an EV. Happily it does this too. The sedan claims up to 416 miles of range on the WLTP cycle from its 94-kWh battery, while the Shooting Brake manages 398 miles. That’s not a huge drop from the non-AMG CLA 350’s 479 miles, which is impressive considering the power gap. The 800-volt architecture accepts fast charging of up to 330 kW, which is enough for a 10 to 80 percent charge in 22 minutes. Ten minutes on a fast charger adds about 170 miles. You can drive this thing hard and still get home.
the part that stings
And now the bad news. Mercedes has confirmed that the CLA 45 is not coming to the United States. All that power, all that clever counterfeiting, and American buyers can’t even touch it. One ray of hope is the upcoming third-generation GLA, which may inherit this powertrain and finally bring the act to the States. Right now, it’s a partyNing on the other side of the sea.
TopSpeed’s Tech
So this is where it lands. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N started this whole conversation and is still the thing that matters most, which is that people can actually buy it. The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 responds with more power, a real engine sound and a commitment to illusion that’s hard not to admire. This proves that the idea of fake-shift was never an accident. It’s got staying power, and it can wear the premium badge without any embarrassment. The catch is she always seems to be looking for good things. You probably can’t buy this car, at least not yet, and not here. But if the GLA picks up where the CLA 45 leaves off, this weird, loud, brilliant idea might finally reach those who have been asking for it. It will be worth the wait.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
