The new Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is a 671bhp EV that sounds like a four-pot

The new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupe makes fake V8 noises, so it should come as no surprise to see that the really-very-new Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 also brings the combustion sounds of its predecessor into the all-electric age.

No fake V8s here though, because for the CLA 45 the folk at Affalterbach recorded the bonkers turbo four-pot noise of Merc’s old AMG A45 S. Nice.

Like the 4-Door Coupe, the CLA 45 also gets fake gearshifts to interrupt that noise, while ‘seat shakers’ should bring back some of the feeling of a combustion car too.

Oh, and like its swoopy big brother, the hot CLA also gets three axial flux electric motors (one on the front axle and two on the rear). That means an astounding power figure of 671bhp. In an A-Class!

There’s also 1,297lb ft of torque from those three motors, and we’re promised that the 0-62mph sprint takes just 3.0 seconds. That’s the same whether you go for the saloon or the Shooting Brake by the way. Just make sure the dogs are strapped in if you’re going to test it in the latter. For reference, the old petrol-powered AMG CLA made 415bhp and took 4.0 seconds to get to 62mph.

Anyway, that front motor is apparently a ‘booster motor’ which means the CLA only becomes all-wheel drive when required. It also gets steel springs, but there are adaptive dampers with ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’ and ‘AMGFORCE S+’ modes. We’re not quite sure what happened to the standard AMGFORCE mode, but we’re liking the confidence of the plus.

There’s a bit of active aero too with an adjustable rear spoiler on both bodystyles. Oh, and you get no fewer than six drive modes, or seven if you’ve ticked the box for the shouty AMG DYNAMIC PLUS package. ‘Race’ is the extra one that you unlock.

With the CLA’s usable battery capacity of 94kWh, the AMG spec version manages 416 miles of range as a saloon and 398 miles as an estate. Presumably not if you’re keen on that 0-62mph sprint, though. Thankfully a heat pump is standard fit and it’ll rapid recharge at up to 330kW for a 10 to 80 per cent top up in 22 minutes.

In terms of looks, the standard CLA 45 actually removes the front lightbar, but you can add that back in alongside a fully illuminated grille should you so desire. There’s also the usual AMG fare of flared wheelarches, a front splitter, a diffuser and optional forged wheels.

Inside there’s plenty of sporty trim, ‘Performance seats’ and as many screens as you’ll find in the standard car. No word on pricing just yet, but don't expect it to be any less than the old combustion-engined CLA 45 given that wild jump in power.