The AMG A45 has changed the way people look at hot hatches. In fact, it might have created a whole new super hatch segment altogether. The A45 has proven its worth against the other hot hatches, but how does it fare against its own sibling, the CLA 45? Carwow pitted both these cars on a race track to see who would win. But, wait: there’s a twist. The CLA 45 is not stock. It makes 70 horses more than the AMG A45, but also much heavier. Who do you think will win?

The A45 Is The Underdog On Paper

Both, the AMG A45 and CLA 45 are powered by the same 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine under the hood that produces 421 horses and 369 pound-feet of torque. It is mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and power is sent to all the wheels via the 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system. The A45 weighs 3,605 pounds whereas the CLA 45 is 88 pounds heavier.

However, the CLA 45 is tuned and far from stock. It now makes 490 horses and 487 pound-feet of torque, which is 69 horses and 118 pound-feet of torque more than the stock model and the AMG A45.

Did The Extra Power Help The CLA 45?

The races were conducted while it was raining so the track was damp. The host noted that the CLA 45 may be tuned, but no changes have been made to the transmission and the extra power confuses it. In the first race, the CLA 45 had a pretty bad launch and lost the race horribly. In the second drag race, however, the CLA 45 had a better launch – although not perfect – and the result was very close. In fact, one beat the other just by the nose. We won’t spoil the results for you, though.

In the next set of rolling races, the CLA 45 was no match for the A45 and zoomed past it both times. Not often do you see the A45 lose by such a huge margin. As for the brake test, the CLA 45 stopped at a shorter distance, taking the win over the A45… again.

Who do you think won the second drag race? Share your prediction with us in the comments section below before you watch the video.