Infra

iTrader: (1)

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews...g_first_drive/

Quite an interesting car - and quite a bargain as well. I think the IS350 Fsport may be in trouble.

Sweatshop

iTrader: (11)

Confused exterior styling is a turn-off but the rest of the formula is spot-on.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

wow, that engine is amazing.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

MBZ has just kicked up that segment. Automakers take notice.

I8ABMR

I think the IS F sport,328, and A4 are in trouble. Who wouldnt want an AMG badge and performance and styling like that. Great package. Kudos to Benz and AMG for creating a great package and having the ***** to open up sales numbers. I think they know they have a winner on their hands

RocketGuy3

iTrader: (1)

Personally, I don't care about "badges". Also, isn't the base car FWD? That leads me to believe this would be a FWD-biased AWD train, so I question how well it would handle.

I'm not a fan of the styling, either.

Infra

iTrader: (1)

It is FWD based with a Haldex (meaning hydraulic) center differential - however, those systems are getting to be so good there's no perception of the clutch engaging. Check out the Audi TT-S and TT-RS, which both use a Haldex system, for an example of how good these can be.

The only real limitation to it is that only 50% of torque can be sent rear, versus Torsen setups where up to 90% can be sent front or rear, but this shouldn't hurt the car much in dry conditions.

In a nutshell, handling due to the AWD system won't be much of an issue. Suspension tuning will matter much more for this segment than the limitations of the AWD system.

gengar

I'll wait for a reviewer other than automobile mag to pass further judgment. Chris Harris, anyone?

Not sure many (if any) people are really going to cross-shop the IS F and the CLA45. The platforms are so vastly different. Even for the odd person who might, I'm not sure that the CLA package would justify the ~$12k difference in MSRP. Even the 135i didn't do that to the 335i and they are much similar packages.

Also, this thing is priced above 335i territory, much less being anywhere close to the A4 or 328i. I actually think this car is a really tough sell at nearly $50k. Other than the engine, I just don't find the platform compelling - for reasons other posters have already mentioned in this thread.

MB does deserve a lot of credit for bringing this to market. It's a niche product that Lexus, for one, clearly does not have the guts to try.

CDNROCKIES

First off, he was referring to the IS F-sport package.

Second, I disagree that this won't be cross shopped, especially considering there isn't even an IS-F on the books yet. Lexus seems like it has no real interest in humoring the enthusiast.

Like you, I owned the first gen F. I'd already have my name down for the new one....except it doesn't exist....and the front end is ridiculously hideous. Something like this that is fun and cheaper might just satisfy my need for something "fun". Wife liked her MB and likes the looks of this. For significant $$$ less than an F, why not?

Again, I disagree. There are a multitude of people that would love to be part of the AMG/MB badge at this price point.

Lexus doesn't have the "guts" to commit to the IS-F...lol.

Aron9000

That CLA AMG will be 60-65k by the time its all said and done.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

What's your point?

gengar

Any person who only cares about an AMG badge at 50k would have bought a used AMG already.

Not going to bother re-re-re-re-rebeating the dead horse of the next-gen IS F.

Blackraven

Yeah, that engine is sick

300+ HP..........on a 4 cylinder engine (stock production unit)

Aron9000

If you care about performance and want something "affordable" with an AMG badge, you buy 8 year old E55 AMG, with the supercharged M55 5.4 V8. Like any forced induction engine, an extra 100hp is yours with a freer flowing exhaust, a tune, and a different supercharger pulley to up the hp. Seriously the bang for the buck on this older model AMG is hard to beat, it responds well to mods, it has a supportive aftermarket, and the car doesn't have any sort of catastrophic failures when you up the horsepower(still doesn't mean its cheap to fix, even minor things cost big $$$$).

This is also the same basic engine/transmission you find in the SLR McLaren supercar that makes 600+hp in that application.

natnut

I'm a bit worried about a 2 liter engine with 26.1 pounds of boost pushing out 355 hp.

Seems like a really stressed engine with longevity concerns.