RCF or Mercedes Benz CLA 45 AMG
07-31-18, 12:06 AM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Colorado
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RCF or Mercedes Benz CLA 45 AMG
Hello to all, so let me start off by saying that I’m a big Lexus fan an so is my family, my brother had an IS & then I got one for my first car, & second as well. Then got a Jeep Grand Cherokee as my third an kinda wanted to get an SRT one but I don’t even have a family or anything I’m single so I kinda want something sporty, so non the less I grew around Lexus an love them,
For my fourth car I was looking to get a 2015 RCF 46k 12k Miles vs a Mercedes Benz CLA 45 AMG 37k 21k Miles, test drove the RCF first looked amazing when I first saw it felt in love with the aesthetic but once I felt that throttle lag it was huge let down, the lag once you floor the accelerator to once it takes off is at least 2 secs it was disappointing, I want to take it home so bad but that lag just kills it for me(I live in Colorado 6000 ft of altitude,might have something to do with the lag), I then went an test drive the AMG & wow. The take off, it feels so light, the RCF it feels like you’re driving a tank thru the city. Something else I think matters is which is easier to mod? An I think the RCF would be since it’s a V8 with a lot of potential & the AMG is the fastest 4 cylinder an I feel like it might be pushed to the limits.
so non the less I’m still very indecisive what’s your guys opinion on this matter which one would you get an why? Would love your feedback thanks.
For my fourth car I was looking to get a 2015 RCF 46k 12k Miles vs a Mercedes Benz CLA 45 AMG 37k 21k Miles, test drove the RCF first looked amazing when I first saw it felt in love with the aesthetic but once I felt that throttle lag it was huge let down, the lag once you floor the accelerator to once it takes off is at least 2 secs it was disappointing, I want to take it home so bad but that lag just kills it for me(I live in Colorado 6000 ft of altitude,might have something to do with the lag), I then went an test drive the AMG & wow. The take off, it feels so light, the RCF it feels like you’re driving a tank thru the city. Something else I think matters is which is easier to mod? An I think the RCF would be since it’s a V8 with a lot of potential & the AMG is the fastest 4 cylinder an I feel like it might be pushed to the limits.
so non the less I’m still very indecisive what’s your guys opinion on this matter which one would you get an why? Would love your feedback thanks.
07-31-18, 02:26 AM
#2
Advanced
I understand you on that. But those two cars are simply very different animals.
Whatever, if you would buy the CLA, they have a very bad reliability reputation. If you search the internet, you will find anormally more warnings about those cars. Maybe they had a rough start and corrected it afterwards, but I would be very careful not to invest in a money pit.
Whatever, if you would buy the CLA, they have a very bad reliability reputation. If you search the internet, you will find anormally more warnings about those cars. Maybe they had a rough start and corrected it afterwards, but I would be very careful not to invest in a money pit.
07-31-18, 02:45 AM
#3
I haven't noticed a throttle lag on my RCF. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. The only complaint I have is that I tend to accelerate hard out of a light and then back off quickly. The RCF is programmed to hold the gear for a while in case you get back on it. More so in sport and sport+. The way around that is for me to use the paddles. We looked at the C and E classes before buying the RCF. The quality was impeccable, what I didn't like was the little 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder turbos. I am not anti-turbo, I currently own a Turbo Trans Am which is similar to a Buick Grand National and I bought my first turbo back in '84. Turbos deliver a ton of power, but put major stress on motors that are in boost all the time and they get expensive to maintain once they get some miles on them. Our MINI Cooper S got very expensive once it hit about 50k miles.
07-31-18, 07:03 AM
#8
Lexus Test Driver
In sport+ and manual mode, there should be zero throttle lag. I use Octane 94 so the fuel also makes a difference since it is a very high compression engine. My other car has a 8 lbs flywheel/cable driven throttle and even that does not have the sharpness of the response my RCF has. In these modes, the throttle response is so brutal that the passenger will hit the head on the head rest, if you don't make the passenger aware that you will suddenly stab the throttle.
The throttle has e-sensors in it and it measures how you roll into the throttle. If you gently roll into the throttle, it will ease the opening of the throttle body while it will suddenly open it if you stab it. Also, the throttle response is dialed back in normal and ECO mode especially with auto mode. For some people who want more, it is easily made even more sharper by slight mod of Apexi throttle controller.
Having said that, you said you live 6000 feet above sea level in Colarado. CLA45 AMG is a M235 competitor. On sea level, RCF should be significantly quicker both in an acceleration or around the track. However, a turbocharged car like CLA45 AMG would be a better option at very high altitude since turbo cars do not lose as much power at high altitude as FI cars. I would not be surprised if the CLA45 AMG is actually quicker than the RCF at 6000 feet. N/A cars are the worst when it comes to powertrain loss at high altitude.
The throttle has e-sensors in it and it measures how you roll into the throttle. If you gently roll into the throttle, it will ease the opening of the throttle body while it will suddenly open it if you stab it. Also, the throttle response is dialed back in normal and ECO mode especially with auto mode. For some people who want more, it is easily made even more sharper by slight mod of Apexi throttle controller.
Having said that, you said you live 6000 feet above sea level in Colarado. CLA45 AMG is a M235 competitor. On sea level, RCF should be significantly quicker both in an acceleration or around the track. However, a turbocharged car like CLA45 AMG would be a better option at very high altitude since turbo cars do not lose as much power at high altitude as FI cars. I would not be surprised if the CLA45 AMG is actually quicker than the RCF at 6000 feet. N/A cars are the worst when it comes to powertrain loss at high altitude.
Last edited by 05RollaXRS; 07-31-18 at 12:22 PM.
07-31-18, 07:25 AM
#10
I notice the throttle lag also. Not so much once you are on it, but from casual to full on lags. Simple solution for me was a throttle controller from Apexi. It wires inline and takes control of the fly by wire input from the pedal. In some cases, it's almost too much. In the red mode from a stop in Sport+ mode, it wants to go right now and tends to be abrupt, not really conducive to city driving. I'm undecided if it has resolved the problem, but have only had 1 week with it and it's not my daily driver. I'm sure once I get used to the pedal feel it will be a good fix for the minor lag issues. I don't think it add HP like a tune, but feels more responsive. I have had the fuel pump update.
The following users liked this post:
LRCSALES (08-04-18)
07-31-18, 08:59 AM
#12
Lag is kind of general. There is throttle response lag, lag from lack of torque, and there is lag from the trans kicking down a few gears. I'm not sure everyone here is talking about the same thing. In Sport or Sport+ in lower gears or in manual mode, the throttle should be snappy and torque should be ample if you are in the proper RPM range. The low-end torque of the turbo AMG is going to feel way different than the mid-range torque of the naturally aspirated Lexus.
07-31-18, 09:11 AM
#13
Lexus Champion
Originally Posted by dojoman
I didn't even know MB make CLA 45, way to cheapen AMG line of cars. What's next A 45?
07-31-18, 09:21 AM
#14
Pole Position
There is a GLA 45 AMG also. It's a I4 (4 cylinder engine).
The days I remembered back when ALL AMG's were AT LEAST 8 cylinders. These days are gone.
The days I remembered back when ALL AMG's were AT LEAST 8 cylinders. These days are gone.
07-31-18, 09:33 AM
#15
Never noticed any lag in the RCF. I actually think the throttle is more responsive than my CLS550. I rarely drive my car in auto mode, so I don't notice lag in manual mode plue sport or sport+. I have had the apexi on the car for 2 years, so maybe I forgot how stock feels