When the last Pontiac rolled off the assembly line in 2010 it signaled the end of a very long era for General Motors' performance brand. If you cared more about power and performance and less about chrome and comfort (and didn't mind lots of wings, vents, scoops, and in your face attitude) then Pontiac was the GM brand for you. While Pontiac was killed because of GM's bankruptcy re-organization, it made sure it went out with a bang and not a wimper. The Solstice, Pontiac's 2 seat sports car, was available with a 260 horsepower turbocharged 4 cylinder in its GXP model which weighed less than 2,900 pounds.
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| Pontiac Solstice GXP (Image courtesy of Wikipedia) |
Pontiac's Pièce de résistance, before it drove off into automotive history, was the G8 GXP sedan. What differentiated it from the lesser G8 GT was the upgraded styling, suspension, brakes, and most importantly, a 6.2L LS3 V8 producing 415 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque mated to an available six-speed manual transmission. All for a base price of $39,995. This got you pretty close to BMW M5 performance, for less than half the price.
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| Pontiac G8 GXP (Image courtesy of Wikipedia) |
Fast forward to the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. Cruising past the Mercedes-Benz area, filled with beautifully designed and lavishly appointed luxury cars, something caught our eye. Red piping and brake calipers, black honeycomb openings, carbon fiber trim and spoilers, black wheels...on a white four door...coupe. We had to do a double take to make sure we hadn't wandered into another manufacture's display area. We hadn't. What we had found was the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Edition 1.
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| Like a moth to a flame the author is drawn in to investigate (Image courtesy of Gary McFarland) |
AMG, Mercedes' performance division, has been upgrading Mercedes vehicles for improved performance for decades. While AMG has made the vehicles faster and handle better they've also still been a luxury vehicle. The Edition 1 takes Mercedes' otherwise subtle exterior styling and cranks the volume knob to 11 with a serious in your face aggressive and sporty appearance. This car screams boy-racer stoplight warrior instead of the sophisticated upper management car enthusiast you'd typically associate with the AMG brand. And it works.
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| The interior is just as aggressively styled (Image courtesy of Gary McFarland) |
This car is not just all show either. The AMG built turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder produces a mind-boggling 355 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. This torque band is flat from 2,500-5,000 RPM too. To get this power down to the ground the engine is mated to a seven speed dual clutch transmission which is coupled to Mercedes' 4MATIC all-wheel drive system. This propels the 3,494 pound car to a factory claimed 0-60 of 4.4 seconds.
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| The AMG 2.0L 4-cylinder produces 355 horsepower (Image courtesy of Gary McFarland) |
But isn't this a ridiculously expensive car, which would make this very un-Pontiac-ey? After all Pontiac wasn't known for luxuriousness or a high price point. This is where things get really good. Pontiac's 2009 G8 GXP sedan had a list price of $39,995. Adjusting for inflation this means the car would base at $43,607 today. The CLA45 AMG has a current starting price of $48,375, or only $4,700 more. For 11% more money you get 50% more highway fuel economy, more gears, all-wheel drive, and an array of safety features, such as radar based collision avoidance.
Impressive power, styling that's anything but subtle, and its just as affordable as the last performance Pontiac that rolled off the assembly line. Pontiac may not be building driving excitement anymore, but Mercedes-Benz sure is.
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| Ready for take-off (Image courtesy of Mercedes-Benz) |
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