Tropicana Jul-Aug 2020 #131 The Beauty Issue

To reduce friction between the pistons
and cylinders, the linings are coated using
a patented NANOSLIDE technology. This
gives the linings a mirror-like surface, which
allows for friction to be minimised. First
used in the AMG M156 V8 engine and can
also be found in the Formula 1 engine of
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport, the
NANOSLIDE coating is said to be twice as
hard as conventional grey cast-iron liners and
therefore makes them much more durable.
Slide Away To Pure Driving Pleasure
The secret to the dynamic driving experience
of the CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ is its fully
variable all-wheel drive system. The AMG
TORQUE CONTROL in the new rear axle
differential has two electronically controlled
multidisc clutches, each of which is connected
to a rear axle drive shaft. This means, based
on your driving mode and situation, the drive
torque can be separately distributed to both
rear wheels for optimum traction. This also
means that the CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ can
deftly handle extreme cornering manoeuvres,
such as on the racetrack.
The Drift mode comes standard in the
S models as part of the AMG DYNAMIC
PLUS package, a feature that allows for some
fun “powersliding” action. The Drift mode
can also be called up in the “RACE” driving
mode using the shift paddles, provided that
the ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) is
deactivated and the transmission is in manual
mode.
Log Your Laps
Now here’s a real treat for the racetrack
enthusiast – the AMG Track Pace “virtual
race engineer” data logger. It’s a software that
is part of the MBUX infotainment system
that continuously monitors the driver’s
performance as they negotiate the circuit.
Lap and and sector times are displayed on
a quick-glance multimedia display and the
driver then has the option of using the data
to evaluate their driving skills.
Cool stuff
Lending a humanising touch to the car’s
high-performance engineering is the MBUX
(Mercedes-Benz User Experience), which is
Mercedes’ advanced multimedia infotainment
system that is offered in all its new cars. It
allows the driver to choose among the three
AMG display styles – “Classic”, “Sport” and
“Supersport” – for the instrument cluster.
The Mercedes Me Connect app gives
the driver total control over the vehicle from
their smartphone, housing all remote access
services from remote start to vehicle tracker.
The app also provides a quick snapshot of the
car’s mileage, fuel level, tyre pressure, fluids
and more.
In the world of super-charged sports cars,
it’s a given that form goes hand in hand with
function. To match the sporty persona of the
45 S series, the high-tech screen-rich cockpit
in this generation of Mercedes compact cars
boasts AMG Performance seats (with red
seatbelts), AMG Performance steering wheel
in Nappa leather and Dinamica microfibre,
aluminium AMG Design trim in black and
silver, and AMG illuminated door sills and
floor mats.
The Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S 4Matic+
Coupé is available now for RM448,888 onthe-road
without insurance.
113 JULY/AUGUST 2020 | TM