Mercedes-Benz S-Class vs Mercedes-Benz CLA45

What's the difference?

It's only in the running for the title of world's best luxury car. No biggie here, then.

Like Rolex and Concorde, S-Class has become a byword for ultimate, and deserved or not, the Mercedes-Benz defines its segment despite the best efforts of the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Lexus LS and (sadly now-defunct) Jaguar XJ, as well as pointing the way forward with new technologies that eventually trickle down to more proletarian models.

Replacing the half-million selling W222 unveiled in 2013, the W223 is the latest in a long line since the first W187 Ponton debuted in 1951, and includes the famous ‘Finnies' and Stroke-8 models that followed immediately afterwards, but it is the 1972 W116 that really set the template.

Now, seven generations in, the 2021 S-Class is all-new again, with progressive safety and interior features that should help keep it Australia's bestselling full-sized upper-luxury sedan.

Mercedes-AMG left tongues wagging when it unleashed the original 45 series onto the automotive world seven years ago. It took many forms, including the pioneering A 45 hatch and the unconventional GLA 45 SUV.

That said, we’re here to talk about the third member of that family, the CLA 45 sedan (or coupe if Mercedes-AMG is paying your wage). And no, we don’t mean the old model.

Indeed, the second-generation CLA 45 is here, and it’s packing the most potent series-production four-cylinder engine to date – a title Mercedes-AMG has, of course, held before.

So, is the new CLA 45 a big-step up over its standard-setting predecessor? While it certainly helps that it is now only available in hard-hitting S form in Australia, the only way to really find out is to put it to test. Let’s go!