The new Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is fully electric, but uses sound, vibration and simulated shifts to reproduce part of the experience of a combustion engine. Photo: Mercedes-AMG.
Mercedes boss says the new electric AMG feels like “the best V8” he has driven
Ola Källenius, Mercedes-Benz’s chief executive, says the new electric Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 gave him the sensations of a V8 engine, but with more power and more torque. After his first test, the executive described the experience with the English phrase “born-again Christian”, a figurative comparison meant to convey that the car had changed his view of electric systems that imitate a combustion engine.
The comment was made in an interview with the British publication Autocar. It is not a statement about Källenius’s religion, nor a measurable technical description. It is the personal assessment of the head of the company that builds the car, so it should also be read as a promotional message for a technology Mercedes-AMG is trying to sell to customers used to petrol engines.
The new CLA 45 drops the previous generation’s 2.0-litre turbo engine entirely. It uses three electric motors, a 94 kWh battery and software that introduces artificial sound, virtual gears and seat vibration.
Why Källenius talks about a V8
The CLA 45 does not have a V8 engine and does not mechanically simulate one. In AMGFORCE S+ mode, the system digitally reproduces the sonic character of an AMG engine, briefly interrupts torque delivery to imitate gear changes and displays a virtual engine speed on the instruments.
In the Autocar interview, Källenius called the car “the best V8” he has driven, arguing that it keeps the sensations associated with a V8 while offering more power and more torque. The remark is surprising because the CLA 45 has until now been associated with a four-cylinder engine, not an eight-cylinder.
Mercedes officially describes AMGFORCE S+ mode as an electric reinterpretation of a high-performance four-cylinder AMG engine. The sound was built from more than 1,600 measurements made with 13 microphones. The V8 comparison therefore belongs to Källenius; it is not the technical definition used by the manufacturer.
Three motors and up to 680 hp
The powertrain uses three axial-flux motors: two on the rear axle and one on the front axle. Peak power reaches 500 kW, equivalent to 680 hp, and the continuous power quoted by Mercedes is 450 kW, or 612 hp.
The two rear motors can control the rear wheels separately. The front motor mainly steps in when extra power is needed, and the AMG Performance 4MATIC+ system varies torque distribution between the axles.
Mercedes-AMG quotes the following figures for the saloon:
- 0–100 km/h in 3.0 seconds in the usual measurement;
- 2.7 seconds if the initial 30.48 cm used in the “one-foot rollout” procedure is excluded;
- a top speed of 250 km/h;
- up to 270 km/h with the AMG Dynamic Plus package;
- maximum system torque of 1,759 Nm.
The difference between the two acceleration figures matters. The 2.7-second time is not directly comparable with a standard European measurement that starts from a standstill and includes the full distance covered.
94 kWh battery and more than 670 km of range
The CLA 45 has an 800 V electrical architecture and a 94 kWh battery. Mercedes quotes more than 670 km of WLTP range for the saloon and combined consumption between 16.5 and 18.7 kWh/100 km, depending on configuration.
DC charging can reach 330 kW, and the manufacturer estimates that ten minutes at a compatible station can add up to 270 km of WLTP range. The AC charger accepts a maximum of 22 kW.
Homologation figures do not describe use in AMGFORCE S+ mode or on a circuit. Repeated accelerations, high speed, heat or low temperatures can substantially reduce the distance covered between charges.
The Nürburgring record offers a more concrete benchmark
Beyond the Mercedes chief’s comment, the CLA 45 already has a performance measured independently of impressions from behind the wheel. On 28 July 2026, the model lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 32.070 seconds.
Mercedes-AMG presents the result as a compact-class record on the full 20.832 km layout. The car used Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres, and the attempt was timed and authenticated according to the circuit’s procedure.
A single fast lap does not show range, comfort or how repeatable the performance is after several laps, but it does demonstrate that the powertrain and thermal system can sustain a more complex demand than a straight-line acceleration.
Mercedes is not dropping the real V8
Källenius said in the same interview that the electric system will not immediately replace all V8 engines. Mercedes-AMG will keep eight-cylinder engines on larger models, while the CLA and C-Class are not expected to return to that layout.
The strategy reflects a more flexible transition than the plans the industry announced a few years ago. Mercedes is developing high-performance electric cars and updated combustion engines for tighter emissions rules at the same time, because demand for BEVs differs considerably between regions.
For AMG, the issue is not only power. Customers have associated the brand with engine response, exhaust sound and the feel of a mechanical transmission. The CLA 45 tries to reproduce some of those elements in software, without claiming they exist physically under the bonnet.
Will artificial sound convince buyers?
Källenius’s reaction shows how much confidence Mercedes’s leadership has in the new system, but it does not guarantee the customer response. Some drivers may appreciate being able to select gears from paddles and the extra feedback. Others may see the artificial sound and vibration as an attempt to compensate for a missing mechanical experience.
The advantage is that the function can be switched on on demand. In ordinary modes, the car remains an electric model with linear torque delivery. AMGFORCE S+ is a software layer added for moments when the driver wants more interaction.
Mercedes-AMG has scheduled the start of European sales in August 2026. The price and configurations for Romania have not yet been published on the local page, so a financial comparison with the old CLA 45 S or its rivals will be possible after the official offer is announced.
