They seem quite close on paper. But will it be the same on the drag strip? The Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 takes on America’s sweetheart, the Cadillac CT4-V, in the battle of the flagship super sedans. Well, not AMG E 63 versus CT5-V Blackwing kind of super sedans, though. You’ll have to scroll down the lineup of both manufacturers to find these two.
The Cadillac CT4-V is trying to make the best of its turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine and the 320 horsepower (324 PS) – 380 lb-ft (514 Nm) of torque that it brings along. The 10-speed automatic transmission and the all-wheel drive system carry them over to both axles. The Cadillac weighs 3,616 pounds (1,640 kilograms).
Slightly lighter at 3,500 pounds (1,587 kilograms), the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC also has less power. The 2.0-liter turbocharged engine brings 297 horsepower (306 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. There are the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and the 4MATIC system that put those figures down to the ground via all four wheels. The specs sheet claims a 4.6-second time from a standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) and a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). The Caddy is officially faster. Thus it only needs 4 seconds to cover the exact same distance.
So let’s get down to business. On the drag strip, race number 1, starting from a standstill, puts the CLA ahead.
Race number 2 is actually a roll race and it starts at 32 mph (50 km/h). That’s where the extra horsepower and torque of the Blaze Orange Metallic Cadillac cut in and put the American ahead of the German.
But things change in the roll race number 2. The Sun Yellow AMG gets its way on the drag strip when the two start at 62 mph (100 km/h), waving bye-bye to the Caddy that seems lost in space.
To see the exact gap between the two, better watch the video below. It is the moment of truth!
VIDEO:
