A toned down Mercedes sedan? No, not really

Well, it should serve as a toned down Mercedes sedan, minding emissions standards, carrying exclusively four-pot engines and coming for a lower price. And then AMG had some fun with it. In the first version of the car they extracted 360 hp (265 kW) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) from it making it a proper beast reaching 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 4.3 seconds. However, talented folks from ZIP Tuning moved it further adding two upgrade stages. The ZIP Stage 1 chiptuning for the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG tuning brings 424 hp (312 kW) and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque, while the Stage 2 adds some higher performance parts for the total of 445 hp (327 kW) and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) making the tuned CLA 45 AMG a car in its own class.

When Mercedes introduced an entry-level FWD sedan many fans of the brand cringed (myself included). However, when they added the CLA 45 AMG to the lineup, things got a lot brighter. The AMG version boasts AWD and the modestly sized M133.980  2 l four-cylinder engine is blessed with a turbocharger for the incredible 360 hp (265 kW) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque. This is more than its fiercest rival has, the same generation Audi S4, which boasts 333 hp (245 kW) from a 3 l V6. Moreover, the S4 is supposed to compete with the C-Class, which sits above the CLA in the lineup and sports a beastly V8 in its C 63 AMG guise. This means that the CLA 45 AMG has no competitor even as a stock car.

Well, tuners keep moving boundaries and the CLA 45 AMG got some seriously upgraded push. For example, Brabus has a tuning package for the engine adding 40 hp, but the revered brand tuner somehow fell behind ZIP Tuning. Maybe they feel more at home playing with the V8s and V12s, but some others, like the engineers at ZIP Tuning, can make even the CLA fly using ourtwo stages of performance upgrade for the CLA 45 AMG tuning.

Stage 1 Mercedes CLA 45 AMG chiptuning

The Stage 1 of the CLA 45 AMG ECU tuning consists only of software tweaks. The main one comes in the form of increased turbo pressure which pushes far more air into the cylinders. Other changes stem from the first one. Namely, more air means that the car needs more fuel, so that the air-fuel mix stays at the required level. Moving the injection start sooner also improves throttle response and you can really feel this while driving. All this is measured on a SuperFlow dyno for ensured efficiency, safety and reliability of the car.

The Stage 1 also includes a top speed limiter removal, so that the car can travel well over the 155 mph (250 km/h) to which it was limited. The “well over” translates to 174 mph (280 mph) and the 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) run of just 3.6s. In an entry level sedan, folks! Proper supercar territory.

This kind of performance comes from the new power rating of 424 hp (312 kW) and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque. Interestingly enough, the 64 hp more come solely from OEM ECU MRD17.17.2 modifications without any new parts of other changes. And the best thing is that the engineers at ZIP Tuning insist on following the original software architecture, keeping the OEM ECU and all of the affected parts well into the safe limits. The car simply gets more power without losing anything in terms of reliability and safety. Its power delivery, although at a significantly higher level also follows the idea of the OEM tuners. Perfect. But not enough, apparently.

Stage 2 Mercedes CLA 45 AMG tuning

Stage 2 also includes some software mods, but those are performed so that the ECU is calibrated to support new parts. Yes, the Stage 2 of the CLA 45 AMG tuning introduces more efficient parts which help the engine breathe in and out with ease. The K&N cold air intake and the Willall Racing intercooler bring cold air into the combustion chambers, while the Super Sprint or Army Trix exhaust helps remove the gasses after the combustion easier.

Better breathing of the engine actually means more power, so the ZIP Stage 2 Mercedes CLA 45 AMG tuning results in 445 hp (327 kW) and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft) of torque.

This kind of a power results in some serious speed. The CLA 45 AMG tuned by ZipTuning can have up to 85 hp more than the stock car, 45 hp more than the Brabus upgrade for the same engine and an unbelievable 112 hp more than the Audi S4, which might be its only competitor, albeit only in theory. In practice, it can’t even come close.

Are you interested in tuning your CLA 45 AMG? Or some other Mercedes-Benz model? Or any other vehicle? Browse our huge tuning database and find the car you need.

Moreover, if you want custom tuning, contact us and see why we are the #1 choice for performance upgrade.