One-Car Solution: 2018 Mercedes CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake
The hand-built turbocharged motor produces up to 380 horsepower, which are sent to all four wheels, to give the small estate a 0–100 km/h time of roughly 4.7 seconds
For years, Bangladesh has had exactly one example of the 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake, a body style Mercedes never pushed hard even in the markets that actually received it.
It was imported back in 2018 through Rancon Motors as a brand-new car and has been the only Shooting Brake in the country since, an uncommon remnant of a short-lived era when AMG had been playing around with compact performance estates.
The CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake was never a normal fit in the Mercedes line. It is technically an estate, but Mercedes leaned towards the label of 'Shooting Brake' to make it as far as it could be from something that looks like a regular wagon.
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The sweeping roofline, tight proportions, and hunched stance provide the car with a silhouette that cannot be compared to any other car in its class. It was never aimed at conservative markets, which makes its presence here even more unlikely. Even globally, it catered to buyers who wanted AMG performance but refused to settle for the expected shapes.
Inside, the cabin shows AMG's earlier philosophy for compact performance cars. The Recaro bucket seats, which are draped in Alcantara, provide a focused and well-supported driving position, with no sense of being out of place in day-to-day use.
The steering wheel has red stitches, and the red seatbelts are a good match with the rest of the interior, which is darker than any luxury-oriented interior can be. The dashboard is quite clean, albeit slightly older than the current cabin heavy screens, and it all works.
During the photoshoot, I sat down with the owner for a chat on what it actually takes to use and maintain something this rare in a country that overwhelmingly purchases hybrid sedans and crossovers.
The owner, Nafiz Ahnaf Islam, bought the car after it had spent time unused. "When I first got it, it needed some love, as it had been sitting for a while in a basement. I had to change all the fluids, change some sensors, and get a new set of tires; that's it," he said.
Cars left stationary in Bangladesh's humidity tend to collect these problems, and the Shooting Brake was no exception.
However, once everything was fixed, the engine was more than enough to work with.
Under the hood lies one of the most widely praised four-cylinder engines of AMG at that time. Its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine produces 375 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 475 Nm of torque at 2,250-5,000 rpm, and in this particular unit it is coupled with the complete AMG Dynamic Plus Package.
"The power is adequate for Bangladesh roads." Nafiz stated, "In Dhaka especially, 380 hp and 450 Nm torque feels more than enough."
The hand-built motor sends power to all four wheels through a 7-speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch transmission to give the small estate a 0–100 km/h time of roughly 4.7 seconds. The Shooting Brake shell is heavier than the sedan and hatchback CLA45s but the difference in acceleration is hardly noticeable.
The package includes an additional limited-slip front differential to be able to get out of corners sharper, bigger red 6-piston front calipers, and a higher top-speed limit of 270 km/h rather than 250 km/h.
It also has optional AMG Performance Exhaust, which enables the driver to access the more aggressive soundtrack of the engine with the press of a button.
The exhaust note puts an attitude that most four-cylinders can scarcely achieve. Instead of a solid, consistent sound, the AMG system superimposes a layer of burbles, metal pops and crackles. It shifts with each throttle input, muffled or sudden, according to mode and purpose. The car sounds suppressed until it is not.
On the road, the car behaves nothing like a typical compact luxury model. The system defaults to a front-wheel-drive bias in city traffic to keep it controllable and prevent unnecessary strain.
Push the throttle harder, and the AWD system purposefully locks in, distributing power equally and holding onto the road with a mechanical stubbornness. The chassis isn't pretending to be plush. It's built to hold on, not to float over broken tarmac.
Handling remains one of the car's standout traits. "It handles very well for the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system. It never lost grip while cornering, not even in rain when I was doing high speed," Nafiz added. That kind of reliability comes from an AWD setup built for smaller, high-output AMG cars long before the brand shifted to bigger, heavier platforms.
Performance wagons already confuse most buyers; a compact one stands out even more. Thus, public reactions are mixed. "Most people appreciate it," Nafiz said, "some people don't like the shape, I guess. I personally love it; that's all that matters."
Not everything is perfect though. As Nafiz mentioned, ground clearance is an issue. The suspension is designed for smooth European highways not Dhaka's patched asphalt which makes it feel stiff. So, potholes and uneven speed breakers require attention.
Fuel quality adds another hurdle, demanding consistent high-octane or additives to keep the engine clean. However, by now, he has learnt to live with it.
As a daily machine, it plays these two roles well: It is silent, predictable, and non-obtrusive in Comfort mode, just as any other compact car. Change to Sport Plus, and it all becomes sharper: the exhaust valves open, the shifts become aggressive, and the car is another one altogether. It is that duality that Nafiz appreciates the most.
"This is like one car for everything," he said. "Commute, school duties, driving with family, cruising with friends, occasionally speeding if roads are empty. And the most important feature is, it's a reliable car with a hand-built engine by AMG."
When I asked about his future plans with this, his answer was rather open-ended. "I plan to keep it for now but might sell the car in the future if I get an equivalent replacement for it, considering the right price is offered and it goes into good hands." He answered. "Otherwise, I plan to keep it and enjoy it for as long as possible."
All in all, this unit of CLA45 AMG is a unique combination of functionality and outright performance in a form that Bangladesh simply doesn't buy. This one AMG estate may remain unrivaled for years, if not decades, due to import trends that heavily favor sedans and SUVs. It serves as a reminder of the one occasion when someone chose to introduce something novel, and the nation was left with a machine that is unlikely to be replicated by anyone else.
