Limited Edition Send-Off
A redesigned Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class is on the way, but for now the high-performance AMG variants are taking a break. The 2026 Mercedes-AMG CLA45 S Final Edition sends them off in style. Boasting unique design features, it’s scheduled to reach U.S. dealerships in the 2026 calendar year in “limited numbers,” according to a Mercedes press release.
It Was All Yellow
Mercedes-Benz
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The Final Edition will be available exclusively in Manufaktur Mountain Grey Magno, with yellow-and-black “45 S” graphics on the doors. That color palette is popular with AMG; it’s also used on the AMG CLE Manufaktur Edition and goes back to the AMG C63 Edition 1 from about a decade ago.
The same theme continues inside, where the heavily-bolstered wear black MB-Tex artificial leather and microfiber upholstery with yellow stitching and “45 S” branding on the headrests. More yellow stitching can be found on the door panels and dashboard, as well as on the AMG steering wheel and floor mats.
Still Punches Above Its Weight
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Other changes include 19-inch forged wheels in matte black with yellow accents and gloss-black brake calipers with white AMG lettering. Final Editions also get the AMG Night Plus Package, with darkened exterior trim, and the AMG Aerodynamics Package Plus. This adds a larger front splitter, flics, and a fixed rear spoiler.
Unchanged, however, is the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which makes 416 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Claimed to be the most powerful series-production four-cylinder engine in the world when the current-generation CLA45 debuted (it’s since been eclipsed by an uprated version in the AMG C63 and GLC63 plug-in hybrids), it gets this compact four-door from zero to 60 mph in a Mercedes-estimated 4.0 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph.
Hand-assembled like other true AMG engines, the turbo-four is connected to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and AMG-specific all-wheel drive system that includes a drift mode.
New Direction For The CLA
Mercedes-Benz
The “45” models brought raucous AMG performance to Mercedes’ compact cars, but now the automaker is going in a different direction. The latest CLA-Class emphasizes efficiency with all-electric and hybrid powertrains, and tech with new software that Mercedes hopes will be able to juggle the dozens of connected features available from various third-party apps elbowing their way onto car dashboards.
That still leaves room for future AMG models, and the Mercedes performance division is hedging its bets with continued combustion-engine development. But given the current emphasis on electrified powertrains, it’s possible the next AMG CLA will be a hybrid or EV instead of the pure combustion model that’s about to exit the market.