2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA45 is a compact rocket

The first-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class felt a bit compromised.

It aimed to introduce younger (and less moneyed) buyers to the storied automaker, but its plastic-fantastic appointments and cramped interior didn't really feel indicative of traditional M-B quality.

Now, in its second generation, the CLA-Class finally feels like a true Mercedes-Benz.

And its top-performing variant, the AMG CLA45, takes the mild insanity of the previous one and turns the knob so far to the right that it breaks clean off.

The CLA45 utilizes the most powerful four-cylinder engine ever made for a production vehicle: the M139.

This two-liter screamer puts out 382 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque in the standard CLA45, with an even more disturbing 416 hp and 369 lb-ft in CLA45 S guise. 

Both variants are estimated to accelerate to 60 mph in about 4 seconds, which is good, because we'll only get the lower-output version in the US.

If this car is perhaps a bit too bonkers for your preferences, the CLA35 will provide 302 hp worth of motive force, which is just a bit more approachable.

If the car's rakish roof doesn't meet your aesthetic preferences, there will also be an A35 sedan. 

Keep scrolling or clicking to check out even more pictures of the 2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA45.