I bet its a good engine, that's sorta AMG's thing. Turbocharged, DOHC, probably makes it at a high rpm (low mass, so can turn it higher). Torque is the more relevant, and, seems to be torque deficient or just too heavy: 0-60mph in 4.4s (not a great judge of performance, but, would expect a compact with that much power to accelerate faster).
I'd be more worried about the gearbox than the engine, personally hehe. And brake cooling if its that heavy and you plan to drive it on a track hehe.
But - Mercedes I've had good luck with.
Think they're always worth a peek if in ones pricerange. That said, never been in a CLA. (Been in an A in Europe and it was pretty cool ride though).
