CLA 45 S

There is a Sardinia that wide, long cars can only brush past: the hairpins climbing to Aggius through the granite of the Valle della Luna, the tight folds of road that lead to San Pantaleo, the old town centres of Gallura where every manoeuvre counts. The CLA 45 S is the AMG that fits everywhere — compact, precise, with 421 hp ready to open up again at every corner exit. For those who want to genuinely drive rather than simply be seen, it is one of the smartest sports cars for rent in Sardinia.

The 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive then adds a precious margin on Sardinian asphalt, which swings between immaculate stretches and more weathered surfaces, sometimes dusted with sand near the beaches. We deliver the car wherever suits you best — including directly in San Teodoro, the perfect base for Cala Brandinchi and Lu Impostu — covering 27 destinations and 3 airports across the island.

The M139 2.0-litre turbo does not impersonate a V8: it has a voice of its own, metallic and angry, climbing through the revs with the appetite of a racing engine and crackling sharply on the overrun once you select Sport+. The eight-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT dual-clutch fires through the gears with instantaneous shifts, and launch control turns the 4.0-second 0–100 km/h sprint into a small private event, to be repeated at every green light of the summer.

The chassis is the real masterpiece. The steering is direct and dense with information, while AMG Torque Control at the rear axle apportions torque between the two rear wheels, rotating the car into the corner instead of pushing it wide. The result is an agility that, on the narrow roads of the Gallura hinterland, is worth more than an extra hundred horsepower: the CLA 45 S dances where other sports cars have to hold themselves back.

Under the bonnet sits a plaque signed by the technician who assembled the engine: Affalterbach's "one man, one engine" principle applies here too. With 421 hp drawn from two litres of displacement, the CLA 45 S's four-cylinder remains among the most powerful ever to reach series production, with a power density that plenty of yesterday's supercars can only envy.

It is also the easiest AMG to live with: five genuine seats, a usable boot and dimensions that cause no anxiety in the car parks of Olbia or Palau. For many of our guests it is the first AMG of their lives — if that is you, our guide to the requirements for renting a luxury car in Italy answers every question before departure. Requirements and conditions are provided at the quotation stage.