Mercedes CLA 350 delivers character missing in many EVs: the self-assured competence of a well balanced German sporting sedan.Mercedes-BenzMercedes CLA is the first rung on the Mercedes-Benz sedan ladder. Over mountain roads and city boulevards, CLA drove with the style and balance expected of a German sedan. CLA has typically smooth electric power delivery combined with a well sorted chassis, and excellent man-machine factors.CLA has ample power. Front and rear motors generate the electric equivalent of 349 horsepower and a stout 380 lb.-ft. of instant-on torque.Many EVs can deliver incredible stats—ferocious acceleration is their calling card—but not all deliver a holistic driving experience like the best German sedans of the past 40 or 50 years.CLA has a full-width digital screen. New Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) has improvements, most notably the menus to navigate SiriusXM and other important features. To save weight in a nEV, the seats have a limited number of electric adjustments. The under thigh extension is manual.CLA has ample power. Front and rear motors generate the electric equivalent of 349 horsepower and a stout 380 lb.-ft. of instant-on torque.CLA 350 can hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, thanks to instant-on 100-percent torque. That sprint is nearly two seconds quicker than the entry-level CLA 250, making 350's $50,000 MSRP worth the extra few thousand dollars.Following established Mercedes practice, the rear motor is mounted directly to a 2-speed gearbox with a very low first gear to aid sprinting in urban settings, delivering suitable stab-and-thrust on boulevards. No minivan or work truck poses a challenge.CLA is the first rung of Mercedes' sedan ladder.AdvertisementAdvertisementCLA 350 can hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, thanks to instant-on 100-percent torque. That sprint is nearly two seconds quicker than the entry-level CLA 250, making 350's $50,000 MSRP worth the extra few thousand dollars.Rear door frame is tight. Children will find it amusing to climb in, like into a tree fort. But it's not ideal if transporting a small child in a safety seat. This is a compact sedan, and a 4-door coupé at that, with sweeping low roofline.Drive down LA's original freeway, the 110, to the Music Center or Disney Hall and CLA adapts thanks to a fairly high second gear that ensures the rear motor delivers power all the way to the car's 130-mph top speed. I doubt many of these cars will ever be driven at speeds much over 80 mph on the highway, but the second gear helps keep CLA quiet when ambling along boulevards and urban highways.Steering is excellent on the mountain, the car gliding smoothly. And as is the case with all the best out of Germany, the steering input, roll rate (how far and how quickly the car leans when cornering) and power application at the wheels is perfectly, smoothly coordinated. Someone who has never driven on a mountain road could perform with style just relax and give easy inputs.CLA is an urban scooter, but with a plush enough ride for longer trips. A weekend trip from Greater Los Angeles to Santa Barbara is no trouble, or the longer stretch to Pt. Loma or Encinitas in San Diego.CLA 350 delivers the sort of balanced performance the nepo brokers of auction houses now tout for those "iconic" 1980s and '90s German sports sedans. The first of the great 1980s German sports sedans I had on loan four decades ago could do the same 0-60 mph sprint in…wait for it…6.5 seconds, and that required potential damage to the melodic straight-6, clutch, gearbox, and joints in the drivetrain.In an electric car, it's simply smooth, and repeatable. Even Grandmama can do it.AdvertisementAdvertisementCLA has about a claimed 312 miles of range. Obviously, if you drive with a heavy foot, that number decreases.But don't mistake CLA for an electric hyper-sedan that can do the deed in the 2-second range—Mercedes-AMG has one such hyper-sedan coming to market soon—a level of acceleration bordering on painful to the human body.CLA is a 4-door coupé with a sweeping, low roofline. Very sexy. But if you are a male standing taller than median height, you're better off with the more upright C-class EV, or better still the Mercedes GLC SUV EV, with its tall greenhouse, tall roofline, and greater headroom. Better to be five foot eleven or less. I had to duck my head dropping down into the driver's seat. CLA is not for linebackers, old or young.If life includes hauling a small child in a safety seat, the CLA's rear door frame will be a challenge when hoisting out or placing a small child.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe information fed upwards from the 3-link front and multi-link rear suspension to the seat of the pants is well done. The roll rate—how quickly and how deeply the car leans when cornering—is predictable, and beautifully measured. The suspension engineers struck a nice balance between comfort and agility.The information fed upwards from the 3-link front and multi-link rear suspension to the seat of the pants is well done. The roll rate—how quickly and how deeply the car leans when cornering—is predictable, and beautifully measured. The suspension engineers struck a nice balance between comfort and agility.I have never liked Strong Recuperation braking in any electric car from any carmaker, finding it usually herky-jerky, unsettling, primitive, too sudden. Sure, the Wah-Wah on-off throttle pedal can be amusing for a short while. In many cars, an aggressive recuperation pitches the passengers and driver forward.In CLA, Strong Recuperation works well—this Wah-Wah I like. For the first time I used Strong Recuperation not just heading down the mountain, but on boulevards.Around town, when jotting up to the market or post office or a school run with considerable street traffic, the Intelligent Recuperation setting selected with the right-side steering wheel paddle is worth its weight in silicon chips, cameras and sensors. It combines early braking detection systems with recuperation. It's a perfect setting for all those of Greater Los Angeles who commute down the 110 to DTLA, or over the 10 into Santa Monica.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn Greater Los Angeles and Orange County where I spend much of my time, electric vehicles work perfectly well, a statement that always angers my former colleagues and friends who live east of the Mississippi. Most weekdays I travel by Pasadena's Arroyo Gold Line station and its parking lot with a forest of chargers. For those who want to live free of gas stations and use a car for local runs, or weekend trips in-region, Mercedes has several luxurious and fairly practical EV offerings, CLA among them.CLA 350 with all-wheel drive delivered a pleasurable drive on mountain roads. CLA drove with the style and balance expected of a German sedan. CLA has typically smooth electric power delivery combined with a well sorted chassis, and excellent man-machine factors.This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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