Mercedes-Benz CLA review

• Overview
• What is it?
• Does it get the same platform as the hatch?
• Presumably it’s pretty similar to drive too?
• What are the rivals?
• Our choice from the range
• What's the verdict?
• BMW 2 Series Coupe
• Peugeot 508
• Audi A3 Saloon
• Driving
• What is it like to drive?
• What about the plug-in hybrid?
• How does it ride?
• Interior
• What is it like on the inside?
• What’s it done that for?
• Is it a pleasant place to be?
• Buying
• What should I be paying?
• What’s the difference between kit?
• What’s the best spec?

Overview

What is it?

The car to buy, if what annoys you most about the Mercedes A-Class is that you can in fact fit fully grown adults in the second row of seats.

It complements the A-Class the way a CLS does the E-Class, the CLA being for people who are prepared to sacrifice a bit of practicality in the name of style. Style that, in this case, comes from four pillarless doors and a swept-back, coupe-like roofline.

The current second-generation CLA has been with us since 2019, and in 2023 it received a mid-life facelift, with minor styling tweaks to both exterior and interior (and not all for the better) and powertrain refinements. More on that in a bit.

Does it get the same platform as the hatch?

Yup. The CLA is based on the same platform as the A-Class and B-Class. There’s also GLA and GLB SUVs that share this platform too, as well as a Shooting Brake estate version of the CLA itself. And confusingly, there’s also an A-Class saloon. And, of course, obligatory fast versions of each.

But take it from us, this is a much better looking car in real life than it is in pics. It also gets the same tech-heavy interior as the hatchback – sit in the driver’s seat and look forwards, and you could just as easily be sitting in an A-Class – with the same glitzy dual widescreen displays and all the same driver assistance systems. However, as part of the mid-life facelift the steering wheel now gets fiddly touchpad controls, and the trackpad on the centre console has gone. Annoying.

Still, all jokes aside, you can actually fit people in the back. Just about, though any taller passengers might be a little squished. More on that on the Interior tab.

Presumably it’s pretty similar to drive too?

Yep, though Mercedes claims the CLA is the most fun of all its compact cars. Not because it’s any faster, but because of things like the multi-link rear axle, a wider track and beefier anti-roll bars. We’re not entirely sure that’s true – it’s surefooted and capable enough, but we’re still not sure we’d describe it as ‘fun’, and on the standard lowered comfort suspension, the ride was a little firm for our liking, too.

Over here we get the choice of one diesel (220d) and three petrol engines (180, 200 and 250e). The 180 and 200 are now equipped with a small 48V mild hybrid set-up for better performance and efficiency, while the 250e gets a 108bhp electric motor and 15.6kWh battery pairing for a claimed electric range of up to 48 miles. Head over to the Driving tab for more.

What are the rivals?

The CLA’s closest competitor is undoubtedly the BMW 2 Series Coupe if you’re here for the coupe-ness, or the Audi A3 Saloon, Peugeot 508 and VW Arteon if it’s a svelte saloon you’re after. Or, indeed, the A-Class saloon…

Prices start at £34,535 for the petrol-powered CLA 180, £39,265 for the 200d, and £45,360 for the 250e plug-in hybrid, though it’s worth noting that company car buyers can take advantage of 8 per cent BiK tax rates. Head over to the Buying tab for more.

Our choice from the range

MERCEDES-BENZ

CLA 220d Sport Executive 4dr Tip Auto

£38,955

If you want a small Mercedes, sensible money buys a normal A-Class. Because it’s a bit cheaper, more practical and still has that interior. But many of you won’t do that. You’ll be swayed by the CLA’s swooping roofline and pillarless doors, and you’ll be only too happy to pay for the privilege of owning them. For that bit of extra glamour. For not having to drive around in a ‘boring’ family hatchback, even one with a Mercedes-Benz badge on the front.

And we don’t blame you. No, it’s not massively more engaging to drive, the lesser petrol engine is thrashy and the interior is possibly worse off on account of the facelift, but the CLA Coupe is undoubtedly a desirable car. And it’s not that much more money than the A-Class hatch. It’s certainly a massive improvement on the last CLA, and that alone will make a lot of people very happy indeed.

BMW 2 Series Coupe

£22,300 – £47,795

Peugeot 508

Audi A3 Saloon

£26,370 – £45,780

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Driving

Driving

What is it like to drive?

Let’s start with the available engines. Things begin with the 180 and 200, which both use a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol and are now equipped with a 48-volt mild hybrid setup which reduces start-up times, provides an extra 14bhp power when accelerating, and improves efficiency by allowing the combustion engine to shut down when coasting. The former has 134bhp, and the latter 161bhp.

We’ve tried the 200, and while it provides enough grunt – 0-62mph in 8.4 seconds and 142mph – when you put your foot down it sounds a bit thrashy. More annoying is the gearbox, though, which is a seven-speed DCT carried over from the last generation CLA. While it feels better here than in some A- and B-Classes we’ve tried, it remains dim-witted around town and hesitant when you’re pulling away.

Your sole diesel option (over here, at least) is the 220d. It borrows the 2.0-litre from the C-Class and E-Class, an engine diesel naysayers should note is already compliant with emissions standards that don’t come into force until 2035. It’s very smooth and quiet, and punch enough with 187bhp and 295lb ft of torque. Crucially, it gets an eight-speed DCT that’s way, way better than the petrol cars’ seven.

What about the plug-in hybrid?

Hold your horses, we’re getting there. The CLA 250e features a 1.3-litre petrol engine, which delivers 161bhp and 199lb ft of torque, while the electric motor can generate an additional 108bhp and 221lb ft.

The more pertinent figure, however, is the claimed up to 48 miles of all-electric range courtesy of the 15.6kWh battery. On our 30-mile test drive, we spent 59 per cent of it running on battery power according to the trip computer, which isn’t bad going. You can also instruct the car to run in Electric, Hybrid or Battery Hold modes, meaning you could feasibly do the average UK commute (23 miles) without using any petrol.

How does it ride?

All UK models get Merc’s “lowered comfort suspension”, which we found a little firm. Though Mercedes claims the four-door coupe is the most “dynamic” of its compact cars, it’s not an especially sporting thing – more laid back, like a mini GT – so we’d have preferred a little more finesse. Shame we don’t get adaptive suspension, which isn’t even an option in the UK.

The CLA is quiet on the motorway with minimal wind noise, though bigger wheels and tyres add road roar. The optional panoramic sunroof adds more ambient noise, too, but there’s never any rustle from around the tops of the pillarless doors. Lane Keep Assist and Speed Limit Assist are standard and work well enough.

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Overview

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Interior

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Where else to start than with the dashboard, shared with the A-Class hatch, which means two 10.25-inch glossy widescreen displays (now standard fit in the UK) and a very un-car-like look and feel. It immediately impresses, no doubt.

However, where pre-facelift you controlled the driver’s instrument cluster using a simple thumb-operated touchpad on the steering wheel and various physical buttons (and the infotainment display by touching the screen itself or with a trackpad on the centre console), the redesigned steering wheel now has small and fiddly touchpad controls and the trackpad has gone completely. Bummer.

What’s it done that for?

Well, Mercedes would say that this is because voice control is the system’s party piece: say “Hey Mercedes” followed by a command, and we’re told it ought to be able to decipher and answer pretty much any car-based query. Not quite true, but as far as these systems go it’s pretty good. It’s especially adept at changing radio stations, changing the colour of the ambient lighting and entering sat nav destinations. But it’s a bit hit and miss, especially if you have a regional accent.

Once your fingers learn the system, your brain gets to grips with the latest ‘MBUX’ infotainment. It’s very customisable, so you can choose how you want it to look and behave. Good graphics, good functionality and enough processing power for swift and smooth operation, whatever the input.

Mercedes has also retained the climate controls, by way of a row of physical switchgear underneath central air vents. Ten house points there.

Is it a pleasant place to be?

The driving position and seats are comfortable, and for the most part everything looks and feels nice and expensive. A notable exception is the indicator stalk, which feels cheap and poorly damped. Probe deeper and you will find more cheap-feeling and -looking plastics, but mostly they’re in places you seldom have cause to look at our touch. Ambient lighting is cool though.

Surprisingly you can fit real people in the CLA’s rear seats. Not overly tall ones, admittedly, but actual people all the same. There’s certainly enough legroom to sit behind a driver of similar height for anyone under 6ft. Not so much headroom though, as you’d expect from a car with so much rake. Kids will be fine back there, but with adults you’re better off treating it as a 2+2 instead of a proper four-seater.

Boot capacity is only 440 litres in the standard petrol and diesels, and 395 litres in the PHEV on account of the battery. That’s more than you get in a regular A-Class hatch and saloon, and crucially, also slightly more than its biggest rival, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe.

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Driving

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Buying

Buying

What should I be paying?

Prices start at £34,535 for the petrol-powered CLA 180 and £36,035 for the 200, £39,265 for the 220d and £45,360 for the 250e, which require you to step up a trim level. More on that below.

For reference, that’s more than a regular A-Class or A-Class saloon, but cheaper than the BMW 2 Series Coupe and VW Arteon. A Peugeot 508 is less (by a smidge), as is an Audi A3 Saloon (by a lot).

What’s the difference between kit?

Your base trim level is Sport Executive, which gets 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 10.25in digital instrument display and 10.25-inch touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, voice control, heated front seats, and Mercedes’ parking package including reversing camera. Not bad.

One up AMG Line Executive trim models get AMG bodystyling and alloys, sports steering wheel, seats and brakes, wireless charging, ambient lighting and keyless go, among other things, while AMG Line Premium adds 19-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, an upgraded sound system, and augmented reality satnav that projects directions onto a live feed of the road from a camera behind the rear-view mirror.

Top-spec AMG Line Premium Plus models get fancy multi-beam LED lights, a panoramic sunroof, memory seats and 360-degree camera. A £1,495 pack adds the rest of Merc’s latest active safety and driver assistance tech.

What’s the best spec?

Based on our experience we reckon the 220d is the pick of the bunch if you can ignore the diesel naysayers, if only for the eight-speed DCT that’s a huge improvement on the petrol cars’ seven. We’d be tempted to stick to the entry-level (but impressively well equipped) Sport Executive trim, which means you avoid the lowered comfort suspension and should ride best courtesy of the smaller alloys.

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Interior

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Specs & Prices

Keyword: Mercedes-Benz CLA review