And if it’s missing some of the trademark Benz-like qualities you noticed in your friend’s well-off uncle’s W124 300E in the late 80s, it’s still a Benz.
So much a Benz, in fact, that numerous neighbours refused to believe that the bright red CLA250 4Matic that visited GoodCarBadCar in mid-August was Mercedes-Benz’s entry-level sedan. (None of those neighbours visited the inside of the car.)
| THE GOOD • Style statement • 258 lb-ft of torque • Agile up to a point • Roomy enough interior • Fuel efficient | THE BAD • Some chintzy bits • As-tested price rises quickly • Small rear doors • Inconsistent ride quality • DCT struggles |
When told that it’s a lesser car than the CLS or E or S or even C, those neighbours warm to a notion created over time, both by marketing and in their own aspirational minds, which says they could have all that inherent Mercedes-Benz goodness with an affordable price tag.
It sounds so easy: big brand, little car, the loss of some frivolous luxuries, the removal of a few horsepower, and a deep discount.
It’s not so easy.
Many a luxury item has been removed, and I’m alright with that, but then again, many such features have been added back into this particular $46,895 Mercedes-Benz Canada car, which would cost slightly more than $40,000 in the United States if it could be equipped identically.
2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA250 4MATIC Base Price * (CDN): $38,575 As-Tested Price * (CDN): $46,895 Engine: 2.0L SOHC 16-valve turbocharged I-4 Transmission: 7-speed direct shift gearbox Horsepower: 208 @ 5500 rpm Torque: 258 lb-ft @ 1250 rpm Curb Weight: 3395 pounds Drive Type: all-wheel-drive Length: 182.3 inches Width: 70.0 inches Height: 56.6 inches Wheelbase: 106.5 inches Passenger Volume: 2492 litres Cargo Volume: 371 litres EPA City: 24 mpg EPA Highway: 32 mpg Observed: 29.4 mpg Observed: 8 L/100km * includes destination/delivery. MPG fuel economy ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency. |
The best aspect of the CLA’s interior is the look of it, from the vents to the seatbacks to the simple but elegant layout of the controls. As much as the centre-mounted screen isn’t attractively placed, it is functional, requiring very little removal of the driver’s eyes from the road.
I’ll always prefer a control knob mounted between the front seats, as in the CLA, compared with a long reach forward to touch a screen.
There’s even room in the rear of the CLA. It’s not abundant, but we crammed three adult males back there for a short back road jaunt.
Something about the shape of the seats also makes the installation of a rear-facing car seat surprisingly easy, too, so long as you remember to watch your head (and the baby’s) when loading through the narrow rear door aperture.
With five adult males aboard and with the heavier all-wheel-drive configuration, the CLA250’s 258 lb-ft of torque still comes on strong. Soon enough. Whether you blame the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission or the turbo’s lag or Mercedes-Benz’s traditional lack of immediate throttle response, there’s a distinct pause at first. It’s easy enough to become accustomed to the engine, as it seems to punch above its weight once up to speed.
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• Historical Monthly & Yearly Mercedes-Benz CLA Sales Figures
• 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Driven Review
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Odd is also how you’d describe the CLA’s mixed bag of suspension movements. The CLA has the ability to eliminate road imperfections, but it struggles to maintain composure when the surface is full of small elevation changes. At the same time, there’s a sense of initial agility, but it’s followed by a surprisingly early onset of understeer when you’re encouraging the CLA to impress your teenage nephews, and the CLA then becomes too uncommunicative.
It’s difficult to say when they’re not driven back-to-back – our time with the CLA250 4Matic came nine months after a week I spent with the front-wheel-drive CLA – but the AWD CLA250 seems to ride better, handle worse, and draw more attention to the DCT’s deficiencies. We also saw no fuel economy penalties with the all-wheel-drive, an 8.0 L/100km car in our mostly urban driving, compared with the 8.2 L/100km we saw on similar drive routes when the temperature was admittedly cooler last November.
Including delivery charges, Canadian CLA pricing begins at $36,375; 4Matic adds $2200. Is Audi’s A3 the CLA’s key rival? Or is the $45,075 C300 4Matic, a dramatically improved car for the 2015 model year, a competitor for properly-equipped entry-level Benzes, CLAs with 18-inch wheels, heated seats, a rear view camera, and dual zone automatic climate control?
It’s not a rare car. On the other hand, it’s no C-Class, which even in this transition year has averaged 5500 monthly U.S. sales and 540 in Canada.
Yes, more consumers prefer the more costly C-Class, even the older C-Class. And though the CLA is appealing in theory, it’s not hard to see why the C-Class is more appealing in practice.
