Sporty intentions, design, and loads of luxury, this newborn star is a scaled down CLS. It’s a cross between a sedan and a coupe – so we are downsizing after all.
Following a tidal wave of success so large that it resulted in the opening of a new manufacturing plant, the A-Class platform is enjoying the dividends with the release of the CLA based on the same platform (and it won’t be the last – the small SUV, the GLA, is also on its way). On seeing it in the flesh though, it seems more like a smaller version of the CLS due to the unquestionable similarity between the two and the shared sedan-coupe design formula. Despite some compromise in the shape of the doors and passengers compartment, the Mercedes CLA 200 ends up looking sporty and elegant at the same time.
The body (only 1.43 metres in height), vertical steering wheel, and the seat lowered to the floor create a dynamic driving position in sync with the car’s styling. This is further enhanced by excellent handling characteristics. If you’ve already read our review of the A-Class, you’ll be familiar with the same slick front axle (not very prone to understeer), with great handling around curves. In this case, we have a spirited 1.6 litre turbocharged petrol engine with 154bhp at 5,300rpm and a six-speed manual gearbox. Now, a stick shift Mercedes is a rare sight, but for the CLA it must be said that it has a very nice gear shift. The throws are a bit elongated, but very precise.
On board, the feel is super comfortable, due to the fact that almost no noise is emitted from any part of the car. This is thanks in part to the aerodynamics, and in part to the painstaking work done on the soundproofing, as well as other acoustic measures. The only crackles come from the dashboard controls, but these are very sporadic.
In the back, the rear bench is designed for two passengers – the sculpted rear section of the front seats leave room for your knees and the roof is at the perfect height. In short, it’s quite comfortable. If anything, one might feel a bit sunken in the car, which isn’t ideal for anyone who’d prefer to look outside. Moreover, the ring-shaped door makes getting in and out of the car a bit tough.
A Pleasure to Steer
The turbocharged engine is unexceptional below 2,000rpm, but once it hits the torque range it’s brilliant and hurls the mass of the CLA (not at all heavy for a car of this dimension) up and down the streets of the French Riviera – demonstrating much resourcefulness up to 6,000rpm. The first four gears are fairly close, while the fifth works well almost anywhere, and the sixth is for highway cruising. When you need to overtake, it isn’t always necessary to downshift. After a few curves, the compact turning circle also becomes appreciable – along with the power of the brakes that take advantage of a particularly responsive brake pedal, which gives its all from the very first millimetre of travel. Among the numerous safety features, there’s the Collision Prevention Assist, a radar detector that warns the driver of a potential collision and calculates the necessary braking force to prevent it should the driver not be up to the task (perhaps this is why the brake pedal’s response is so immediate). In any case, you learn to modulate it quickly. In terms of fuel consumption, we didn’t expect any striking results, but in our 300 kilometer test we registered a notable 11km/l, which is not bad considering that the accelerator pedal wasn’t spared during the test. The C220 CDI is reported to do 24 kilometers to a litre of diesel. So, stay tuned for more on the CLA.
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