Mercedes-Benz A-Class EV First Drive Impressions - Bringing the A-Game

Subtlety clearly wasn’t part of the brief when Mercedes designed the new CLA EV. To say that it looks over-the-top wouldn’t be an understatement. Look at that front grille – it alone packs 142 LEDs! Bright enough to rival a busy street in Old Delhi on Diwali eve, isn’t it?

There was a time when Mercedes was all about class and elegance, but now it’s all about being loud and shouty. Has Mercedes lost the way? What’s wrong?

You see, there is a solid reason behind all of this. Mercedes isn’t really catering to the dinosaurs of society anymore, especially with its entry-level cars. The focus now is on a younger audience. According to Mercedes, India is on the ‘cusp of an unprecedented intergenerational wealth transfer’, with roughly $1.5 trillion expected to change hands over the next decade. And the new rich aren’t old-school industrialists; they are startup founders, tech bosses, and NRIs. In short, a young and ambitious demographic. Want some more proof? The so-called Gen-Z alone accounted for 43% of consumption in 2025. So, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out which way the wind is blowing, and Mercedes is simply following suit. And this shift is now most apparent in the technology on offer in the new CLA.

Mercedes-Benz CLA EV Interior, Features & AI tech

Mercedes claims the new CLA has the processing power of four supercomputers. Plus, it’s also the first Mercedes to feature the new MB.OS operating system, the MBUX virtual assistant, and AI integrations, including ChatGPT and Google Gemini. It all makes sense because, as per Mercedes, around 82% of Gen Z today actively use AI tools. However, despite being tailored to Gen Z needs, the cabin actually feels like a typical Mercedes-Benz.

The dashboard is a tech fest, dominated by a 14-inch touchscreen infotainment and a 10-inch digital driver display. The AC vents are, again, quite neat, and you have a haptic touch panel for your volume adjustment and ‘Dynamic Select’, which controls the driving modes. You also get parking cameras all around, plus it gets a heck of a lot of sensors for its ADAS functions. Overall, the cabin oozes high quality. However, that’s not to say that everything is perfect here. The plastic quality definitely leaves you wanting more. For example, the buttons around the cup holder are a little too flimsy for a Rs 60-lakh car. Similarly, the plastic in the lower half of the dashboard is scratchy, and it’s not particularly high-quality.

I love the front seats for they are body-hugging AMG-esque sport units, and even in terms of ergonomics, they are spot-on. There’s no seat ventilation, though they get heating functionality. Strange. Plus, there’s a large moonroof but no sunshade, so it gets quite warm inside on a hot day, even when the AC is on full blast.

The CLA has four seats, but it’s not a four-seater per se. Legroom is just about adequate, but since you sit with your knees pointing up, it’s not the most comfortable rear bench.

Mercedes-Benz CLA EV Battery, Performance & Range

If there’s one area where the CLA EV doesn’t feel all that Gen Z, it’s in terms of driving experience, which is to say that it doesn’t feel numb or detached from behind the wheel. The CLA 250+ on test here gets an 85.5kWh battery pack, which powers a rear-axle motor rated at 268bhp. Merc says it can clock 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds. Not earth-shattering, but it’s quick by EV standards. What stands out the most is the power delivery – it’s measured and linear. Instantaneous, but not violent. In most EVs, stepping on the throttle is like an on-off affair, but here it’s progressive and fluid.

And then there’s the grip. There’s plenty of it. Plus, it’s driven from the rear wheels, so there’s a bit of playful adjustability on offer. One thing I do miss, though, is manual control via steering paddles for regen modes. It does have adaptive regen and one-pedal driving, but I would have preferred paddle shifters for a more engaging feel.

CLA EV Ride, Handling & Driving Experience

The most impressive bit has to be the refinement. Sure, all EVs are quiet, but this one isolates you from virtually every noise from the outside world – the insulation is simply phenomenal.

The icing on the cake is its ride quality. The suspension has been tuned for Indian conditions, and it glides over bumps and bad roads with aplomb. You barely feel any surface imperfection filter into the cabin. The only time you feel slight discomfort is over sharp bumps, as the suspension produces a loud thud. However, 95% of the time during the drive, the CLA tackled the bad, broken roads around Nandi Hills without much trouble. The ground clearance has also been increased in the India-spec model, and during my time with the CLA, it didn’t scrape its underbelly anywhere.

Now, one interesting bit about the CLA EV is that it comes with a two-speed gearbox. That means at low speeds, it runs a shorter ratio, and at highway speeds, it shifts to a taller one. This reduces strain on the motor and improves efficiency. We’ve seen similar setups in cars like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. That’s also the reason behind its spectacular claimed range of 793km! It will be lower than that in the real world, no doubt, but you can still expect it to be around 600–650km, which is phenomenal.

Mercedes-Benz CLA EV Verdict: Should You Buy It?

Ultimately, the new CLA is not meant for purists. It’s aimed at the next generation, which cares more about the size of the screens than what’s under the bonnet.

And in that sense, it is virtually perfect. Big screens, AI, electric mobility, strong range, and that unmistakable Mercedes badge, plus plenty of bling. So, has Mercedes really lost the way? I don’t think so. Because it’s not Mercedes dictating the terms anymore, it’s the next generation leading the charge for the future of mobility.