How Mercedes CLA conquered Audi, BMW, Lexus
Mercedes-Benz introduces the 2014 CLA at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. (Jan. 13, 2013) Credit: Getty Images
Last year Mercedes-Benz beat BMW as the top-selling U.S. luxury brand. The company’s not-so-secret weapon? The brand-new CLA, a $30,000-plus, entry-level sedan that’s being called the Baby Benz.
I put both models, the CLA250 and the CLA45 AMG, through their paces over pitted roads in Michigan and smooth asphalt in California. All those miles put a sharp focus on the reasons why the CLA is such a formidable weapon in the luxury wars among Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW, Volkswagen AG’s Audi and Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus. It’s the most approachable and charming Mercedes I’ve tested in recent memory.
Mercedes, a Daimler AG brand, says that 75 percent of CLA buyers are new to the brand, and you too might be attracted by the price. Here are 10 points to consider.
Go on the site and build your own CLA, however, and you’ll see most Mercedes niceties are not included on the base. There’s the inescapable $925 destination charge. Metallic paints run $720. If you want leather, you’ll have to select the $1,500 interior package. The CLA I drove in Michigan came to $43,000.
But you won’t mistake it for Honda Motor Co.’s Civic. The long, sloping roof and tapered trunk help disguise the front-wheel-drive architecture while giving the silhouette drama. The very real downside is compromised headroom in the rear. I’m 6 feet tall, and was cranky after 10 minutes stuck in the back.
I took the CLA45 on a closed racetrack outside of Los Angeles and hurled it through bends so hard that the tires screamed. While it doesn’t handle as well as a rear-wheel-drive sports car, I could still slide the CLA45 as I positioned it into turns.
The engine is a delight, delivering power promptly. And even with 332 pound-feet of torque, it had no torque steer -- that feeling of the front wheels wrenching sideways when you step hard on the gas from a standstill.
Buyer beware: The suspension is much more tightly strung, and you feel the chop on broken pavement.
There is plastic throughout, and some will think that the navigation screen, which floats in space to the driver’s right, just looks stuck on.
Ultimately, that means luxury buyers have more options, and that’s good for everyone.
