Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ Review: Baby Benz Heading To India By Year-End

The new third generation Mercedes-Benz CLA is the new star on the Stuttgart-based carmaker’s horizon. Stars galore on the front grille, boot lid, wheel hubs, and then there are the star-shaped LED DRLs or daytime running lights and taillights. Do you have stars in your eyes seeing the pictures yet? (There are 153 stars in the car’s exterior design by the way!) But that’s not what I want you to focus on. Often the entry cars from the premium set are not quite as lux as their bigger siblings. The new CLA will change that perception – and how! For those stepping into the premium brand for the first time, or even an EV for the first time, the new CLA will not disappoint. The huge, fixed glass roof that almost extends into the rear windscreen (that took some special engineering), the retractable door handles, the rimless doors and the all-new styling – especially up front. Yes it’s all looking pretty swanky! 

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Design

The styling, of course, is premium. Now you see a lot of the EQS in the new CLA, in terms of the shape, the swooping design, but the CLA was always a four-door coupe, so that roofline is not a surprise. The face, it's gotten a little bit more attractive, a little bit more modern, and again, the focus is on being really high-end and being a Mercedes. Remember, now the brand's moving away from doing a separate car, which is ICE, and a separate car in the same segment, which is EV. This car will serve both of that, so look at the new design language. It kind of reflects that. You've got that EV look on the grille, but then you've also got the connected lights. You've also got a new star pattern in the lights. This colour, of course, I'm very biassed, as you know, to blue, so I love it, but that's the whole point. It's trying to be youthful. The appeal is in the design, styling, and the first impression that the car makes on you, that's been the focus. 

It also has a frunk, which is a new thing on the new EVs from Mercedes. At 101 litres, it's nice and spacious and pretty practical. It can easily fit in an overnight strolley. The boot itself will also surprise you with a 405 litres volume capacity.

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Positioning

The CLA will, sort of in a way, also replace the A-class sedan, which is not really a huge mover for Mercedes-Benz in India. So does it then really sort of deliver all that you can expect for a buyer who's stepping into luxury? A buyer who's stepping into EV perhaps for the first time? A buyer who wants a Mercedes-Benz first and then wants like a compact sedan or an affordable Mercedes-Benz? That's what I want to find out.

I drove the third-gen CLA in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen. Scandinavia has shown a greater adoption of EVs and also boasts sustainable electricity production. Over 80 per cent of the country’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources like wind power. So, it's a great place to test this car, isn't it? The big headline around the CLA has been innovation and a lot of that’s been hijacked by the talk about the new operating system – MBOS (Mercedes-Benz Operating System). We've been hearing about it for a while. We've seen it at CES, on the concept CLA and of course, it's the first production car to get it now. That overtakes the conversation because a lot of the actual innovation, when it comes to the car itself, to the drive and to the platform (and to the electric drivetrain as well) is what interests me more. And this points to the technology of the brand’s future cars that are coming soon. So, as much as I'm very interested in the new OS, the drive experience and how this car is different in terms of its engineering development from the previous cars, is what excites me a little bit more.

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Aerodynamic

Aerodynamics are in major focus. The shape, of course, but also the radiator shutter up front, in the lower bumper, optimised shapes for the exterior mirrors, aero wheels in all variants and sizes, and those retractable handles.

The entire underbody is also fully closed and smooth – both for aero and to provide protection to the battery. And that helps it have one of the best drag coefficient figure of 0.21 Cd. 

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Platform

There was a time not so long back when Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and many others were talking about dedicated EV platforms and BMW was a conspicuous exception. So, after a few years of giving us all these EQ cars that were very different and almost obviously, or purposely so (to their ICE counterparts), Mercedes-Benz now has this new strategy going forward, where (maybe not for every vehicle line) there's going to be a common architecture now for EV and ICE. They may say it’s “EV-first” as is said for the CLA. The new Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture or MMA is kicking things off for the compacts. An ICE CLA will follow, but India will get this EV version only for starters. 

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Battery and Variants

The new CLA has two variants – 250+ and 350 4MATIC. Both use the same 85 kWh Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) battery and a new 2-Speed transmission. If you’re in interested in the new CLA, you’d only get the 250+. That plus (+) badging first appeared in India on the EQA 250+ last year. We won't get the 4Matic or the all- wheel drive with the 350 4Matic variant, the one which has a dual-motor setup with a little more power on offer. The European market will also get a smaller battery pack but I don’t expect that to come to.

Let’s focus more on the 250+ then. An 85 kWh battery pack, a rear-axle-mounted electric motor with ample amount of power, but the focus is not so much on the range. In fact, the focus is on how do you maximise that range? Also on how to make the overall working of the car a little bit more efficient. That’s not surprising because unlike ICE cars which were trying to eke out a bit more mileage with pretty much the same engine tech, EVs are now getting new technology, new battery chemistry and new software. All of this helps accelerates some of those efficiencies, and Mercedes is really proud of about this with the new CLA. How it pans out we’ll only know with real-world usage but it sounds promising (on paper). 

Efficiency is further enhanced by using 800V charging architecture. 99 per cent or higher recuperation efficiency. It also has new Michelin e.Primacy 2 tyres, a new air conditioner, and the new efficient motors to further help with efficiency.

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Range and Efficiency

Highways are where a lot of the electrics tend to lose range and that’s primarily due to a big part of focus on efficiency. And that’s why the new two-speed gearbox has been employed, to counter that efficiency or lack thereof. In city speeds, around 60-70 kmph or little more, the gearbox is going to stay in first. It’ll only shift to second gear when you start doing higher speeds, or when you’re trying to cruise on the highway, or go faster to probably overtake. With the second gear, you’re not straining the motor anymore to maintain those speeds, and can maintain the triple-digit speeds more consistently. Typically with EVs, as you start gobbling up the power and start extracting that performance, the range takes a drastic and alarming hit. Mercedes is trying to avoid all of that with the new gearbox. It’ll be better in bigger cars that are coming or even the ones where people will probably want to take out on the highways, or do more road trips with. 

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Performance

The CLA drives well. Acceleration is quick, though, I won’t say it knocks you back into your seat. What I don’t love is the steering – too loose and way too soft. It does stiffen up a bit in Sport mode though. The car handles very well and is taut around corners. 

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Interior

So, the idea of cool tech inside the cabin has not been new to Mercedes for a while. With MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) system, we've seen the Hyperscreen and the Superscreen, and that kind of is there in the new CLA too. All of these big screens are the China effect we all keep talking about. In the CLA, you also have the optional third passenger screen, which I’m pretty sure will be offered in India but the car I had, didn’t have one. 

In the new CLA, the focus is on tech, and that’s quite evident in the way everything has been styled. Opt for either wood veneers or slightly more traditional elements, but you can also get this brushed-metal-like finish which feels more tech first, than sporty first. The older CLA had circular AC vents in the middle but Mercedes has redesigned it to be rectangular. Don’t worry, it still has circular AC vents but that’s only in the corners. Just below those new AC vents is a touch-based panel which has a haptic feel to it. Moves up and down as you press it and that’s both good and bad. Bad because it feels rattly. Good because you don’t have to look down while driving because that haptic feedback ensure you feel you’ve pressed something. 

There has been a lot of focus on the screen setup in the CLA, especially with the MBOS. Mercedes-Benz has designed its latest operating system in-house and there’s a new layout as well as a new interface! It’s not just a visual makeover compared to MBUX, the way it operates has also changed. It has a lot more connectivity features and embedded apps. Mercedes has also integrated Google Maps and it shows up right on the home screen, along with the AR navigation system we’ve also seen on the EQA 250+. 

The plastic quality isn’t that bad but you can easily tell it’s a compact or an entry level-model in a way. The steering wheel hasn’t changed too, you still have touch-based controls. The huge glass roof is really the a big part of the appeal of the cabin, giving it a lot of sense of space, even for the rear passengers. In India, though, I wonder if they’re going to give a darker tint because there’s no cover to it. 

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Cabin

If you thought the exterior was swanky, wait till you experience the back seat. I'm surprised to say that because usually the focus on the back seat is not so great. But under-thigh support is not so great and seating three people together is going to be a bit questionable. There’s a lot of focus on ambient lighting, which has traditionally been an S-Class kind of a thing. The CLA’s rear seat don’t shy away from it as you see it really pronounced on the doors. It’s like there are two panels, one on top of the other, and there’s a groove in between which houses the ambient light. It’s nice but I’m not sure how well that’ll age. The light colours in the cabin are going to be an issue but most buyers will have a way to keep that clean. Rear seat folks get the basics like two USB-C ports and two AC vents. Even the drop-down arm rest only has a phone stand and cupholders. For the India spec, they might want to think about adding like a wireless charger in the arm rest. Don’t hold your breath, but it's just something to think about. The sports seats, the material quality, all of that feels almost better and it’s comfortable. The back seat’s going to be great for kids but don't start thinking about this as your chauffeur-driven drive anytime soon.

But then this is not going to be a volumes model for Mercedes-Benz in India anyway. I was glad to get time with both variants and across two days. Plenty of driving all the way to the northern coastline of Denmark. And yes, being driven too.

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Sounds

Having driven the CLA over two days, I got used to the car a little bit more, along with its quirks, idiosyncrasies and some of the impressive features too. I really liked this ‘Sound Experience’, which is like sound themes for the car. You’ve got five of them – Fractal Fusion, Serene Breeze, Granular Fuzz, Vivid Flux and Silver Waves. Yes, very esoteric sounding. Each of them basically gives you a different sort of a theme when it comes to the sound design. It’s not just limited to the way the accelerations sound, but also what the pedestrians will hear, and also the lock-unlock sound. 

Mercedes-Benz CLA with EQ Tech: Verdict

Having spent two days with the car, the thing that I have to tell you is this two-speed gearbox takes some getting used to. It's like an AMT. When you accelerate really hard, like on a highway, you feel a little bit of a lurch when the gear changes. You also feel it when you're driving gently, it's got that little bit of a little pullback or a little gap. I spoke with the engineers, they say that this is something that had to be a bit of a compromise to be able to achieve that extra efficiency by using the two-speed box. I understand that and frankly, it’s just a matter of getting used and won’t bother you after a while. It doesn’t bother me too because what it does for the range is pretty remarkable.

So is this a car you should be excited about? Yes – if you want to step in to the world of Mercedes-Benz, want an EV and like sedans. It’s fun enough to drive, packs in heaps of innovation and is great on range. Pricing – well that will be a whole other ballgame. And just wait till it spawns the next gen A-Class hatch, GLA, and GLB.