The best compact luxury sedan money can buy

Mercedes-Benz’s first launch of the year is its most gorgeous looking and the new entry-level sedan, CLA-Class. Kunal Kelkar from MotorOctane.com takes it for spin.

The A-Class changed the game for Mercedes-Benz. Its looks were fantastic and more. 

The same young pups perked up their ears to the newest member of the starry stable and MB was turning necks and catching glances once again.

But that was the A-Class. With the CLA, Mercedes doesn’t just turn necks; it snaps them right off! 

The CLA gets her jaw-dropping looks from her stunningly beautiful mother, the A-class and her suavely handsome father, the CLS-Class. 

I’d say she’s like the teen supermodel every guy is chasing in college. I think I said some similar stuff in my review of the CLA45 AMG- this car fitted with jet propulsion.

The nose is very similar to that of the A-class but instead of getting the silver diamond grille, MB has provided the CLA with a black diamond grille for a more aggressive stance.

I don’t know how Mercedes has done it; though the car may be standing still it has a silhouette that depicts an urgency of motion. The trunk gets a tiny curve upwards that acts as a diffuser. 

All these design aspects and contour lines etc give the CLA the lowest drag coefficient any sedan has ever seen. Don’t let this make you think it is based on the C-Class, this car is very much an MFA platform car.

One of my favourite aspects of this car is that it comes with frameless doors. That’s right! The windows may be small but roll them down and open the door creates an immediate break in the routine framed door life of this world. 

Mercedes-Benz has made a few differences to the interior of the CLA. Yes, it looks very fresh; though it may seem similar to the interiors of the A-Class it is not.

What remains the same is the layout but the buttons are clean and new and the screen for the COMAND system has been replaced by a five-inch HD display and has been installed with the latest operating system.

The same one we have seen in the new S-class. The COMAND system now comes pre-loaded with Garmin GPS navigation and web-access via Bluetooth tethering. This feature is only active when the car is not moving but that is no reason to shy away from this beauty. 

The CLA is most likely to be owner driven and is aimed towards the young modern family. Two in the front and two in the back is ideal for this car.

The coupé stance of this car does make the rear headroom on the tighter side but I doubt too many tall people will be sitting in the back seat of this car. 

Let’s talk about the petrol first. Unlike the A-class’ turbo-ed 1.6-litre engine, the CLA gets the more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four banger that produces 181bhp and 299Nm of torque.

The engine revs all the way to 6200rpm and comes mated to Merc’s latest seven-speed double clutch transmission (DCT).

This engine is in no way a slouch. Low end and mid-range is where this engine is meant to sit at. The torque band is the mid-range is fantastic, making over-taking at higher speeds easy. 

You can pick which mode suites you the best.  I have a feeling Mercedes-Benz has fiddled with the exhaust as well because the CLA200 has a beautiful exhaust note.

Pick up the rpms and the exhaust seems to come to life, let go of the gas pedal and the grunt slowly subsides. I will say that it is definitely more enjoyable for those on the outside of the car. 

Speaking of great noises let me tell you about a sound that is not so great. Yes, I’m talking about the clattery oil-burner MB has installed in the CLA.

The diesel engine for this car is a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel producing 139bhp and 300Nm of torque. It is quite loud at idle but it really starts to grunt when you take it past 3500rpm.

Anyway, it may not be the quietest of engines in the market but it still is makes for a wonderful drive. 

What surprised me the most was the ride quality. For India, Mercedes has increased the ride height as compared to the global spec car but that doesn’t mean the handling has been compromised.

The CLA handles as good as it looks. There is a certain suppleness and fluidity in the suspension setting. At higher speeds the ride and handling gets even better giving the driver great confidence in the vehicle. Speed breakers are no issue for this car! 

It is quite difficult to unsettle and being a front wheel drive car with a heavy nose it doesn’t seem to enjoy too much of nonsense. Straight lines are great in the CLA and cornering is flat.

Like all other Mercs, the steering wheel is quite dead when it comes to feedback but it’s responsiveness is accurate. In plain and simple fact, the CLA’s confidence instilling drivability is one of it’s biggest USPs. Sit behind the wheel of the CLA and the car delivers this certain level of surety that makes a hell of a difference to anybody’s driving style. 

To conclude, all I would like to mention is that with the CLA, Mercedes-Benz has brought a winning product to its fleet. There is no doubt that the car looks alluringly enigmatic.

It brings out that desire of wanting to own one. Call me biased but the CLA does have very minor flaws, but that doesn’t stop it from being an option for the best compact luxury sedan money can buy you. 

The new C-Class has created a benchmark in executive luxury cars. Because of that it has moved up a segment. I mean for the price of a C-class in India one might even consider buying a 5-series or an A6.

What one can rightfully assume is that the Audi A3 is a direct competitor to the CLA.

What Mercedes-Benz says is that this car will definitely not be cheaper than the baby Audi which means for the price of a CLA on road you might even get a 3-series on discount. Mercedes will be announcing the ex-showroom price on January 22.

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