Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Fifteen new launches and 15 new dealerships M-B india’s mission for 2015 is as ambitious as it is catchy. 2014 was the ‘Year of excellence’, a year in which 10,201 new customers were added to the family a record for Mercedes in india, and just 650 units shy of Audi, who retain their standing as the best-selling luxury brand in india. it has been a stunning turnaround for a brand that only a few years ago was accused by its competitors! of being only for older folk. with a new range of cars at the lower end of the spectrum, the stunning performance by the Mercedes-AMG F1 team adding much-needed sportiness to the brand, and a return to old-school values of quality and luxury for their flagship cars, Mercedes have successfully straddled the entire luxury car segment and have grown by 13 per cent in a segment that has grown by just three.

To keep up the momentum, ‘Live the Best’ is the motto for 2015 and action kicks off with the CLA-Class, the smallest sedan to bear the three-pointed star. Based on the MFA platform that underpins the A-, B- and GLA-Class, the CLA rounds off Merc’s nGC (new Generation Car) offerings for india, as it is unlikely the Shooting Brake (estate) version will come here.

If the CLA-Class feels familiar, it is because the sedan variant of the A-Class first came to india as the CLA45 AMG. it’s a car that we all love how can you not fall in love with a 360bhp AwD saloon that pops and crackles, and follows the same formula as all those barking mad evos? the car that you see here is the saner version for regular folk. taking inspiration from the Merc CLS, the first of those four-door coupes (that eventually spawned the M6 and A7), the CLA too gets a swoopy rear roofline that lends real drama to the styling. the doors are frameless units that are a super-cool, and super-rare feature. Along with the lovely LED-detailing in the optics and that aggressive grille, the CLA is a properly stunning car to behold, particularly in the red of our test car. whoever said Mercs are for grandfathers should check out the CLA it oozes style, a youthful air and has all those bling details to appeal to an audience that would never have considered a Mercedes earlier. it rides on 17-inch rims which add to the sportiness, and though the ride height has been increased for india, the wheels nicely fill out the arches.

The interiors are carried over from the rest of the NGC range and the big news, if any, is that the navigation uses Garmin maps that apparently are more exhaustive and detailed and will shortly be rolled out across the entire Merc range in india. You can also surf the internet on the infotainment system by pairing it to your phone via Bluetooth which obviously works only when the car is stationary.

Like we’ve said in the past with the A- and GLA-Class, the interiors are lovely with just the right dose of sportiness. the floating screen is reminiscent of an iPad stuck on to the dash, to appeal to the… er… iPad generation, and while some feel it looks like an afterthought, i’ve never found a problem with it. there are some hard plastics, particularly around the centre console, which does feel a bit un-Mercedes-like if you’re used to the e- and C-Class, but overall there’s little to complain about. the SLS-inspired air vents and the big dials in the meter  console all look very sporty and the theme continues with the thick small-diameter steering wheel and one-piece seats. in fact the rear quarters too get sporty bucket seats that look great though definitely don’t do the passenger sitting in the middle any favours.

While the platform is shared with the A-Class, the wheelbase has increased to 2699mm to liberate more leg room at the rear. this is 62mm more than its closest rival (the A3 obviously) which is important from an indian perspective. However the coupe roofline does eat into head room. i’m five feet nine inches and my head was touching the roof, so unless you’re shorter than me, this definitely is not for the chauffeur-driven set. the panoramic sunroof does curb claustrophobia at the back and in terms of equipment the top-end variant gets a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

The engines are familiar from the GLA-Class the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and 2.2-litre turbo-diesel. we started our drive in Goa with the turbo-petrol, that kicks out 181bhp and 300nm of torque. it makes for a claimed top speed of 235kmph and a 0-100kmph time of 7.8 seconds that is par for the course in this segment. in fact the engine makes enough power for a wee bit of torque steer in the lower gears; never uncontrollable but enough to make you smile. the motor nicely complements the sporty character of the CLA, delivering enough oomph too keep you smiling when pushing hard while settling into a relaxed cruise when you back off.

Pushed hard, the engine does get audible but it’s not a sporty sound, and at idle the motor makes way too much sound for a petrol engine. the claimed fuel efficiency is 15.04kmpl, though buyers of a mileage dispensation will quickly look at the diesel that delivers 17.9kmpl and it has a claimed range on a full tank of 895km.

The CLA200 CDI makes 134bhp and 300nm of torque and with a claimed 9.8 seconds time to 100kmph it doesn’t feel underpowered like the A-Class. there’s good low-end torque to make for a relaxed and fast cruise, but it doesn’t like being pushed hard and gets very noisy and runs out of breath.

Both engines are mated to the 7-speed twin-clutch automatic that is as smooth and refined as a regular auto, though quite often you find yourself asking for a quicker downshift. the top end variants also get shift paddles behind the steering wheel that i particularly enjoyed operating on the petrol variant.

The motor nicely complements the sporty character of the CLA

The petrol engine also complements the chassis nicely, a chassis that does those sporty lines justice. the A-Class hatchback might be underpowered, but the chassis was always up for a punt across twisty roads. the CLA is no different and over the few corners we found in Goa she displayed great front-end bite and a strong resistance to understeer. this is a front-wheel-drive car, so you’re not going to get the tail-out shenanigans like on BMWs, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have fun either, the CLA steering with great agility and precision. ignore the tyre squeal and push harder and the CLA finds even more grip, while the increased wheelbase doesn’t seem to have compromised the handling. the brakes are also up for some action with good bite and feel, complementing the character of the car very nicely.

Unlike the A-Class that has a surprisingly stiff un-Mercedes-like ride (despite being softened a notch on the edition 1 variants), the CLA rides like what a Merc ought to, albeit a Merc with sporty intentions. the ride height has been raised for indian roads and that means it doesn’t touch down on speed-breakers, even the bigger ones we found in Goa, and that is a good thing. the ride quality is rather compliant and takes the edge off most surface undulations. Big potholes do catch out the car and reveal the limits of the suspension travel, but overall the CLA is a comfortable car with which you can undertake long road trips. You might have a problem with luggage space though as the space saver wheel is strapped into the boot eating up a lot of usable space (and don’t dare leaving home without it as the tyres aren’t run flats).

Competition for the CLA will be restricted to the Audi A3, considering that BMw has no sedan variant of the 1 Series. And to sweeten the deal, Mercedes is also paying close attention to cost of ownership, a traditional bugbear with luxury cars. For the nGC range, Mercedes now claims an ownership cost of `1.99 per kilometre, that is claimed to be the lowest in this segment. Along with a three-year warranty and good fuel efficiency, the CLA-Class should be easy on the pocket, at least for a luxury car. 

Honest, i did not expect the CLA to be as good as it has turned out. the styling works, from every angle, being both modern and sporty without unnecessary details to take away from the sophistication you expect, nay demand, from a Mercedes. the interiors are excellent, with generous dollops of sportiness and though the rear head room is compromised, it is highly unlikely one would buy a CLA to be chauffeured around in.

The turbo-petrol is a lovely motor and with petrol-diesel prices finding some sensible parity, that would definitely be my pick. it complements the sporty set-up of the chassis and makes for an engaging and involving steer. then there’s the ride quality that reminds you of your dad’s Mercedes a very good thing in the context of our indian roads.

All said and done, i’d stick my neck out and say Mercedes is on to a winner with the CLA.