With impressive range and tech, the latest CLA shows Mercedes is serious about electric, writes James Stinson
6We’ve lost something with the trend towards bigger, bulkier SUV-type cars. For sure, they’re spacious and practical. They also offer drivers that much sought after high riding seating position from where you can look down on others. But you could never claim that they’re pretty. They don’t make the pulse race or heart ache the way a svelte looking coupe does. However, some buyers still want beauty and that’s what they are getting with the latest incarnation of Mercedes small saloon, the CLA.
Few cars of this size and price look so good. The CLA has been around since 2013, its highly distinctive looks being a favourite with style conscious buyers who don’t want to break the bank. It turns heads and has legions of happy owners. The latest version, arriving this summer, is more impressive still, offering more space, more refinement, more comfort, more intelligence, and more efficiency. It’s the cleverest Mercedes-Benz ever and is the first model in a completely new family of vehicles from the German marque. It’ll be sold as both an electric car and a petrol hybrid.
The electric version has an impressive 492 miles of range, and the new CLA also has an all-new, AI-based infotainment system with plenty of clever tech which can be kept fresh using over-the-air updates. While the old CLA was based on the A-class saloon, the new CLA is an entirely new car. It features a similarly low-slung side profile and downturned front grille to the outgoing CLA with the addition of a new full-width light bar. The rear looks familiar too, albeit with a new light bar across the tailgate. It’s neat, stylish, distinctive. The real changes are under the skin with the CLA now offered as an EV for the first time.
A petrol-powered version will also be available soon. At its heart is a new 85kWh battery, and in certain versions of the CLA it can deliver an impressive 492 miles of range. That’s 56 miles more than a Tesla Model 3 can manage and makes the new CLA the longest-range electric car in the UK. The car also has some new charging tech which allows for very rapid top ups. It can charge at 320kW DC, which means you can gain more than 200 miles in just 10 minutes although that means finding a charger which supports that sort of speed.
Inside, the new CLA features the latest version of Mercedes’ “Superscreen”. As standard you get a 10.25-inch driver’s display and a 14.0-inch touchscreen in the centre. A 14.0-inch passenger screen is also available as an option, and they can use this to watch streaming services or Youtube videos on the move. Mercedes is also making much of the CLA’s new AI aided capabilities, including intuitive voice commands which can control most of the car’s functions and an Alexa-type ability to answer pretty much anything you’d like to know. Prices haven’t been announced yet but we can probably expect to pay a premium on the existing model, which starts at around £33,000.