Tested CLA 250 4MATIC is cool C-Class

A troublesome car to understand since its inception, the new 2017 Mercedes Benz has received a minor cosmetic and material upgrade but neither affect the car’s quirky uniqueness.

One wonders why the Mercedes CLA has leapfrogged the evergreen C-Class in receiving the latest batch of upgrades since we’ve always grouped their componentry and similar dimensions as one .

From the outside these include new bumpers, a diamond radiator grille in black as standard and new light-alloy wheels. Tailpipe trim panels integrated flush into the bumper add the impression of width and ensures a superior high-quality appearance thanks to even and narrow gaps where the panels join. But let’s be honest, with all the optional styling packages thrust upon you, it’s very easy to pick the AMG-Line and 19-inch alloys which ultimately overshadow many of the standard alterations.

That was certainly the case with our test car which had a whopping number of optional packages bolted on and in the process disguised many of CLA’s natural refinements. The exuberant ticking has consequences;  in an attempt to demo the vast array of options, the CLA’s jarring number of chrome and piano black accessories thrown between shoulder lines that intersect at random or fade out with little purpose will frighten the brand’s acolytes.

Rear headroom is another reason many consider C-Class as the comfortable option of the two. Yet the boot is big and four adults with luggage can be done but not to Mercedes’s usual luxurious standards. The latest model CLA  gains new seat fabrics and a centre screen which is now thinner but its over-simplified shape has no harmony with the car’s other intriguing design cues like the rotary vents that run across a metallic panel resembling the curves of an aeroplane’s wing.

The CLA range grows with the new C200 d with 100kW and 300Nm but our CLA 250 gripped through the 4Matic all-wheel drive system which didn’t intervene often but around the Midlands’ gravel roads we began to think it was indispensable.

The engine is punchy around town with 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds but feathers out at the top so the 7G gearbox is forced to drop a gear despite the CLA having a lower drag coefficient than C-Class. The optional 19-inch sporty tyres do cause a slightly brittle ride over surface changes but because the cabin is insulated by quality materials and the nose tracks true at climbing speeds, the compromise was deemed an acceptable one.

Say what you will about CLA’s shortcomings, it has delivered a younger (by 13-years) and potentially lucrative customer demographic to the brand’s doorstep. It’s still very much C-Class with a funky image and the reactions during our time with it showed that Mercedes has done its homework – however confusing that logic may be.

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