Mercedes-Benz has promised that the second-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA coupé, revealed at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, will offer the sportiest driving dynamics of its new wave of compact cars.
The new four-door coupé is due to arrive in the UK in June. It is built on a re-engineered version of the previous car’s platform and uses technology from the latest Mercedes-Benz A-Class.
Available with front- and four-wheel drive and the choice of two rear suspension systems, the new machine was displayed at CES in CLA250 guise, featuring a 221bhp four-cylinder 2.0-litre petrol engine, driven through a seven-speed automatic gearbox. The rest of the engine range is likely to mirror the A-Class, with 131bhp and 161bhp 1.3-litre petrols, a 187bhp version of the 2.0 petrol, a 114bhp 1.5 and 148bhp and 187bhp 2.0 diesels.
A decoupled multi-link rear axle will be offered, with active adaptive damping available as an option. Wheel sizes will range from 16in to 19in.
At 4688mm long and 1830mm wide, the new CLA is 48mm longer and 53mm wider than its predecessor, and its 2729mm wheelbase has been extended by 30mm. Mercedes said this, along with the car’s lower centre of gravity, helps to ensure it has improved driving dynamics. The new CLA has also been honed in the wind tunnel to have a drag coefficient of 0.23, very close to the previous car’s 0.22 Cd despite a larger frontal area.
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pushmepullyou
Side profile still looks wrong to me. I'm seeing loads of A class hatches on the road, not surprising given its top ten sales position. 90% of these are billy basic spec which look incredibly 'budget' without any of the Mercedes 'aura' im sure the owners believe theyre projecting.
I find the current Mercedes styling incredibly vulgar and brash, the A class somehow manages to acheive this AND look budget (externally at least, the interior can look incredible for a mundane hatchback).
The CLA finally looks descent
This new CLA looks so much better looking than the previous model which was ill-proportioned, even ungainly looking. Although Mercedes' saloon styling still looks a bit odd on a FWD layout, this new model genuinely looks good IMO. I wonder if the next C Class will finally spawn a 4dr coupe model though to compete with the 4 Series Gran Coupe, A5 Sportback and Arteon. It seems odd that with almost every class of car and niche occupied by a Mercedes, the large 4dr coupe isn't one of them.
A 4 door car of this shape