2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250: Setting the new entry level luxury sedan standard

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250⁶

If you have never seen the Mercedes Benz’s Super Bowl commercial with William Defoe playing as the devil for the new 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250, you need to go to YouTube and watch it. That commercial blew me and probably half of the viewing audience away thanks to that unbelievable MSRP of $29,900. $29,900 for a Mercedes-Benz! Sounds too good to be true, right? It turns out that there is a little more to this vehicle than just a price.

Design

The new 2014 CLA250 is Mercedes-Benz’s new compact luxury sedan that is listed under the C250 within the Benz’s lineup hierarchy. With a price starting price of $29,900 plus destination, it is also the cheapest Mercedes in the United State’s market place. Think of it as a baby CLS because that is basically where the overall design language comes from. That sloping roof line, broad grill, even the tail lights of the CLA easily resembles its big brother. Now I don’t really comment on vehicle design very much because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I will comment on some styling cues that are interesting to me. First, the car looks sportier than it really is. Mercedes have done a good job in producing an aggressive but classy design without going over the top. Add on the Sports package ($2,200) and you’ll receive a more aggressive front splitter and real diffuser, a tire and brake upgrade, and some cooling vents. Another interesting stylish touch is the illuminated 3 pointed star on the grill. It’s a $480 option that will look cool at dawn and dusk. It’s hard to forget about the beautiful diamond block grill. This grill has that mesmerizing levitation effect that is functional by improving airflow and looks good at the same time.

The new Diamond Block grill on the new CLA9

 The interior of the 2014 CLA250 has that tradition two tone Mercedes-Benz look with the million buttons underneath the vents. I wonder if people still use that number pad today. The CLA comes standard with a smooth vinyl interior littered with planes of plastic. Yes, I said plastic. Now all cars, no matter how expensive, have plastic in their interiors somewhere. But the CLA’s interior will possess the most amount of plastic than any other Mercedes. I guess in order to support that low MSRP, they have to substitute some plastics bits in there somewhere. The sporty theme is carried into the interior with standard sport seats and a flat bottom steering wheel. Flat bottom steering wheels are one of those stupid design gimmicks that caught on to imply sportiness. Honestly, a flat bottom steering wheel fitted into a cargo van doesn’t make it faster, but it’s there to make you feel good. The most eye catching feature of this interior is the new 5.4 inch LCD multimedia screen. I will talk about the screen’s features later, but let me complain about the design now. It’s bad, really bad. It looks like the designers design the whole interior before realizing that they forgot to include the LCD screen. So they fashioned a plastic stand protruding from the dash and stuck the screen right on top. The screen looks removable, even though it is not. Which is concerning because things that unintentionally look removable makes you question quality. And even though it comes standard, it looks like a hundred dollar removable navigation box.

Notice the CLS themed sloping roof line of the CLA.
This CLA250 is equipped with the sports package11

Lastly, the CLA250 is a lot smaller in person than it looks in pictures. Its overall dimensions (15ft 2.3 in long, 5ft 10in wide, and 4ft 8.6in high²) places it 3 inches shorter than the Audi A4⁴, BMW 320i⁵, and Acura TSX³. And the lack of those 3 inches shows in rear seat space. It’s really cramped in the back. An average adult’s kneecap will brush against the front seats and the sloping roof line sacrifices head room. Short drives in the back will pass in most cases, but it’s a back seat fitted for children and teens.

Powertrain

                Besides the CLA250’s attractive looks, the powertrain is a feature that should never be ignored. The CLA250 comes standard with 2.0 liter direct injected turbocharged four cylinder that produces 208 horsepower and a brutal 258 foot pounds of torque through the front wheels. Now that not as impressive as Ford’s 2.0 EcoBoost but that much power pack into a compact sedan is nothing to sniff at. Mercedes utilizes a rapid multispark ignition system, high pressure direct injection, and a twin scroll turbocharger to produces those impressive numbers. With 258ft-lbs of torque and a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds, you might mistake this car for having a large V6. And because that boosted power is available from 1,250-4000 rpm, the CLA will feel effortless in all driving scenarios. The two liter turbo is mated to a 7 speed double clutch automatic (DCT) with manual mode. You have to love DCT’s quick and seamless gear changes and various driving modes (eco, sport, and manual). Speaking of eco mode, this car is “capable of achieving” 26 city/38 highway miles per gallon! In terms of power output to fuel economy, that is extremely impressive. Probably class leading in terms of holding the “most powerful fuel efficient engine in its class” title, if there is such a thing. But I did say “capable of achieving” because Americans love torque too much to hold such numbers in real life.

                Now for those who have experience driving front wheel drive vehicles with more than 250 foot pounds of torque are probably concern about torque steer. I say no worries for you doubters because thanks to Mercedes’ advanced stability control, traction control system, and the numbing effects of electric power steering, torque steer is practically eliminated. For now, the 4matic all wheel drive option is not available for the CLA250 but there are rumors stating that it is coming soon. Beware Audi!

The CLA model line also has AMG variant that also carries a 2.0 liter turbocharged 4 cylinder that unleashes a monstrous 355 horsepower and 332 foot pounds of torque. But I will save the AMG’s specs for another article.

Options

                Most reviewers, except for CNET of Cars, seldom dive into the realm of options, but I believe options available to vehicles are just as important as available engine selections. Here are some options that I believe you should look at and others that you should ignore. Remember that oddly place LCD screen? That 5.4 inch box comes standard with HD Radio and Hands-free Bluetooth connectivity. If you are a simplist in terms of interior options, that box is all you need. The Bluetooth connectivity allows you to link up your phone to dial and receive hands-free calls and stream music. Those who need a little more features from that box can upgrade to the multimedia package for $2,370. This package includes a larger 7 inch display, a backup camera, 80GB hard-drive navigation, Sirius XM® traffic and weather, in-dash 6 disc DVD/CD player and SD card reader, and a 10 GB music register. The 10GB music register is just an in-car hard drive to store your music. The problem about this register is that the only way to download music to it is by ripping song from CDs and audio DVDs, which no one does anymore. Hard drive based navigation are not as impressive as they used to be since the maps tend to become outdated within a year or two. Although the multimedia package can be an eye catching upgrade for most buyers, there is a catch. In order for you to qualify to upgrade to the multimedia package, you have to first purchase the $2,300 premium package. I absolutely hate package bundling. This means obtaining the multimedia package actually cost an eye watering $4,670! So unless you need a backup camera, which you shouldn’t with this small of a car, I would totally ignore this option. Iphone owners should look at the Drive Kit Plus for the iPhone® Accessory ($599). This feature integrates your iPhone and its apps such as navigation and media apps, including Facebook®, Twitter®, and Pandora® to your Mercedes. An expensive feature, but worth it compared to the multimedia package. For those who do not own an iPhone®, I can refer you to the stupid and pointless Mercedes-Benz Apps for $14 per month. Oh and those Mercedes apps package requires you to purchase the premium/multimedia package combo.

Premium interior with lots of safety features and a dorky LCD screen.
Leather interior, wood trim, and a panoramic sunroof available to
fully customize your interior1

I cannot talk about a Mercedes vehicle without diving into its world class safety features. Here are some safety features that are standard. Collision prevention assist; the radar feature that warns you of potential objects to collide into. Adaptive Braking technology; where the car will prime the brakes for instant response whenever you rapidly release the gas pedal. Attention assist; the “you need more coffee” warning when the car sees that your sleepy. Rain-sensing windshield wipers; for those who are too lazy to move their fingers and manually activate their windshield wipers. Steer control; Mercedes claims it’s a sporty feature that can detect if slight steering corrections is necessary and perform them for you to enhance handling. In other words, Steer control is like traction control for your steering wheel. Mercedes, please leave that feature out of the AMG lineup! Please! If you want additional safety features, be prepared to pay $2,000 for the driver assistance package. This package includes Adaptive cruise control (which I love), Blind spot monitory, lane keep assist, and active collision prevention (different from the standard feature by braking for you in emergencies). And for those who can’t drive, active parking assist is available for $970. Parking assist understandably belongs in SUVs and trucks, not compact sedans.

 Absolute base price for the CLA250 is $30,825. Add on the premium and multimedia package ($4,670) and driver assistance package ($2,500), packages I believe most people will get, the price will become a hefty $37,995. This is a lot of money compared to the vehicles Mercedes are aiming at as their competitors, but not overpriced. Personally, I would order those bright Bi-Xenon headlamps ($850), the driver assistance package, and the iPhone drive kit accessory ($599) to bring the price to a respectable $34,774. Now there are other options such as the leather interior package and a panoramic sunroof but those are typical luxury options that you should choose based on your own taste.

Competitors

In terms of competitors, Mercedes-Benz and other reviewer will tell you that the 2014 CLA250’s competitors are the Lexus CT200h, Acura ILX, and BMW 1-series coupe. That’s honestly a low blow to make such comparisons. Of course the CLA comes on top compared to Lexus’ version of the Toyota Prius, a Honda Civic with a suit on, and a roadster hatchback looking thing.  Now I understand that this segment is a huge market but Mercedes should not be setting their sights toward smaller, simpler, and less powerful vehicles. I believe the true competitors are the 2014 Audi A3 sedan (not the hatchback version that we are all used too), 2013 Buick Regal (forgot about that car didn’t you), Cadillac ATS, BMW 320i, Acura TSX, and the Mercedes C250. Now I chose those vehicles because I believe they will be in consumers’ cross shopping list for an entry level luxury sedan

                Yes, I did label the Mercedes C250 as one of CLA’s competitors. This is not the first time we have seen one of these inner rivalries in the automotive world. Audi went though one over the past few years when many of the potential A6 buyers migrated over to the larger and more attractive A7. I believe the same situation will occur between the CLA and the C250. Think about it, the CLA is more attractive, slightly larger, faster, more fuel efficient, and cheaper with similar options than the C250. The CLA will not take over the C class’s market place because the C class offers more powerful powertrain options that are not available in the CLA, but the C250 may be rendered useless. If you’re really set on purchasing the Mercedes C250, I would wait until 2015 when they unveil the redesigned C class.

Final thoughts

Base 2014 Mercedes CLA2506

When I first saw that Mercedes SuperBowl commercial for the CLA, I assumed that the really low MSRP, attractive styling, and the desire to own a Mercedes-Benz would cause the world to purchase the new 2014 CLA250 in hoards. But after hours of research and learning about the car, I don’t think that will be the case. The CLA’s small size, dorky LCD screen, and backstabbing options list takes this car out of the “absolute must buy list.” Don’t get me wrong, that powertrain and attractive styling does makes the CLA a compelling vehicle in the entry level luxury compact sedan market. We are just going to have to see how the market copes with the CLA250, and whether the low price is reflected in overall reliability. Another interesting fact, Mercedes-Benz categorizes the CLA model as a coupe and a sedan under the vehicle tabs in their homepage. This makes Mercedes look like they maybe going through a little identity crisis with the CLA. Fill free to leave a comment below if you have any questions on the new 2014 CLA250.

Resources

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2.       Edmunds.com. "2014 Acura TSX." Edmunds.com. Edmunds, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.edmunds.com/acura/tsx/2014/features-specs.html?style=200490522>.

3.       Edmunds.com. "2014 Audi A4." Edmunds.com. Edmunds, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.edmunds.com/audi/a4/2014/features-specs.html?style=200477387>.

4.       Edmunds.com. "2014 BMW 3-series." Edmunds.com. Edmunds, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/3-series/2014/features-specs.html?style=200489817>.

5.       Edmunds.com. "2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA." Edmunds.com. Edmunds.com, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz/cla-class/2014/features-specs.html?style=101410564>.

6.       Findthebest.com. "2014 Mercedes-Benz C250 vs 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250."Cars.findthebest.com. Findthebest.com, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://cars.findthebest.com/compare/4769-4782/2014-Mercedes-Benz-C250-Sport-vs-2014-Mercedes-Benz-CLA250-Coupe>.

7.       Mercedes-Benz USA. "CLA-Class." Mercedes-Benz USA. Mercedes-Benz, 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/class/class-CLA/bodystyle-CPE>.

8.       Paswall.com. "Mercedes Cla 14083 Hd Full Size." Paswall.com. Paswall.com, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://paswall.com/mercedes-cla-14083-hd.html/mercedes-cla-14083-hd>.

9.       Seriouswheels.com. "2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class - CLA 250 Edition 1 Studio 1 - 1920x1440 - Wallpaper." 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class - CLA 250 Edition 1 Studio 1 - 1920x1440 - Wallpaper. Seriouswheel.com, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.seriouswheels.com/2013/klm/2013-Mercedes-Benz-CLA-Class-CLA-250-Edition-1-Studio-1-1920x1440.htm>.

10.   Tingwall, Eric. "2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 / CLA250 4MATIC." Car and Driver. Car and Driver, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2014-mercedes-benz-cla250-cla250-4matic-first-drive-review>.

11.   Wallsave.com. "Mercedes CLA Car." Wallsave.com. Wallsave.com, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.wallsave.com/wallpapers/1366x768/mercedes-cla/347857/mercedes-cla-car-347857.jpg>.