The CLA has always been a great entry-level sedan in the Mercedes-Benz range – it looks good, has a powerful drivetrain and is priced reasonably. Now, the company is offering a BEV utilising the company’s Mercedes-Benz modular architecture (MMA) platform and it comes with some really impressive tech. Based on a 800-volt system, it utilises four computers to control everything, from a seamless driving experience to digital controls and the very advanced ADAS Level 2 system.
Let us however as usual start with the looks of the car. Those frameless windows look very classy, and the new lighting system is unique – the whole front grille lights up with 142 stars when you lock and unlock. Stars also light up in the headlights and the connected tail lights – making the world know what you are driving. 18-inch alloy wheels are part of the AMG line, and the whole vehicle is now longer, almost on par with the C-class in terms of length. With a wheelbase of 2,970 mm, you get quite a bit of space in the rear seat as well. There is a useful frunk (front trunk) as well, with a space of 101 litres.
On the inside, there is a lot of tech-wizardry going on. The main display is a 14-inch unit, and it offers Google Cloud’s new Automotive AI Agent for in-vehicle use, using bespoke data from Google Maps – but what sets it apart is the way it delivers the guidance via the trusted and familiar Mercedes-Benz interface. There is also a 10.25-inch driver display, naturally fully customisable, for all relevant details. The illuminated star pattern on the dashboard looks very beautiful, and you get 6 USB-C ports at 100 watts to enable fast charging of all your devices, in addition to a front wireless charger!
We drove the range topping 250+ AMG line, and this came with a 200 Kw (270 bhp) motor, that has a world first 2-speed transmission. Its short 11:1 ratio first gear enables exhilarating acceleration off the line while a taller, 5:1ratio second gear provides exceptional efficiency at highway speeds. The battery is a 85.5 kWh unit, and offers a real world range of more than 750 kilometres with the capability of adding 400 kilometres range in just 20 minutes.
The CLA Electric has ADAS Level 2+ features. It comes with 4 corner radars, a mid range radar, a tele and wide angle camera, 4 surround-view cameras and 2 side-view cameras! The ‘brain’ behind the car’s ADAS knows how to respond to billions of possible scenarios on the roads, having been ‘trained’ using yottabytes of data. Besides the standard Distance Assist (DISTRONIC) including a restart function, you get Route-based speed adoption, Speed limit function, Brake Assist, Lane warnings, Blind spot assist and exit warnings. Level 2+ features like steering assist and MB.Drive assist are also present, making the car quite safe.
The MBUX Virtual Assistant in the new CLA has been trained to pick up on your mood when you interact with it. A rich dataset of more than 600,000 raw audio files – featuring clips of people speaking in different languages – was fed into the system’s backend, enabling it to judge whether your mood is more happy, neutral or angry. The assistant then adapts how it converses – adjusting tone, emphasis and speed of speech – as well as using colour and light to enhance the user experience. It might even add a touch of sarcasm from time to time, as we experienced.
The new CLA Electric will come in two models – the CLA 200 ‘Standard Range’ will be in addition to the CLA 250+ ‘Long Range’ variant, that will debut in the Indian market. The CLA 200 ‘Standard Range’ will offer distinctive cues catering to diverse requirements of customers in terms of both range and styling. The CLA 200 ‘Standard Range’ will have the ‘Progressive Line’ styling, featuring comfort seats, multifunction sports leather steering wheel and two trim options. Either variant can be booked with a down payment of ₹1.5 lakh.
Prices coming soon – estimated at around ₹55-60 lakh, ex-showroom.
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