Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 4MATIC Is Good But Is It The Best

In a deviation from more formal car reviews, my time with the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 4Matic starts off with a description of a flash blizzard. A heavy dose of snow struck Colorado’s Front Range without mercy; the plows couldn’t keep up with the snowfall. Several vehicles were sliding off the road, some into ditches… and I was headed home from a first date. I purposefully chose a route home that avoided major highways out of concern for out-of-control semi-trucks, so it was all country roads for me from behind the wheel of the latest CLA in its Starling Blue Metallic blue.
 

While the little Mercedes performed brilliantly during the terrible weather, and despite not offering oodles of power, it’s a comprehensive package that I enjoyed. But is it worth the price tag? Our tester was specced to the value of $60,000 (to be clear, this isn’t the AMG variant), and even with all the extras, we still found some areas lacking. We do think the CLA 250 4Matic delivers the goods in other ways that would make entry-level luxury car buyers quite happy, though.
 
Exterior: Nice Enough
Mercedes’ reputation for somewhat bland-looking exterior designs remains with the CLA 250. This is not the AMG-tuned model, which adds more power, a sportier suspension, a higher price tag, and a few exterior tweaks, so it looks like you’d expect a four-door Mercedes to look. The optional paint is worth the $750 price to help elevate it a little – the Starling Blue looks fantastic, particularly under direct sunlight.
 
Our sampler came equipped with the optional AMG Night Package. For an additional $3,150, you get some AMG body styling – specifically a diamond-block grille and high-gloss black trim on the grille, mirror covers, and window trim – and AMG twin five-spoke wheels with black accents and a few interior upgrades. Checking the box for the 19-inch AMG multi-spoke black wheels boosts the price by another $900. If it were up to me, I’d put the money for these extras towards the AMG CLA 35 or 45.
 
Described by the automaker as a four-door coupe, the CLA 250 may be a little bland, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good-looking entry-level luxury vehicle. It’s not alone in its vanilla looks, though, and rivals like the Audi A3 and BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe are similarly straightforward in design. Some may call it understated, but I think Mercedes could have put in some additional effort. However, the interior is where the CLA-Class, as a whole, is a true standout.
 

Elegant But Aging Interior
Most noticeable inside the CLA 250 is the way it aligns with much more expensive models – at least the slightly older ones. It’s not given the large portrait-oriented infotainment display we’ve seen in the S-Class, but other clues around the cabin are clearly Mercedes. The large, circular air vents and the lighting strip that stretches across the dash help to make it feel upmarket, but the gloss black plastic surrounding the center air vents shows up fingerprints and attracts dust – and it feels a little cheap. The same goes for the plastic paneling on the center console. Fortunately, the toggle switches have a more premium feel.
 
The chunky multi-spoke steering wheel feels good in hand, especially during more spirited driving. The aluminum pedals are another nice touch. Oddly, Mercedes still uses a steering wheel column-mounted stalk for the gearshift. You just turn the knob to your gear of choice, and press a button to engage Park. It works, but a traditional center console gear shifter would be much better, even at the expense of some console space.
 
A bigger complaint pertains to how you control the 10.25-inch central display screen from the steering wheel. It works as follows: The driver places their thumb on a sensor which is located on the top of the right spoke, and then rolls their thumb to select a touchscreen function. Some thumb pressure to the center confirms your selection. It may sound simple, but the sensor is ultra-sensitive, so its difficult to select something without the indicator moving elsewhere. I found I had to give up selecting some items many times to ensure my eyes were on the road – this kind of distraction can be a safety issue, in my opinion.
 
On the plus side, our tester came with the optional Burmester surround sound system ($970) with 12 speakers and a digital amplifier, which was delightful, as well as heated front seats which are part of the $450 Winter Package. We particularly liked the natural grain black Linden Wood cabin trim ($325).
 
The CLA 250 isn’t the most practical car in the class. It offers just 11.6 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk, and since the rear seats do not split and fold, that’s all you get – you can flip the rear-seat center armrest down for a pass-through, which worked for my snowboard. Some buyers won’t be satisfied with that, however.
 

Powertrain: Get The AMG
No one can doubt that getting behind the wheel of any Merc is a pleasant experience – it’s also much easier to slip into than the 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD AT4X AEV Edition I’d just had on test. German automakers are excellent at designing ideal seating positions for drivers, and the seating is well padded for even spirited driving. My second day with the CLA 250 4Matic included some twisty mountain roads outside Boulder, Colorado, where the seats proved supportive and the car seemed to enjoy the curves. The suspension is nicely tuned, but it’s certainly not an AMG – nor does it sound like one.
 
Resting under the hood is a mild-hybrid 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four with 221 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Power goes to all four wheels, as per the ‘4Matic’ name. The powertrain does the job decently, and it’ll get up to speed just fine – it’s just not exciting. The transmission offers quick shifting action and contributes to the fun but underpowered ride. The good news is that the CLA 250 looks and sounds faster than it is. The AMG CLA 35 offers a much livelier 302 hp and 295 lb-ft of twist from the same AMG-fettled engine, which means a 4.8-second run to 60 mph as opposed to the 6.3 seconds you’ll need with the CLA 250 4Matic. The kicker is that the more powerful car is $5k cheaper than what my tester cost.
 
The standard 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is as good as expected, though, and it kept me safely on the tarmac in another Colorado blizzard. The navigation system’s suggested route was the scenic one, which sounded better than being around very unpredictable Denver highway drivers. But, my route consisted of a country road running right along the Front Range, which separates the flat grounds from the mountains. The plows barely touched it during my trip. I drove past at least two other vehicles that slid off the road – one had gone into a ditch. The Merc remained solid and planted the entire time, though I was driving well below the speed limit.
 
We do suggest spending the $1,700 to get the Driver Assistance Package. It adds active safety features like brake and steering assist, cross-traffic alert, emergency stop assist, blind spot assist, and route-based speed adaptation.Some of these should be standard on a car in this segment, in our opinion.
 
As for fuel economy, the EPA rates the CLA 250 4Matic at 25/35/28 mpg on city/highway/combined cycles. Even in heavy metro Denver traffic, we managed to attain the combined figure.
 

Pricing & Verdict
Mercedes asks at least $43,200 for the entry-level CLA 250. The 4Matic all-wheel drive system raises that figure to $45,200. My feature-rich tester came to a grand total of $60,415, including the $1,150 destination charge. That’s a hefty sum for a luxury vehicle with less than 300 hp. Fortunately, Mercedes offers a solution.
 
The AMG CLA 35 begins at $54,950 and includes some of the features you need to pay more for on the CLA 250, like heated seats and the premium sound system from Burmester – that makes the price gap between the two models ever smaller. If you want more power, the AMG CLA 45 S has a $65,400 starting price, and with that comes all the attitude you’d expect from a proper AMG product.
 
The CLA 250 4Matic is a nice entry-level luxury four-door, but it lacks attitude and costs a lot for a car you need to add a bunch of packages to. Its Audi A3 rival is down on power in comparison, but improves on fuel efficiency at a much more palatable price. In fact, you could get an Audi S3 with 306 hp for under $2k more than the CLA 250 4Matic costs. The similarly-powerful BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is the cheapest of the lot, asking just over $40k. If it were our money, we’d stretch for the AMG CLA 35 without a second thought. If the budget was restricted to $50k, we’d be shopping over at Audi.