There are a lot more A-Class hatchbacks available than examples of the CLA saloons and Shooting Brake, and with the former offering inferior practicality you might find it hard to see the appeal. But if ultimate space and versatility isn’t a priority then there’s plenty to like, including the sharp looks, the impressive cabin design and quality, along with the efficient engines. The only real downside is the tight rear seat space for adults, but if that’s not an issue there really isn’t any reason to avoid buying a CLA, whether that’s in saloon (coupé) or Shooting Brake form. Incidentally, if rear seat head room is important, buying a five-door CLA might just solve your problems, as it has a slightly higher roof line.
When it comes to creating new market segments, few car makers can rival Mercedes-Benz. That should probably come as no surprise, considering it was this German company that came up with the very first car, way back in the 1880s, and since then it has built an enviable reputation for prestige and quality.
There was a time when Mercedes was exclusive, with its cars out of reach to all but the most wealthy, but in recent years the brand has become ever more accessible, with smaller cars made in much bigger volumes. The A-Class was perhaps the best example of this, and it was this small hatch that was developed into a compact saloon known as the CLA in 2013. A shooting brake (estate) edition followed, and both were such a hit that Mercedes came up with a second-generation model in 2019, which has proved to be just as popular.
History
The first CLAs arrived in the UK in July 2019 in four-door saloon form only (although to add a touch of glamour, Mercedes markets the CLA as a coupé). Buyers could choose between 134bhp CLA 180 and 161bhp CLA 200 editions, both with a turbocharged 1.3-litre petrol engine. There was also a 187bhp CLA 220 with a 2.0-litre petrol, and this was offered in front- and four-wheel drive forms, the latter marketed as the 4MATIC. Sitting at the top of the range was the 221bhp 2.0-litre CLA 250, and at first there were no diesel options.
However, within just a few weeks there were 148bhp and 187bhp CLA 200d and 220d options, which arrived at the same time as the five-door CLA Shooting Brake. Also hitting showrooms at the same time was the 302bhp Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC, which was powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine and offered as either a four-door or a Shooting Brake. By the end of 2019 there was a new range-topper in the form of the 415bhp CLA 45 S 4Matic+, which was also available in both bodystyles and powered by a tuned version of 1991cc four-cylinder engine used in the CLA 35 4MATIC.
From April 2020 there was the 215bhp plug-in hybrid CLA 250e saloon and Shooting Brake models. Both were powered by a 1.3-litre petrol engine in conjunction with a 75kW (100bhp) electric motor, fed by a 15.6 kWh battery pack.
Which one should I buy?
The idea of a relatively small 1.3-litre engine in a premium car might seem crazy, but thanks to the fitment of a turbocharger the CLA 180 and CLA 200 actually offer decent performance, even if it’s hardly what you’d call exciting. If you’re a high-mileage driver you’re probably still better off with a diesel, whereas if you cover a mileage closer to average, one of the petrol models will be cheaper to buy if not necessarily cheaper to run than a CLA 250e plug-in hybrid. This edition comes into its own if you do lots of shorter journeys, or you do mainly urban/low-speed driving, in which case you’ll be able to drive it largely on electricity.
AMG Line kicks off the range, but don’t be put off by its entry-level status, because it still comes packed with equipment, including 18″ alloy wheels, adjustable driving modes and electrically folding door mirrors with auto dimming for the driver’s side. Also featured are front and rear parking sensors plus a rear camera, LED headlights, heated front seats, keyless go, two-zone climate control, plus a three-spoke leather-trimmed multi-function steering wheel.
The dash-mounted touch-screen display is 10.25 inches across, and there’s a DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation and wireless phone charging. Move up to AMG Line Premium and you’ll get ambient interior lighting with a choice of 64 colours, keyless locking and unlocking, illuminated sills, plus an upgraded sound system. There’s also a bigger digital instrument display (10.25-inch instead of 7-inch). At the top of the range is AMG Line Premium Plus, and this adds adaptive headlights with cornering function, a panoramic opening sunroof, electrically adjustable front seats with memory settings, and traffic sign assist.
Alternatives to the Mercedes CLA
Compact saloons aren’t as popular as they once were in the UK, but the CLA still has some stiff competition, most notably in the form of the Audi A3. The German machine is packed with tech and it looks sharp, plus it comes with some great engines and an incredibly user-friendly cabin – although like the Mercedes, it’s not as much fun to drive as it could be.
If driving pleasure is high on your list of priorities the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé is a good choice. Unlike larger BMW models the 2 Series is front wheel drive, but it handles well and comes with some excellent engines, although the model range isn’t all that wide. As you’d expect of a BMW, even though this is a small car, you’ll pay plenty to buy one, but quality is excellent, especially where the interior is concerned.
If you’re considering a Mercedes you might not think that a Mazda will fit the bill, but there’s actually a lot to like about the Mazda 3 Fastback, especially the engaging driving experience and large boot. The narrow model range counts against it, but the Mazda’s interior is plush and looks the part.
Finally – and you might think we’re really stretching things here – but the Hyundai i30 Fastback is also worth a look. Having a Mercedes and a Hyundai on the same shortlist might seem a bit odd, but the i30 Fastback looks great, offers decent value and comes with a long warranty. It isn’t as posh inside as the Mercedes, but the Hyundai is still very likeable and well-equipped, even if the badge won’t impress the neighbours.
What to look for
Emissions
All CLA engines – petrol and diesel – are Euro 6-compliant, so you won’t have to pay any penalties to drive in any of the UK’s Clean Air Zones.
Towing
Towing capacities vary from one derivative to another. The CLA 180 has the lowest rating at 1,400kg and the CLA 35 4MATIC the highest at 1,800kg. The CLA 200, CLA 250, CLA 250e and CLA 220d are rated at 1,600kg, whereas the CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ can pull up to 1,500kg.
Plug-in hybrid
The CLA 250e’s electric range was officially rated at up to 43 miles, but this is speed and temperature dependent. In cold weather the range can easily drop to closer to 30 miles, but when warm it’s possible to squeeze almost 45 miles out of the battery pack.
Spare wheel
All CLAs come with a tyre repair kit rather than any kind of spare wheel. Some third-party companies offer space saver spare wheels, but these won’t fit underneath the boot floor, so you have to carry it in the boot.
Quality
The CLA’s build quality is generally very impressive, but some owners have had problems with rattles from the B-pillars and vibrations in the front door trims. It’s something for dealers to fix under warranty.
Interior
Mercedes has focused on quality for a long time, but the company really upped its game with the high-tech digital dashboards introduced around the time that the CLA was introduced. There are plenty of premium materials, the infotainment systems are superb and comfort levels are impressive too. However, while rear seat leg room is fine, head room is tight as a result of the sloping roof line.
To boost practicality, the rear seat back folds down. With this in place the boot capacity for all CLA models is 505 litres, apart from the CLA 250e which is rated at 440 litres. With the back seat folded the capacity jumps to 1,370 litres, or 1,305 litres for the CLA 250e. The high performance Mercedes-AMG models cut this figure even further to just 960 litres.
Running costs
All CLAs need to be serviced every 12 months or 15,500 miles. Rates vary across the country so it’s worth shopping around and travelling to save money; you can get quotes from any official dealer at mymercedesservice.co.uk. Services alternate between minor and major, priced at around £300 and £445 respectively for diesels, while petrol-engined cars are more like £290 and £415.
The big service is the fourth one, which is priced at around £750, and on top of the servicing the brake fluid needs to be replaced every two years (at £95), while the coolant needs to be renewed every 10 years or 124,000 miles, also at £95. All CLA engines are chain-driven, so there’s no need for any replacement cam belts at any point.
Recalls
Mercedes has recalled the second-generation CLA twice so far. The first time was in October 2020 because some cars built between October 2019 and June 2020 could suffer from leaks from the turbocharger oil supply line. This recall also affected the A-Class, B-Class, GLA and GLB fitted with the 1.3-litre petrol engine; the solution was to replace the oil supply line. The second recall came in July 2021, and this time it affected a few (just 19) A-Classes and CLAs built in April and May 2019. This time the problem was a crash sensor that hadn’t been mounted properly; the solution was to remove it and fit it correctly.
Driver Power owner satisfaction
The CLA hasn’t appeared in our Driver Power surveys but the mechanically identical A-Class makes regular appearances. The A-Class Mk4 on which the CLA Mk2 is based made its Driver Power new car survey debut in 2020, in 36th place out of 75 entries. The following year it crept up the entry list with a 23rd place, with owners saying that they put most aspects of their cars in the top half of the table.
Worryingly, the lowest score was 49th for reliability, while the ventilation and safety systems fared only a little better. But owners gave the thumbs up for the interior design and quality, the engines and gearboxes, the user-friendly infotainment systems (including the navigation), the ergonomics and front seat comfort.
2023 Mercedes-Benz CLA Review
05/06/2022
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Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-AMG
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LarryLes
국외선물의 출발 골드리치와 동행하세요.
골드리치증권는 장구한기간 투자자분들과 함께 선물마켓의 진로을 함께 여정을했습니다, 투자자분들의 보장된 자금운용 및 높은 수익률을 지향하여 언제나 전력을 다하고 있습니다.
무엇때문에 20,000+명 이상이 골드리치증권와 함께할까요?
신속한 솔루션: 간단하며 빠른 프로세스를 마련하여 누구나 간편하게 사용할 수 있습니다.
보안 프로토콜: 국가기관에서 사용하는 상위 등급의 보안을 적용하고 있습니다.
스마트 인가: 전체 거래내용은 암호화 보호되어 본인 이외에는 아무도 누구도 내용을 접근할 수 없습니다.
안전 수익률 제공: 위험 요소를 낮추어, 보다 더 안전한 수익률을 공개하며 이에 따른 리포트를 공유합니다.
24 / 7 상시 고객지원: 연중무휴 24시간 즉각적인 서비스를 통해 회원분들을 전체 서포트합니다.
제휴한 파트너사: 골드리치는 공기업은 물론 금융기관들 및 많은 협력사와 함께 걸어오고.
외국선물이란?
다양한 정보를 확인하세요.
외국선물은 외국에서 거래되는 파생금융상품 중 하나로, 특정 기반자산(예시: 주식, 화폐, 상품 등)을 바탕로 한 옵션 약정을 지칭합니다. 기본적으로 옵션은 특정 기초자산을 미래의 특정한 시점에 정해진 금액에 사거나 매도할 수 있는 권리를 제공합니다. 해외선물옵션은 이러한 옵션 계약이 외국 시장에서 거래되는 것을 지칭합니다.
국외선물은 크게 콜 옵션과 풋 옵션으로 나뉩니다. 콜 옵션은 명시된 기초자산을 미래에 일정 금액에 매수하는 권리를 부여하는 반면, 풋 옵션은 지정된 기초자산을 미래에 정해진 금액에 매도할 수 있는 권리를 부여합니다.
옵션 계약에서는 미래의 특정 날짜에 (만기일이라 지칭되는) 정해진 금액에 기초자산을 사거나 매도할 수 있는 권리를 보유하고 있습니다. 이러한 금액을 행사 가격이라고 하며, 종료일에는 해당 권리를 행사할지 여부를 선택할 수 있습니다. 따라서 옵션 계약은 거래자에게 미래의 가격 변동에 대한 보호나 이익 실현의 기회를 허락합니다.
외국선물은 시장 참가자들에게 다양한 투자 및 차익거래 기회를 열어주며, 외환, 상품, 주식 등 다양한 자산유형에 대한 옵션 계약을 포괄할 수 있습니다. 거래자는 매도 옵션을 통해 기초자산의 하향에 대한 안전장치를 받을 수 있고, 매수 옵션을 통해 활황에서의 이익을 타깃팅할 수 있습니다.
해외선물 거래의 원리
실행 가격(Exercise Price): 외국선물에서 실행 가격은 옵션 계약에 따라 특정한 금액으로 약정됩니다. 종료일에 이 금액을 기준으로 옵션을 실현할 수 있습니다.
만료일(Expiration Date): 옵션 계약의 종료일은 옵션의 실행이 허용되지않는 최종 일자를 뜻합니다. 이 날짜 다음에는 옵션 계약이 소멸되며, 더 이상 거래할 수 없습니다.
매도 옵션(Put Option)과 매수 옵션(Call Option): 풋 옵션은 기초자산을 지정된 가격에 팔 수 있는 권리를 허락하며, 매수 옵션은 기초자산을 지정된 가격에 매수하는 권리를 허락합니다.
옵션료(Premium): 해외선물 거래에서는 옵션 계약에 대한 계약료을 지불해야 합니다. 이는 옵션 계약에 대한 비용으로, 시장에서의 수요량와 공급량에 따라 변경됩니다.
실행 방식(Exercise Strategy): 투자자는 만기일에 옵션을 실행할지 여부를 결정할 수 있습니다. 이는 마켓 환경 및 거래 플랜에 따라 차이가있으며, 옵션 계약의 이익을 최대화하거나 손해를 감소하기 위해 판단됩니다.
마켓 리스크(Market Risk): 해외선물 거래는 시장의 변화추이에 효과을 받습니다. 시세 변동이 예상치 못한 진로으로 일어날 경우 손해이 발생할 수 있으며, 이러한 마켓 위험요인를 축소하기 위해 투자자는 계획을 구축하고 투자를 계획해야 합니다.
골드리치와 동반하는 외국선물은 확실한 신뢰할 수 있는 투자를 위한 가장좋은 선택입니다. 회원님들의 투자를 뒷받침하고 인도하기 위해 우리는 최선을 다하고 있습니다. 공동으로 더 나은 미래를 지향하여 전진하세요.