The bottom-of-the-
Mercedes has always faced a difficult question: is it a real Mercedes?
This is a compliment to the highly respected German brand standard.
Set the build quality.
But the problem also illustrates the inherent contradiction between budget Mercedes and the challenge of delivering a real Mercedes at Ford or Honda prices.
This is an obstacle for CLA, a compact sports sedan designed to set new standards for affordable luxury goods and dig up-and-comers.
Starting at $29,999, CLA competes with higher rivals in crowded spaces
The final product from mainstream automakers and starter sports cars from traditional rivals BMW, Audi and Lexus.
Mercedes chief executive Steve Cannon said Mercedes's goal was to steal customers from the two companies --Benz USA.
"You have a car like Ford Fusion that costs up to $30,000, so you have Mercedes-
"Mercedes-Benz competes directly with Ford," Cannon said . ".
CLA replaced C-
As the entrance to the brand-level offering.
Used to be called Baby Mercedes, C-
With the redesign announced this week, class size, performance and prices have all risen.
The platform, engine and transmission of CLA will also be used in the upcoming GLA, a compact crossover car with similar prices is expected to be available next fall.
Cannon described the CLA as the cheapest "real Mercedes" without getting the brand dirty ".
As a warning, he recalled Cadillac
Rate maron is basically a duded from 1980 s-
Chevrolet Knight has brought little sales and shame to GM's luxury brand. After a two-
Week test, we can be sure that CLA is not Cimmaron. Far from it.
But it is hard to answer whether it has fulfilled Mercedes's promise.
CLA has the necessities that any Mercedes buyer would expect, even a newbie to the brand.
The most important thing is the invisible banking awareness.
Vault building quality, which CLA owns, and the appropriate measures for power, style and handling.
Those looking for identity symbols on cheap goods will not be disappointed.
But what is most disappointing about the practicality, value, and, whatever the price, is that any Mercedes is expected to provide an exquisite driving experience.
Most of the responsibility here falls on the transmission, which on paper should be one of the biggest selling points of the car.
The gearbox is 7-speed, dual-
The clutch is automatically manual and now found in all the best exotic cars.
Volkswagen Group has been improving double
For years, it's not just the clutch of high-end cars.
These gearboxes are used from compact Volkswagen Golf to Porsche 911, and many premium Audi sedans in between, combining the best manuals and autonomous driving while eliminating the drawbacks of each model.
The Lightning we tested.
Fast shift without damaging the chassis.
Most impressive is that gear changes usually look better timing and execution in automatic mode compared to manual mode
This car is better than you can do. The dual-
This is not the case with the clutch in CLA.
The gear changes are neither clear nor intuitive.
The transmission seems to be guessing your driving style and seems to not match the Turbo 2 of the car. 0-liter four-Cylinder engine.
The motor has a lot of get-
A small car with 208 hp and 258 lbs. feet of torque.
But like many turbocharged power units, it will take a while to get to the max of rage.
The gearbox doesn't seem to get this.
Hit the throttle with any force, the downshift speed is too slow, and the engine can't breathe due to torque.
When it finally shifts, it tends to choose a gear that is too low to make the car suddenly lean forward.
As a result, you have to adjust your driving style according to the transmission, not the opposite.
When it comes to the driving style, it seems that the ecological and sports driving modes of the shifting points have all been missed.
We exchange the "normal" driving patterns for the two of them, which are programmed to be less aggressive than movement, but more positive than ecology.
Another drawback of CLA is space.
If a potential CLA buyer does crossshop higher-
The final version of Ford Fusion or Honda Accord, in contrast, the inside of the CLA looks small --
More important than most economy cars.
The cabin at CLA is comfortable in front;
The back seat is crowded and hardly suitable for living.
There are only 27 passengers in the back row.
1 inch of legroom, 8 inch less than BMW 320i and 9 inch less than Honda Civic.
The rear window is heavily tilted to provide a coupe-
Like the appearance, it will only increase the claustrophobic feeling inside.
But in the target market of CLA, many people will undoubtedly care more about the back seat space than luxury and functionality, where CLA is as good as Mercedes.
The controls are elegant and logical layout.
Material firstRate, soft
Touch dashboard covering around a textured metal insert from the center console to the passenger door.
Leather is imitationdubbed MB-Tex —
But it doesn't feel cheap. it may be better to wear it than it is.
This technology suite provides simple and practical control functions, which are rare in today's cars, even in luxury-branded cars.
A good, if ironic touch: a digital representation of analog clock and radio dialing.
Not very good: in-
The dashboard screen is more like an open screen
Dashboard, sticking out from the console, just like installing with a suction cup.
The other two highs are control and riding quality.
When you can let the transmission and the engine communicate with each other, the suspension can confidently take advantage of the car's ample power on a curved road.
CLA is definitely more inclined to exercise than to be comfortable, but passengers are hardly penalized for the quality of the ride during the exciting journey of the twities.
The CLA also provides an impressive list of standard safety equipment, including a warning to the driver of the upcoming collision protection system in front of him
End the crash and automatically brake the premier.
Another system monitors the driver's signs of drowsiness and alerts if needed.
We tested other key facilities on the car at a reasonable price.
Premium package including heated seat, double seat
Add an additional $2,500 to amenities such as regional climate control, premium stereo.
Multimedia packages, including navigation, added $2,700. A set of 18-
Inch alloy wheels added $500, blind
Spot Monitoring System added $550.
Total bill including destination fee: $36,545.
To be sure, this is a little less than most Mercedes models, but hardly changes.
Did you buy a real Mercedes for that money? Yes.
But it's not really a good driver for discerning drivers. brian.
Thevenot @ latimes.
Jerry Hirsch, author of this article, contributed to the report.