I need a car: The Mercedes CLA 250 (Part 4 in a series)

Note: What follows are my thoughts on cars that I have driven in my search for a new vehicle. I'm hoping to focus on how cars would react in real, Houston conditions. Not whether they have "tech" or how sporty they are or what their 0-60 time may be (although I will discuss those things). I hope that you come away from this with a better idea how a car would be in everyday conditions, not around a test track.  What follows is my opinion, and my opinion only. I have not received any compensation or influence in writing this other than my own impressions on each vehicle. Your mileage may (and will) vary.  Finally, the following should not be considered either an offer, or advice, on whether YOU should buy a particular car or not. Go out and make your own decisions.

Part 1: The KIA Optima

Part 2: The Dodge Dart

Part 3: The Toyota Camry



For those of you who know me you also know that I consider Mercedes Benz to be the best car-maker on the planet not named Ferrari. Some of the best cars I have ever driven have been rear-drive Mercs including my current favorite car on the road, the AMG CLS 63.


Of course, with a starting price of right around $106,000 (But you're going to spend much more than that to get it well equipped) it is more of a "dream car" and not one that I would seriously consider buying. I could never, in good conscience, pay more for a car than a large portion of the country pays for their house. So, while it's a beautiful thing to look at and admire, I would never seriously consider it even if I could afford to purchase one.

That led me to take a peek at the Mercedes Benz CLA 250, the front-drive little nephew to the CLS.

Picture courtesy of Mercedes Benz

First off, it's a pretty thing. Styled to mimic the CLS, but at a much cheaper price point, Car and Driver Magazine described it as looking like an arrow that has just left the bowstring. This is not a bad thing. While some people like the interior I found it to be a bit "blah".

Picture again courtesy of Mercedes Benz

Performance-wise it has an inline 4 cyl engine that generates 208 horsepower. This provides what I consider to be class leading acceleration but it also hampers the car with poor gas mileage. They say the car will average 30 MPG but any test that I've seen has not come close to those numbers.

The car that I drove retailed for $34,750 and came fairly nicely equipped with leather seats, an electronic nanny (drive assist), power driver and passenger seats with a memory feature, comfort suspension, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing intermittent wipers (which never work) Bluetooth and a keyless start system.

The first problem here?  You can get all of that technology, and then some, on either a Kia Optima or a Hyundai Sonata for around $5- $7 thousand dollars less.  In short, to purchase this car you would have to be enamored with the Mercedes Benz badge.

If you've ever driven either a Mercedes E or S class then you understand that the appeal of Mercedes cars are their refinement.  They are like driving a cloud that will go wherever you want it to without much effort on your part. The biggest problem that I found with the CLA is that it was (to quote Douglas Addams) almost entirely unlike any other Mercedes that I've ever driven.  How can I put this?  The ride of the CLA was what is only known as "hard". Especially when traveling over Houston's moonscape roads.  I hit one bump and honestly thought that the car left the road for a minute. The steering is also disconnected, not as bad as the KIA Optima, where I felt you needed to give the car some advance warning before making a turn, but oddly sluggish, nothing like I've experienced in previous Mercedes that I've driven.

It also had a cheap feel to it. Most Mercedes feel like they've been constructed to the limit of our current technical knowledge of auto-building.  The CLA feels like the folks in the factory just said "well, that's good enough" and went out to watch their favorite soccer team.

To me, this is the biggest problem with the CLA, it's a good 4-door sedan but you don't get the sense that it's much better in construction or handling as are other, much cheaper, cars in the class. This is not to insinuate that the CLA is a bad car. In fact, it's a very good car. The engineers have done a good job taming the torque steer that plagues most FWD cars, especially ones with this amount of horse power, and the inside, while dreary, was clearly well thought out. The 7-speed automatic transmission is smooth, and seemed to work very well, even at slower speeds which is something other carmakers need to figure out.

To my way of thinking the biggest problem with the CLA is one of price. And I just cannot justify paying a premium for this car over several other in the class, not with the inherent flaws which include the ride and my suspicions about the build quality.

In Summary: I've said it before and it bears repeating. The CLA 250 is a nice car. It has touches that remind you that you're driving a Mercedes, including a very well thought-out (if a little bland) interior and some intriguing options.  That said, the price of the car is just too high. It has a ride that is too harsh for a family sedan, especially one that carries a luxury badge. I can't see living with this car on Houston's roads. It does have a great transmission and good power, but I worry that you're not going to see anywhere near the fuel efficiency Mercedes is advertising. There is a 4WD version of this car available, but the prices come in at around $45K. There is no way you're going to find a version of this car that's under $33K in America, due to the lack of options it would possess.  Also, I've said this before, I have dogs, and leather seats, while important to some, are not something I'm all that interested in having. It's not a big thing but it is a thing.

Why you might want to buy one: You want a good family sedan and are willing to pay the upcharge for the Mercedes badge. I think you have to make several trade-offs to have that badge with this car however, and I just don't see the value in buying one like I did in the old C-Class. To me the CLA requires you to make too many concessions to get the price point down, and I still have a sneaking suspicion that the reliability is not going to compare with the other trim models. That said, if badge prestige is your thing, then this is an option for you.

Rating: 7.1 out of 10. The car gets points for styling and the transmission, but loses points for price, build quality, fuel economy and (most importantly) the hard ride.