***My Mercedes Rental Car For The Day - Pics & Review***

[cawimmer430]

2019 Mercedes-Benz CLA180 "Coupe"

Technical Data: 1.33-l turbo 4-cylinder (gasoline), 136-horsepower, 216 km/h top speed, FWD, 7-DCT transmission





So my A250 had its first servicing, and I used that opportunity to rent (for 49,- Euros) another Mercedes. I was expecting another A-Class/B-Class, but luckily they had the new CLA there. Perfect. Although it's based on the current W177 A-Class platform, it does feel and drive like a completely different car.



EXTERIOR

I do like the new CLA. Visually it's feels a tad more conservative than the rather visually loud first generation CLA, but it's so much better looking inside and out, and it's also better in every single way. If I were going for the new CLA, I would naturally add the AMG Line trim to give it a bit more sporty flair., go for white or yellow (exterior color) and enjoy the goodies that come with the AMG Line option such as that wonderfully addicting-to-hold steering wheel and those seats.

This particular car looked ok. It's never gonna turn heads with its boring black color and competent wheel design, but it looks ok.










INTERIOR

Nothing much to say here except that it's basically the same cabin shared across the entire entry-level Mercedes' range. I'm glad this car came with the widescreen cockpit. Interior materials are good. It's perfect for an entry-level premium car and feels premium. Driver space up front is very generous, even for 6'4" folks like me. Rear is obviously cramped, both in terms of leg and head space.

There was a new digital speedometer design dubbed PROGRESSIVE which I really liked - it looked so futuristic. Check it out!











THE MOTOR & TRANSMISSION

Even though it was a base CLA180, it wasn't and didn't feel slow. This 1.33-l turbo engine feels bigger and more powerful than it actually is. Last year I experienced the same engine in the new A200 (163-hp) and was blown away by the refinement and more than sufficient power. Needless to say this same motor has very high NVH standards and has virtually no noticeable turbo lag. Regarding Start-Stop, in this car it starts up smoother than in my car (that was also my impression with the A200- the 1.33-l engine seems to restart smoother than the 2.0 M260 DE20 LA engine in my A250).

The car is very agile and zippy in the city and on country roads effortlessly accelerates to 100 km/h while offering a sound that could be described as "sporty sounding". The engine works well with the transmission, which works completely flawless and in the background. For my tastes, it up-shifted a bit too early into the high gears in COMFORT mode, but I'm gonna chalk that up to the transmission still learning your driving style as this was also the case with my A250. And since this is a rental that gets driven by a lot of people... yeah, you get it. I never felt the need to manually downshift using the paddle shifters on the steering wheel during normal driving. Only when I was blasting through corners did I enjoy this feature.

On the Autobahn the little 136-hp motor does well until about 130 km/h, past this speed it still accelerates commendably (aka "does not feel like the engine is struggling"), but it lacks the brutal explosive power that I am by now used to in my A250. In other countries with speed limits this does not matter, in Germany it does. By the way, fuel economy was pretty good. While I was having fun (once engine and oil were warm) on the Autobahn and pushing it hard, the I was generally stuck in the 9.2 L - 9.7 / 100 km zone (25.5 mpg - 24.2 mpg). In mixed driving, with Start-Stop activated I got as low as 6.2 L / 100 km (37.9 mpg). I was allowed to travel 250 km with the car, and I used that to the full extent!

Top speed is apparently 216 km/h, but I backed off at 200 km/h because I wasn't sure what speed rating the winter tires had - and I was too lazy to check! And this brings us to the next criteria: handling.










HANDLING/STABILITY

Two words: pretty good! This was a base car with no fancy suspension (front: MacPherson Strust, rear: twist beams (!!!)) but it handled competently. I pushed it hard on country roads and it coped rather well. I'd describe the ride as competent and willing to go a bit further than what it was designed for. It also cornered well, but some heavy understeer became apparent in really sharp corners taken at adventurous speeds. This is something I actually expected as like in the A-Class, the models beneath the '250 motor lack a front limited slip differential (my A250 has this and corners really well in hard turns without hardly any noticeable understeer). At this point also a small word on the winter tires: great grip.

High speed stability on the Autobahn was excellent. This felt like a proper German sports sedan here. And - the car was also pleasantly quiet. On the Autobahn I was driving - where possible - at higher speeds and I was impressed with how quiet the engine was at high speed cruising. It was a relaxing purring kind of noise that let you know that the motor wasn't stressed or struggling. That's how I'd describe it.

The steering feedback was essentially equal to that of my A250 in standard COMFORT mode settings. Light but responsive. Like in my A250, the sensitivity feedback increased slightly at higher speeds.

One thing I really liked, which also added to the pleasant driving experience, were the two power domes on the hood. While they added nothing to the car in terms of handling, they looked great from behind the wheel and gave you something that was more psychological than tangible. I don't know how to describe it, but it was just something I really liked on this car.







COMFORT

The seats were ok, not particularly soft or hard. Good side support, though. I actually felt that the AMG seats in my car are better suited for daily and long-distance driving.

The suspension was good. And that means what it means: good. Nothing fancy or mind-blowing, just competent. On good roads the suspension was quiet and good, on bad roads the suspension was harsher and noisier. For comparison purposes, the high-tech Adaptive Suspension in my A250 let's you feel and experience either COMFORT or SPORT. Then again, my car has a Multi-Link rear suspension (standard on the A250/CLS250) while this baby has twist beams (Oh the horror!).








THE VERDICT

A pleasing and competent ride. It is a well-balanced car in terms driving characteristics, handling and power/fuel economy. Of course the cramped rear is a problem, but hey, it's a "Coupe" according to Mercedes' so screw the rear passengers. 

Oh, and it's more expensive compared to competitors. At the same time, I do feel that these new entry-level MBUX Mercedes' are solid premium cars and WORTH the money - especially once you go higher up ('200 / '220 / '250 models). I liked the CLA180, but for my personal tastes a little more power would be welcome and a CLA200 or the CLA220 would be an ideal and even better performer.

Forget the old CLA which was a half-assed and embarrassing "effort". These newer entry-level MBs are well-designed, well-made and loaded with futuristic but useful technology and they feel good to drive and touch (steering wheel, interior materials etc.). I keep saying this, but MB really nailed it with these newer entry-level MBUX cars.

I had a lot of fun with this car. While driving this car I did think to myself: "I kinda want one!" But it will need to be a white/yellow CLA200/220 AMG Line. 

If you're considering one in the US, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good these cars are. And you have the choice of more powerful engines, so the driving experience will be even better. 









And now it's time for the Doug Score... eh, Wimmer Score. 5 Stars, 1 = terrible, 3 = average, 5 = excellent.


ENGINE NVH *****

ENGINE PERFORMANCE *****

TRANSMISSION *****

QUALITY/MATERIALS *****

HANDLING *****

STEERING FEEDBACK *****

COMFORT *****

INTERIOR SPACE FRONT *****

INTERIOR SPACE REAR *****


OVERALL SCORE *****

[AltinD]

?Unlike the previous gen., this new one looks cheap ... ie not premium

[cawimmer430]

?Unlike the previous gen., this new one looks cheap ... ie not premium

[2o6]

?Unlike the previous gen., this new one looks cheap ... ie not premium

Do you mean the other way around? The old CLA was crap, inside and out.

[Xer0]

This car probably costs the equivalent of 50K USD 

[cawimmer430]

This car probably costs the equivalent of 50K USD 

Base price for the CLA180 with no options is 31,475 Euros.

I configured this car on the MB website to the best of my knowledge with the features my rental had:

- 7-DCT
- Widescreen Cockpit
- Progressive Trim
- 17" Leichtmetallräder wheels in 10-Speichen-Design
- Rear camera (with no 360-degree bird's eye view)


...and deducted that it should cost about...





...which is... 

[Xer0]

Damn, 43K.  I think that's the base price of a C300 4MATIC here.  I know which one I'd rather have.

Sidenote, that Euro has really fallen to the dollar recently, didn't realize it was so low!  I think I need to plan a quick European vacation 

[2o6]

Doesn't that price include tax and registration? I'd bet that when tax is added to the USA car's price, the pricing gets a bit closer. I can't imagine MB thinking a several thousand dollar loss would be acceptable.

[cawimmer430]

Damn, 43K.  I think that's the base price of a C300 4MATIC here.  I know which one I'd rather have.

Sidenote, that Euro has really fallen to the dollar recently, didn't realize it was so low!  I think I need to plan a quick European vacation 

Cars are expensive in Germany. But we also tend to buy cars based on the size of our garage space. In short - someone who wants a CLA180 will buy a CLA180. It also helps that the car tax is lower on this model than the C300 4Matic.

When I bought my A250 I could have bought a base model C180/C200 Wagon, but it wouldn't have fit into my parking spot. Plus, I was getting a much better deal with the A-Class and the new MBUX system, which the C-Class lacks and still does not have (even the new G-Class, AMG GT Coupe (4-Door) and the S-Class don't have MBUX!).

[cawimmer430]

Doesn't that price include tax and registration? I'd bet that when tax is added to the USA car's price, the pricing gets a bit closer. I can't imagine MB thinking a several thousand dollar loss would be acceptable.

Yep, 19% VAT.

Registration is going to be added separately and is rather cheap (20 Euros).

[AltinD]

If you no like ... take the Deutschebahn home

[cawimmer430]

If you no like ... take the Deutschebahn home

I want to arrive home on time, so fuck the Deutsche Bahn.