MERCEDES-BENZ

CLA 250+: the electric car that wants to save Mercedes in the competitive EV market

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA rights a lot of its predecessor's wrongs. Its cabin is quiet and comfortable, there's a broad set of multimedia tech and it's really quite pleasant to drive, with a well-balanced ride and confident handling. These attributes are true for both the fully electric CLA as well as the new hybrid. But one CLA variant clearly outshines the other.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA marks a revolution for the model, which now focuses on a 100% electric powertrain (with EQ technology), but still maintains hybrid options. The highlight is the CLA 250+, which becomes the entry point to the electric line of Mercedes' new MMA platform.

The 2027 CLA 220 hybrid will initially launch with front-wheel drive, but an all-wheel-drive CLA 220 4Matic will follow in late 2026. A brand-new hybrid powertrain provides motivation, combining a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 1.3-kWh battery pack that feeds a small electric motor integrated in the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The e-motor provides a maximum of 30 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque, which is really just enough to help the CLA pull away from stoplights or provide immediate boost if you step on the throttle to pass a slower-moving car on the freeway.

Mercedes says you can tool around at city speeds solely under electric power, but driving through Austria's many quaint little ski towns, the gas engine is eager to kick in. There's no dedicated EV mode to lock the CLA into electric driving; you have to use a light touch on the throttle. In practice, the CLA only wants to behave like an EV under about 5 mph. Not ideal.

What's worse, the handoff between electric power and gas assist is rough and abrupt. When the 1.5-liter turbo engine fires up, total system output increases to 208 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. But the CLA 220 isn't exactly quick. Mercedes estimates a 0-to-60-mph time of 7.1 seconds, which is half a second slower than a Honda Civic hybrid. Efficiency estimates are still TBD, and while I do expect the CLA hybrid to return decent fuel economy, I doubt it'll be able to match the aforementioned Civic's impressive 49 mpg combined.

The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission could also stand to be refined. Across the CLA hybrid's Eco, Comfort and Sport drive settings, gear changes are jerky and ill-timed; the transmission will abruptly upshift when you're trying to make the most of the engine's power, but then hold a gear and hang out at 4,000 rpm for extended periods of time for seemingly no reason. Want to shift gears yourself? OK, just don't expect traditional steering wheel-mounted paddles. Instead, you toggle the column gear selector fore and aft, which is mega awkward.

The CLA 220's gruff hybrid engine is a turn-off, but the rest of this little sedan has lots to like. Over hundreds of miles of driving on Austrian roads, the CLA is comfortable, and the cabin is nicely insulated from wind and road noise. 

Despite its small size, the CLA has a good amount of space inside; a 6-foot-tall adult can easily fit in the back. Mercedes fits the CLA hybrid with a standard 10.3-inch gauge cluster and a 14-inch central multimedia touchscreen, but you can opt for the MBUX Superscreen, which adds a 14-inch passenger display, giving you full-dash-width digital real estate. I personally think it's a bit of tech overload — screens do not equal luxury — but it'll at least distract you from some of the less refined bits of hard plastic on the center console and door pockets.

Other nifty tech includes driver assistance features like lane-change and steering assist, plus an optional 360-degree camera system. The CLA comes standard with a large panoramic glass roof, but the ability to dim is an added extra, which is very dumb. Mercedes' Burmester 3D surround-sound stereo is another highlight. It sounds great, and the metal speaker covers look clutch.

CLA 250+ (Electric):

-Power and performance: 272 hp (268 hp) rear electric motor, capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in approximately 6.7 seconds.

-Gigantic range: Equipped with an 85 kWh battery, the model promises an impressive range of up to 780 km (WLTP). In real-world tests, the estimate is around 600 km.

-Ultra-fast charging: Thanks to the 800-volt architecture, it is possible to recover approximately 325 km of range in just 10 minutes using DC chargers up to 320 kW.

Autonews