Mercedes-Benz turns the sex-appeal thermostat from lukewarm to steaming hot with the shapely new CLA. As before, the compact four-door coupe is designed to seduce but Stuttgart’s second attempt is classier, curvier and more charismatic.
The completely new model, due to reach Australia in the third quarter of this year, is sure to be a more effective customer magnet for Mercedes-Benz than the first-generation CLA launched in 2013.
In Europe, half the people who bought the CLA previously drove something from another brand. And three out of four of these first-time buyers chose another Mercedes-Benz as their next car.
It’s been a big success in Australia, racking up almost 15,000 sales so far, and a big hit worldwide, with combined sales of the four-door and five-door Shooting Brake wagon totalling 750,000.
The new Shooting Brake due out later this year will not be sold in Australia. Slow-selling diesel versions of the CLA will also be dropped, according to Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis.
First of the new line to arrive, about August, will be the CLA200. This front-drive model features the same lacklustre engine and gearbox team of turbo 1.3-litre four and seven-speed double-clutch auto as the A200 hatch launched last year. Expect prices to begin from about $56,000, an increase of roughly $3000.
It will be swiftly followed into showrooms by the CLA250, with a lively turbo 2.0-litre four, seven-speed double-clutch auto, and all-wheel drive. High performance AMG variants join the line-up later still.
The new CLA is a larger car than before, growing about 50mm wider and longer compared to the current model, though height is almost the same. Its axles, front and rear, put more distance between the wheels than in Mercedes-Benz’s other compact models.
There’s more elbow room inside the enlarged new CLA, in front and behind. Front seat headroom increases, too, but the swoopy roofline means the rear seat remains squeezy for tall types. The cargo compartment is slightly smaller but a much wider boot opening makes the space easier to use.
Inside is a skilful fusion of style and tech. With the same widescreen instrument and infotainment display as the new A-Class hatch and a similar layout, the cabin of the CLA is as seductive as its exterior.
The tech isn’t bad either. With the Alps looming ahead at one stage of the international launch test drive in southern Germany, we decide the view calls for music.
Saying “Hey Mercedes” to first activate the car’s MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User eXperience) set-up, my co-driver requests “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music. Seconds later we’re yodelling along.
When it comes to providing driving entertainment, the new CLA isn’t so adept. The 165kW engine of the popular-in-Australia 250 version is energetic enough but the transmission is a constant pain.
The CLA gets the brand’s new digital screen layout.
The CLA gets the brand’s new digital screen layout.Source:Supplied
Gear changes tend to be jerky, especially in slow-moving traffic when pressure on the accelerator pedal is light. It’s easy to make things worse; switch to Sport mode and the seven-speed double-clutch holds low gears too long and this reluctance to upshift quickly becomes annoying.
Another problem noted during the German test drive was the proclivity of the car’s collision-avoidance tech for false alarms — not only warning beeps but sudden and sharp braking. This is technology with great lifesaving potential but the CLA’s set-up needs extra work to make sure it acts only when really needed.
All the CLA250s available for testing at the launch came with adaptive damping. Comfort mode delivers a floaty feel. Too soft. Sport is firmer, reducing comfort. Slightly too hard.
The non-adaptive AMG “lowered comfort” suspension that will be standard on the CLA in Australia needs to hit the Goldilocks zone in between.
So the new CLA highlights the talent of the Mercedes-Benz design department but isn’t a great example of the company’s engineering expertise. Having grown longer and wider, the compact coupe is now close in size to the C-Class sedan.
For similar money to the new CLA250, a C200 or C300 will deliver proper Mercedes-Benz polish when it comes to the driving experience. There’s another big difference, and it’s an important one — the C-Class sedan isn’t styled for seduction.
Mercedes-Benz CLA250 4MATIC Coupe
Price: $70,000 (est)
Safety: Not yet rated
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo, 165kW/350Nm
Thirst: 6.7L/100km
0-100km/h: 6.3 secs
Hungary games
In our globalised age, brand homeland is not a reliable indicator of where something is made. Mercedes-Benz is German as can be but the new CLA isn’t made there. Instead, it’s built in Kecskeme, Hungary.
Posted by Mercedes Singapore at 1:41 AM No comments:
Monday, April 1, 2019
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe Review
Having arrived on the market in 2015 as the replacement for the GLK-Class, the Mercedes-Benz GLC has quickly become one of the most successful models in the carmaker’s SUV lineup.
In early 2019, the first generation GLC received its first facelift for the regular SUV body-style. With this new model still not available on the market, the Germans introduced in March 2019 the facelift for the coupe variant of the GLC as well.
Described as “a vehicle for individualists who attach maximum importance to extraordinary looks, the greatest possible freedom and pioneering technology,” the GLC coupe brings a revised exterior and interior, new driving assistance technologies and new engines.
1 Exterior design & Features
The exterior changes made to the model are subtle, yet noticeable. At the front, the air intakes have been modified, and the standard-fit LED High Performance headlamps and contoured diamond radiator grille reshaped.
At the rear, the main changes are the new look of the rear diffuser with underride guard and tailpipe trims and the redesigned full-LED tail lamps.
Look at from the side, the GLC coupe retained the same distinctive shape, with a dropping roofline leading into the rounded rear window. What looks a bit different are the A-pillars, which have a more pronounced slope making the roof of the car look a bit lower.
2 Interior design, features and passenger space
The interior of the GLC coupe sports, as per Mercedes-Benz, “flawless luxury and user-friendly controls.”
The design chosen features clear lines, with flowing surfaces linking the various elements together. In the center of the car, a large, one-piece console panel extends from the center air vents to the armrest.
The single piece of the interior that was significantly overhauled is the multifunction steering wheel, which will be made available in two new versions.
Also, a brand new interior color has been created for the GLC, magma grey.
3 Gadgets
The GLC coupe carries over all of the gadgets deployed in the regular version, including the deployment of the MBUX infotainment system.
The free-standing screen of the infotainment system will be available in two sizes, 7 or 10.25 inches, while the instrument cluster relies on a 12.3-inch screen. Both screens of the infotainment can be tailored in one of three modes, Classic, Sport and Progressive.
MBUX features in the GLC an Augmented Video feature that shows images captured by a camera located in front of the rear-view mirror. The information sent back to the driver directly on the multimedia display includes traffic signs information about where to make a turn, house numbers or names.
4 Performance
When it launches later this year, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe will be available with five engines, two gasoline and three diesel. More units will be added at later dates.
All the engines to be deployed in the beginning are four-cylinder. The gasoline ones are enhanced by Mercedes’ EQ Boost mild-hybrid system. Regardless of fuel, all units work in conjunction with the 4MATIC system.
The gasoline lineup comprises the GLC 200 that develops 197 hp and the GLC 300 good for 258 hp. Diesel fans are treated with the GLC 200 d, GLC 220 d and GLC 300 d with respective outputs of 163, 194 and 245 horsepower.
Fuel consumption ranges from 5.8 l/100 km (40.5 mpg) on the GLC 300 d to 7.4-7.1 l/100 km (31.7 – 33 mpg) on the gasoline engines.
5 Safety
Most of the safety features deployed on the current generation GLC coupe made it into the facelift as well, enhanced by the deployment of additional systems.
These new features include an exit-warning function, emergency-corridor function, and tail-end-of-traffic-jam function, among others. Also new is Trailer Manoeuvring Assist.
For the first time, the SUV is equipped with the Dynamic Body Control suspension with infinitely adjustable dampers for the front and rear axle.
6 Conclusion
Presently, the Mercedes-Benz lineup of SUV comprises seven models: the GLA, GLC, GLC Coupé, GLE, GLE Coupé, GLS, G-Class. Since the introduction of the first Mercedes car for this segment, the carmaker sold around five million SUVs.
The rather young GLC nameplate had, of course, an important contribution to reaching that number, and the launch the facelifted and upgraded variants for both the regular SUV and the coupe can do nothing but help future sales.
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