2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250: Temper Your Expectations

Published on December 13, 2013 in Test Drives by Benjamin Hunting

Disappointment is one of the most cutting of human emotions.  Nothing can ever fall so far in our estimation than that which we have built up to a dizzying height via our own expectations.  The 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 is a car that I really, truly, wanted to like, and a vehicle that I looked forward to sampling.  After having spent a week behind the wheel of the CLA250, however, I am forced to report that I have become a victim of my own preconceptions – in particular, the idea that Mercedes-Benz had found the secret for shrinking its successful luxury formula.  There are good, small premium cars out there, but sadly, Mercedes-Benz isn’t building them.

It’s All About The Price

So much that concerns the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class revolves around its price, which on our Canadian shores checks in at an affordable (for its class) $33,900.  Of course, as much as that sub-$35k figure accounts for the appeal of the CLA250, it is also responsible for several of the issues surrounding its palatability as a legitimate premium option.

Consider the limited amount of standard equipment that comes with the CLA250, requiring buyers to pay more if they want to indulge in a navigation system, genuine leather upholstery, or that great Canadian aspirational feature, heated seats.  This essentially renders the vehicle’s attractive price of entry moot, as my tester tipped the scales with a sticker of over $41k.  Even if  you pony up for these items, you’ll still be stuck with an overly-generous helping of plastic inside the sedan’s cabin, which is unusual for a Mercedes-Benz.  Compared to other cars at its price point, its possible to do better in terms of gear, style, and quality – in some cases, even when looking outside of the luxury segment.

Form Over Function

It’s also important to note that the Mercedes-Benz CLA250 asks buyers to make a significant sacrifice in terms of day-to-day practicality that no other compact premium sedan demands.  This is due to the car’s ‘coupe-like’ shape, which is styling code-speak for an arched roof that significantly cuts into headroom for rear passengers and makes it difficult even for average-size individuals to enter or exit the back of the automobile (not to mention place a child in a car seat).  Some are enamoured of the CLA-Class’ styling and liken it to a truncated CLS-Class.  Personally, 'truncated' best describes the level of passion the sedan’s not-so-graceful looks stirred within me.  Legroom isn’t great in the back either, which further replicates the coupe concept that the CLA250’s designers were aiming for.

Uncertain At Any Speed

I found the least impressive aspect of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class to be its drivetrain, which consists of a 208 horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that feeds the front wheels by way of a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission.  Also capable of generating 258 lb-ft of torque, the plucky little unit is quite good when passing at highway speeds – but due to the inefficacy of the car’s dual-clutch gearbox, this remained the only environment where the CLA250 turned in a passing grade.

The seven-speed automated manual routinely hesitated to deliver the power being generated by the car’s turbo motor, leading to circumstances where I was sitting completely stationary while the engine revved up past 2,500 rpm, my right-foot ministrations unable to ease the CLA250’s dual clutches into action.  This occurred frequently in conjunction with the sedan’s unpleasantly abrupt automatic engine start/stop feature.  When driven more brusquely, I often found the Mercedes-Benz transmission backtracking as it pounded forward through the gears, only to suddenly change its mind seemingly mid-shift and go back to the higher cog – all of this with my foot unceasingly on the floor.  It was a confusing and decidedly non-Mercedes-Benz level of performance that left a sour taste in my mouth in any number of driving scenarios.

Topping it all off was uninspiring fuel mileage of 10 l/100 kilometres in mixed city and highway driving, and handling that suffered from imprecise response to steering inputs combined with a suspension system that seemed incapable of keeping up with the demands of Montreal’s pockmarked roads.  Some of that vagueness can be attributed to the CLA250’s front-wheel drive architecture, but this isn’t a blanket excuse as there are a number of front-wheel drive competitors that don’t suffer from the same milquetoast character.

Not Up To Par

It’s troubling to walk away from a car such as the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 with such a sour taste in my mouth.  Mercedes-Benz is quite capable of building absolutely amazing automobiles, and does so on a regular basis.  The drive to capture volume, however – to steal away shoppers who might have previously considered a fully-loaded Honda Accord when faced with the high cost of a vehicle like the C-Class sedan – is what has created an environment where quality is traded for economies of scale and a more marketable MSRP.

The thing is, it’s going to work.  I have no doubt that the CLA250 is poised to be the next big thing in the entry-level luxury class, its sales figures inflated by so many buyers who have always wanted to park a Mercedes-Benz in the driveway but who have, until now, not been able to meet the asking price.  All the German automaker had to do to create this juggernaut-in-waiting was trade in a little bit of its credibility as a premium brand, a slick move that will fill its corporate pockets at the expense of diluting the Silver Star’s resonance with the E-Class and S-Class buyers who fuel its economic engine.

Test drive report
Test model 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA
Trim level CLA250
Price range $33,900 – $49,800
Price as tested 41 125 $
Warranty (basic) 4 years/80,000 km
Warranty (powertrain) 4 years/80,000 km
Fuel economy (city/highway/observed) 8,4 / 5,0 / 11,0 L/100km
Options N/A
Competitive models BMW 1 Series, Audi A3, Acura ILX, Buick Verano
Strong points
  • Affordable base price
  • Excellent standard safety gear
  • COMAND system easy to use
Weak points
  • Expensive options
  • Tiny, difficult-to-access rear seat
  • Unpleasant to drive
  • Poorly tuned transmission
  • Non-premium plastics in interior
  • Unrefined ride
  • Abrupt automatic engine start/stop system
Editor's rating
Fuel economy 3.5/5 The CLA250 is average at the pump for its class.
Value 3.5/5 The list of standard equipment is fairly modest, forcing buyers to pay more for options.
Styling 3.5/5 Some see a smaller CLS-Class, but the CLA250's proportions are awkward.
Comfort 3.5/5 The CLA250's suspension system doesn't offer the Mercedes-Benz ride I expected it to.
Performance 2.5/5 The CLA250's reluctant transmission ruins the car's driving experience.
Overall 3.0/5 The CLA250 is a weak entry into the affordable luxury car segment.
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