No pricing data available at this time. 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA Overview What’s new: For 2025, a lot will remain the same. Part of the second wave of CLAs, which came out in 2020. With its three-star grille, the CLA is the most fuel-efficient car on the market. The GLA indeed starts a little less expensive, but it’s still an SUV. So, if you have a little money but still want a Mercedes and a car, the CLA might be the next best thing. The Mercedes CLA with the sloped roof is called a coupe, even though it has four doors, just like the other cars in its small class. It also has a lot of technology that was built in or added later. It’s too bad that its starting price is thousands of dollars more than that of its more basic German competitors. Mercedes is nice enough to ask for more than $45,000 for the base CLA 250. Also, the fact that it doesn’t come with heated seats is ridiculous. Although the CLA series got a midcycle update last year, it is still not nearly as good of a deal as the starting prices for the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A7. However, there are some other things about the CLA’s attitude that we like. Its huge (10.25-inch) high-resolution touchscreens and instrument panel were based on those in its bigger and more expensive Benz siblings. This small Mercedes is fun to drive because the controls respond quickly, though the transmission could use some work. You should check out the Audi A3 and the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe if you want a small luxury car. They both give about the same level of luxury at much lower prices. Also, if you have the money Mercedes wants for the CLA and know how to take care of an electric car, the Tesla Model 3 may be a good choice for the future. Pros vs Cons Pros High-quality badges at a fair price. The inside is beautiful and high-tech. The speed of the AMG CLA 35 and 45 models is great. Cons Not as much space in the back as some rivals. Not as valuable as the competition. It can be annoying to use tools that respond to touch. Performance How does the CLA-Class drive? We tested a CLA 250 with an extra all-wheel-drive system. The CLA’s small size and strong engine make it fun to zip through tight spaces or just cruise at fast speeds. It’s also pretty fun to drive the CLA around turns. The AMG CLA 45 S is still a good choice for people looking for a sports car, even though its tires don’t grip the road well. One place that might need help is transmission. If you put it in manual mode or drive normally, it moves quickly and easily. But the car sometimes has trouble stopping or moving away from a stop. It takes a little while for the transmission to start working when you move from park to drive or reverse. If you don’t pay attention, make sure your foot is firmly on the stop. By doing so, the car will be prevented from rolling. Comfort What does the CLA-Class feel like? If you think all Mercedes are as comfortable as S-Class cars, you won’t be happy with any of them. When driving through cities, the CLA 250 moves smoothly through the streets. Choose the base 18-inch wheels instead of the extra 19-inch ones if you want to lessen the roughness of the impacts. It’s not comfortable for everyone because the seat is too small, even if you are okay with the ride. What about the seats in the back? These are made for short trips with adults. Our favorite things about the air conditioner are that it’s easy to use and that the vents change color from red to blue when the temperature changes. It’s too bad that it doesn’t make a lot of cold air; on a day with low heat, it had trouble keeping the car cool. The seats in our test car did not have ventilation, which would have been helpful. Interior How is the state of the inside? The CLA house is a little small. It’s easy to get in because the doors are so big, but you’ll need to hunch over a bit to keep from hitting your head, especially in the back. There isn’t much space between the seats once you’re inside, but the driver and front passenger have enough headroom and legroom. Get ready for armrest issues like those you might find in an airplane coach. The back seats only have a little room for your legs or head. The CLA has good views from the front and sides, but the headrests and thick roof beams make it hard to see out the back. It is very helpful to have a camera that can see in all directions when driving. Most of the CLA’s internal operations are controlled by the touchscreen interface. Luckily, it’s easy to get good at the basics. The bad thing is that the driving wheel blocks a lot of the left side of the screen. Also, the wheel is full of touch-sensitive buttons that are too easy to press by mistake. Technology What’s wrong with the tech? In case you want your car to look high-tech, the CLA is a great option. As standard, there are two 10.25-inch screens: one for the infotainment tablet and one for the instruments. Additionally, the inside has customizable LED ambient lights that make it look unique and classy. Our test vehicle had all the necessary tools for the driver. Automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assistance all worked as they should have and didn’t get in the way of our normal drive. The 360-degree camera system was helpful because the back view was limited. However, one driver noticed the head-up display when it got dark because it was so sensitive to polarized sunglasses. You don’t have to get the Burmester sound system with our car. The highs, mids, and lows are all well split, but the bass could be stronger. We also like how easy it is to add wireless charging for smartphones. To keep your phone charged, all you have to do is set it up once and then put it in the tray under the dashboard. Storage What’s going on with storage? The trunk has 11.6 cubic feet of space for goods, and the back seats can be folded down to make even more room. Putting things in the trunk requires a fairly large liftover, but the car is usually low enough to the ground that this is not a big deal. The storage inside is a different story. The center desk is small but deep, and two openings at the top allow access. Along with the decent-sized cupholders, the door has good-sized bottle holders. The small tray under the cupholders doesn’t do anything, but the charging tray for smartphones is easily placed there. It takes work to install car seats. The upper tethers are hard to reach, but the bottom anchors with exposed Isofix loops are easy to find. Also, there is a limited amount of space. People sitting in the front will only have a little space if you use a rear-facing seat with a booster. Fuel Economy How much fuel does it use? The EPA says that the all-wheel-drive CLA 250 should get 28 mpg in mixed driving. This is about the same as the Audi A3 and a little more than the BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe. That being said, we never saw it. Instead, it got about 26 mpg on average while we had it. Value Should you take the CLA Class? In simple terms, no. It’s a pricey addition to a type of car where prices are already hard to understand. A fully loaded peer like the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe costs thousands less than a similarly equipped CLA 250. This means that it needs to catch up with more options. It also costs a lot more than its rivals, which is another big problem. It’s cool that you can use it in a vacuum, but its special features don’t make the price difference worth it. It doesn’t come with any free upkeep, and the warranty covers about what you’d expect for a product in this class. Wildcard The CLA has many benefits. It’s fun and interesting to drive around town. Ambient lighting inside makes the space feel both high-tech and fun, and the style on the outside is striking without being too much. It’s a cute little car. What is Invoice Pricing 's Recommendation? Even though it lacks a few features we think are important for this class, the CLA 250 has many packed and stand-alone features. It’s easy to add all-wheel drive to this base model. If you like driving, the AMG models have many features, and all-wheel drive is normal. Different types of Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Two types of the Mercedes-Benz CLA will be sold in 2025: the CLA 250 and the AMG CLA 35 and 45S. All three have a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that can make different amounts of power. The more powerful and performance-focused AMG models come with Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive as standard. The CLA 250, on the other hand, can be ordered with front-wheel drive. 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA Video Review
