2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA-Class

Sporty Glammobile

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating:

Awesome sporty look/feel without the sport car cost! Just right for a single, young Glammother with an occasional car seat riding passenger! Downgrade in size and other luxuries from my C300 but, great on looks and gas economy. Buying with Edmunds' incentives made the deal even better! The $200 gift card looks good in my "new to me" car!!!!

Best Care I've owned

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 4

This car is flat-out amazing. Everything I'd wanted and hoped this car to be was present. In spades. First, however, is "the ache" for "what you want..." I'd characterize this as "the mainstream model...just not being enough." So, among segment players, that'd be Audi A4, BMW 328i/x, Mercedes C250 or C300; Volvo S60. I'd also include the "next step up," e.g. base A6, BMW 5 series, Mercedes E350; (maybe Volvo S80 re: size). The characteristic lacking is they feel under-powered. And so, for those who feel similarly, the car gods created the Audi S4/ S6; or 3.0 A6. There's BMW 335's/535's, and (was only C350..2 door in 4matic in US).... The gap and emptiness in the heart filled to over-flowing is "all the functionality" of the base series above, but with >300hp (in smaller car); 4 doors, AWD, space--and just performance, driving dynamics, exhiliration. The AMG CLA45 just rules. -- Power for price point: WoW. Its beyond BMW 335; instead in range of M3. And its a Mercedes. They give you free day AMG racing academy if you buy one new; but its worth the 1K in education and perspective out-of-pocket. If you're like the "rest of the world," and "just happen to not be cross-shopping other AMG's" and be disappointed it doesn't sound like a V8/V12 gas guzzler's of old...don't be. CLA45 is right in the middle of the pack with the other AMG's. Still can't believe how hard they had us drive the whole fleet of AMG's. Didn't know you could drive cars that hard. Would never drive my own that hard---but nice to know you could!

good looks are not everything

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 2 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 3 Safety Rating: 3 Technology Rating: 3 Value Rating: 2

not worth this bottom of the line Mercedes I traded it for a 2016 Honda Touring, know this is a real ride Comfort all the way!!!!!!!

Danger! Danger!

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: Reliability Rating: 2 Safety Rating: 2 Technology Rating: 3 Value Rating:

I bought my Red 2014 CLA 250 in November 2014. I loved it in spite of the fact that it was a low-end luxury vehicle that sounded like a tractor. I always have head turns and compliments. Now, not so much. A few weeks ago it just stopped on one of the major intersections. The warning said something like" "Inoperable, pull over when able and consult the owner's manual" If the traffic had been as busy as usual I could have been killed or seriously injured. I rolled across the intersection into a parking lot. Cut the car off and back on. It started back up like nothing had happened. I took the car into the dealership and was told that they had to update the software. What?! They gave me some additional "cockamamy" excuses but nothing that mattered to me.

Best Compact Luxary Car in its Class.

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 5

A lot of what you read out there is this car versus another car that is not in its class. You cannot fairly compare this car to, say, a BMW 320 or a Mercedes C300. This is a compact luxury coupe that happens to have 4 doors. It is not a closer to mid-sized sedan like the ones mentioned above. Keep that in mind when you read peoples reviews. The CLA250 is in a niche (test) market. The only real direct competitors at this time are the Acura ILX, BMW 228, and Audi A3. The BMW 228 is a 2 door, so that isn't exactly the same class. Nevertheless, these cars are aimed at people that want a lower price point luxury vehicle with great fuel economy and smaller dimensions. Lexus, Infiniti, etc., don't make a competitor vehicle. Maybe you could throw in maxed out Altima's, Camry's, and Accord's, but that would be a stretch to call those luxury vehicles. Having said all that, the CLA 250 is a fantastic car in its class. The interior feels very premium at this price point. The console layout is great and feels like modern premium. Its well thought out and has all the right touches one would expect in a luxury vehicle. The BMW feels antiquated by comparison, while the Audi is just plain terrible. The Acura ILX actually has the next best console/cockpit layout and feel after the CLA250. The front seating on all four cars are what one would expect in a compact luxury car. If you are much taller than average, you will feel cramped. For people of average height and lower, there is plenty of comfort and room to be had. None are the clear winner in this respect. You will just have to experience each of them and judge for yourself. In our opinion, the MB power seating controls, seat heating, and other minor nuances, are what place it at the top. The rear seating on all four cars is cramped, even for a compact car. Again, there isn't a clear winner here. Taller adults will struggle to get comfortable back there. MB does give the back seating some nice touches, though, that are absent or just not as nice on others. Overall, MB gives the rear seating more of the premium treatment than others. Performance is best on the BMW. It is the sportiest, quickest, turns the best, and so on. This may not be supported by test reports, but that is how it feels compared to the others. MB has the best ride, although, it is not great by any measure. Your best bet is the get the 17 inch wheels if comfort is on your mind, and then just deflate them a little bit to the mid-upper 30's. The 18 inch wheels do make it sportier and handle better, but you get more road feedback and slight deflation is not as effective. The CLA 250 gets top marks in the economy battle outside of the Audi A3 Diesel (which is a $3000 option). Nothing much to say here. 26 city / 38 highway is just outstanding for a gas, non-hybrid car that also can do 0-60mph in about 6 or so seconds. "Pro" reviews seem to largely overlook the fact that the CLA250 is ground-breaking in this respect. The MSRP price of the CLA250 was the second best after the Acura ILX when compared to similarly equipped vehicles. We found that MB was the most willing to negotiate savings off the MSRP (during the Summer), though, and also gave the most for our trade. Acura and BMW wouldn't budge below 4% under MSRP, and that was on their loaner cars. Audi wasn't willing to go more than 6% under MSRP. MB was offering 10% off MSRP without even trying on any in stock brand new car. MB offered us at least $1000 more for the trade, too. The overall deal was clearly the best amongst these four cars. Overall, you just cant beat what Mercedes put together on the CLA250. It really comes down to preference, though. Some would rather sacrifice the premium for more sport. Some would rather sacrifice economy for more rear seat room. It really is in the eye of the beholder. For everything we valued, the CLA250 was the runaway winner, with no real close second. If we had to rank them, it would be MB CLA250 in front, followed by Acura ILX, BMW 228 and Audi A3. The Acura is perhaps the bang for your buck leader after the CLA250. If you can find the right dealer at the right time, you may be able to get a better deal on it versus the CLA250. BMW is the clear sport luxury leader, where the emphasis is on sport. The performance is outstanding for a vehicle in this class. Audi is dead last. It is not a very good vehicle at all. The console/cockpit is atrocious. That alone is enough to walk on by. The ride is bad, the economy is sub-par, and the list goes on. I would be happy to own the CLA250, ILX or 228, as they are all great vehicles in their own way. I would pass on the Audi A3.

Beautiful on the outside, junk on the inside!

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 2 Performance Rating: 1 Interior Rating: 2 Reliability Rating: 2 Safety Rating: 3 Technology Rating: 2 Value Rating:

We sold our beloved 2010 Toyota Camry SE V6 ( Awesome Car!) to purchase the CLA because of the design and what we thought was an upgrade and entry in to the luxury market. We received lots of compliments at stop lights and parking lots and such (felt good). Having owned the car for approximately 1.5 years, we started to get the not so good feeling of multiple trips to the dealer. It began with the rattles in the interior, the console, the driver side visor, airbag lights, electrical shortages etc. It was embarrassing to have my co-workers in the car with rattles coming from all parts of the interior. I would recommend purchasing the maintenance package, which we found to be a good value if you so decide to purchase this lawnmower of a car. The CLA is a poor performing car, sluggish acceleration and extremely noisy. Mercedes attempt to enter the Eco friendly engine world is less than refined in this farm tractor sounding engine. The CLA lacks character on the inside unless you upgrade to a higher package for a lot more money. Compared to less expensive compact brands ( Corolla, Honda Civic) the CLA's interior seems that it was made out of plastic milk jugs and lacks basic standard amenities such as back up camera. Why pay 30K to drive a Mercedes emblem? the annoyance with the car as well as the dealership experience became vile hate, where no one wanted to drive the car, instead opting to drive our other non luxury cars. Finally, we gave up and broke the lease took the 3K hit and leased a Lexus GS350 oh what a difference, even the ES 250 was a better driving car and you get luxury and finesse. In closing the CLA is a genuine junk and the Mercedes product manager who decided to enter this category, with this poor quality of a product should be taken out to pasture and put to sleep. Good riddance Mercedes CLA never again anything Mercedes.. Don't do it!

Beautiful Styling, Great Safety Features, Moderate Performance

Performance: 3 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 3 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 4

My wife and I have owned many cars. This is the best looking of the entire lot. We opted for just about every safety and appearance feature, and we got terrific safety, and head-turning style. The engine, however, is the standard 208 horse turbo four, and that's where things get less spectacular. Rated acceleration is good on paper, but you can feel the tiny powerplant revving hard to yield reasonably brisk results. Compared to a 350E that I drove recently, the CLA feels like an underpowered toy. No surprise given the price difference. Handling is good. The feel is "light", but nonetheless stable and precise. A tiny gas tank requires frequent refills.Mileage is fair--with Econ mode OFF.

Much more fun than expected...

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: Technology Rating: Value Rating: 5

After reading various car magazine reviews on the CLA250 4Matic, I was a little nervous about taking delivery of my Mountain Gray/Brown leather specially ordered vehicle. After almost two years I still love driving this car every day! The power is great especially in sports mode, but driving in the city, I don't need to gun it from stop light to stop light. Mileage on the road is close to 35mpg! Comfortable, safe and a blast to drive. I'll get another after this lease ends!

cla 250 4matic

Performance: 5 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5

bought the car in march and put 10,000 miles to date. the car is fun to drive, love the looks and the attention you get while driving it. we have had zero problem to date. The ride is smooth on the high way but little firm on rough pavement. I have driven the Porsche 911 and I am not comparing to two but I love driving the CLA much more than 2013 Porsche 911. its just seam to have a sportier feel on the road than the 911. it does not have a lot of room in the back for people 6ft but it is still comfortable. must get the sport body style with moon roof. I rate this car a 10. would highly recommend this car to any one. Wish there was a convertible CLA so I get one

Hyped

Performance: 3 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 1 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 1 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 1

Lags on low gears... salesman says "it's normal for a turbo small engine.." I've been driving volvo for over a decade now and never had a lad on their small engine. Test drove this CLA 2.0 and i had to stop on U-turn because could not get into gear... normal? Pretty dangerous if it lags like it is. You figure...

Great New Technology & MB-AMG Excellence

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5

This car's engine represents exceptional technology. The sound is quite different from the V-8 AMG CLK55 I had before. Not as deep. This one definitely lets you know it's a turbo....get on boost and it's amazing. No appreciable turbo lag! I wanted AMG performance with 4Matic in an efficient package....I am not disappointed. Brakes, suspension and handling are also exceptional. Took about 7 months after I ordered it for the car to arrive....worth the wait.

Great Car

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Fun to drive, love the car. The tires make the ride a little bit bumpy, but the rest of the car is great. Handles great and I love the power. It is a sports sedan so don't expect a roomy back seat even though at 6'1 I can sit in the back seat just fine. The gas mileage is better than the govt. ratings. I get 39 on the why and 33 in combined driving. I highly recommend this car.

The AMG working people can afford

Performance: 5 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5

This car is great to drive and brings a smile to my face every time I start it up. Yes, the ride is firm and with 355 hp you need to feel that. But, driving on the autobahn at 140mph you have no issues taking turns.

Awesome

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Happiness is AMG. Love this car. Never had an AMG before, so can't compare it to other AMG's. Had a BMW M3 (sweet car) and this is better. (RWD super cars are undriveable in snow. Unless you get high-performance snow tires--then they are tanks...except that one time when you hit throttle on a wintry turn, rear wheels slide out, plant themselves into a curb and the axle breaks). But Mercedes has 4matic (which is a technical term 4magic; or "hand of God" if you don't believe in magic). The CLA45 has 4matic, 4 doors, 355hp and 332 lb ft. Torque.

It's a Benz - Two years on we still love it!

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 5

June 2016 update per Edumunds request. Two years on - Still the best looking Benz since the Gull Wing. 2 years after cars introduction still receive compliments on the CLA250's appearance from passerby's on the street. Mercedes Benz scheduled maintenance is hassle-free. Incredibly fuel efficient for a car with above average performance. Wife adores it, it is her car. If Mercedes intended this car to be a stepping stone to a more expensive Mercedes they made a big mistake; no other Benz in production appeals to us or comes close to the perfect lines and form of this artistic masterpiece! Halfway through the warranty and prepaid maintenance plan (time wise) we are very happy with the CLA250 and are not even looking at new cars. Stereo is nice, HD radio is nice. We use bluetooth cell for navigation and Pandora, so do not use Sirius/concierge service etc. Ride comfort from the seats is just like the "grosser Mercedes" in my past; you can drive all day and step out of the car feeling as refreshed as when you start. I tried the identical all-day trip in a Prius V we owned, I needed a chiropractor at days end from the drivers seat and a couple of aspirin for the headache from the lack of sound deadening materials (to minimize weight/maximize fuel economy), it was like riding in a drum. We traded the Prius V PDQ after that long trip. Ride handling in the CLA250 is better than any Mercedes in my past, this car has a taut suspension, just like my Z06, you are one with the road. Cons: Turbo lag causes slingshot effect. push the accelerator, nothing, then thuwack! color me gone. Tire of having to switch off the auto engine turnoff feature at stoplights. Just another form of lag from a start. Manual hood strut is really chintzy on a $30K+ car. Proximity sensor too sensitive - Goes off too often when I am driving - My wife says "what was that?" I say it is just the car bitching at my driving. I don't need both a wife and a car criticizing my driving! Ate a battery after 1.5 years, replaced with free MB roadside assistance under warranty. Have to turn off the auto wipers...in Fort Lauderdale you get a coating on the car from a combination of sea air and near 100% humidity. At night when it gets cooler you get condensation on the car, which the sensor interprets as rain and activates the wipers: big streaks of goo on the windshield until you use the washers to clean. And whats up with that screen? It is like Mercedes engineers said "Ve haf to have a screen like all other cars, but ve don't know vat to do with it!" I get more information from the DIC between the instrument pods. Radio is a PIA to program or even search/scan for HD stations. Missing? Rearview camera which was only a part of an expensive upgrade option in 2014. But it's a small car so no expanse of sheet metal unseen without a camera. Are these game changing complaints? No, these are simply nits I'm picking in a near perfect car for us. Two years on we still love it! This beauty is a Benz, I know because I cut my teeth in Benz's, literally. My first ride was my Dad's 1962 220s and i used the door sill to help me cut teeth, so there were some holes in the leather near the front window vent. He moved on to a '72 280se 4.5, a '87 300e, a '98 e320 and then a 2007 e350. I bought the 98 e320 from him when he got the 2007 and I offered to let him keep the carpeted floor mats since the car interiors were the same color. Surprisingly, the e320 was wider than the e350 and the 98 floor mats were too wide for the 2007! So imagine my delight when the drivers side 1998 e320 floor mat fit perfectly in the 2014 CLA250! (the passenger-side mat was 2 long)

A Brilliant Car! We love it, but not for everyone. . .

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Upon my initial drive of CLA 250, the cabin was smaller and less traditional than any benz I had driven or rode in before, so much that the wife and I could not fall in complete love with it at first test drive. If you think of this as a sporty coupe, you will be fine. Need a roomy sedan? Look elsewhere. Proceeded to drive the A3, & BMW 320i. Truly liked each of these cars for different reasons, A3 was very fun to drive, lacked many standard comforts, VW ride 320i was a great, more solid traditional sedan, but short on innovation and a stingy w/ add ons. More same old. Drives great imo. The CLA resonated with us more after driving others in the price. We bought the CLA. Very pleased!

Fantastic Car

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Just got the CLA a couple of weeks ago - sticker price of 42K for the 4matic, premium package, multimedia package, driver assist, moon roof, light package, ..., jupiter red. Lots of features for that price. Car feels very luxurious and is fantastic to drive. Very fast and smooth, feels very secure to drive. Just love everything about it. Also is the first car where when I park it, I often get comments like "wow, awesome care". Definitely a head turner Definitely not a family care (or for people over 6 ft) - but still big enough to pickup the kids from time to time from school - for other family events we still have an SUV. Trunk in the CLA is surprisingly big and gas milage is great

Mercedes-Benz hits a home run with the CLA

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

I got my CLA250 about 1.5 month ago and after driving it for about 1500 miles I absolutely love the car. The sticker price was $40,025 ($38,700 negotiated) with Premium/Multimedia/Sports packages, Bi-Xenon head lights with LED tail lights, and Panorama roof. I love the driving dynamics of the car and the fuel economy is amazing. Being able to choose between Econ, Sport, and Manual mode is a plus. The Stop/Go feature took a little getting use to but now it doesn't bother me. You can always turn that feature off if you want. I get a lot of looks and double takes when I'm driving around and people have even asked me about it. I got a set of winter tires/wheels so I can drive it all year round.

Excellent Car, exceeds my expectations!

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

I bought this car last week with about a 46k sticker price, fully loaded. I absolutely love the car. Great ride, handling, and overall a solid car. This car has exceeded my expectations. Interior quality is above par, the lighting both inside and outside is sophisticated. Very quick for a 4 cyl. The only thing I am getting used to is the ECO start stop feature, and the fact that I seem to be getting about 22mpg city right now, but have been told it just needs to break in first. Anybody who seems to review this car in a negative way is just holding standards too high. I mean, the car does start at 30k, so what do you expect....its clearly not an 85k car. But I couldn't be happier.

Great buy-looks, and it's a Benz

Performance: 5 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

Just picked up a CLA-250. Only $33,500 including freight. Great performance, a comfortable ride, and unbelievable mpg. I'm getting 35 mpg on the highway and 25 mpg around town. Driving on the interstate, people just stare at the car. Imagine heated seats, auto air, auto wipers, a deluxe sound system, seats that look/feel like leather without the extra cost. There is no high engine sound at 75 mph as some expert reviews claim. Who could believe a car that looks/feels like $50,000 to $60,000 for only $33,500. I love my Benz.