Mercedes' new CLA 250+ Sport is its most efficient and intelligent car ever but is spoiled by ‘chavvy' feature
Mercedes is in danger of becoming the Burberry of the car world.
5
5
A leeetle bit chavvy.
Just look at all the three-pointed stars on the new CLA.
It's absolutely coated in them.
There are 142 in that front grille, another 158 in the fancy glass sunroof, plus many more on the wheels, lights and dashboard.
I gave up counting at 330. THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY!!!
They should stick a MERCEDES sun strip on it. Y'know, just in case someone thinks it's a BMW.
Strip away all that Burberryness and you're left with a truly excellent motor car.
The most efficient Mercedes ever.
The most intelligent Mercedes ever.
Yet it's also the cheapest electric Mercedes ever.
Mercedes reveals its new luxury EV with 'superscreen' passengers can play video games or watch Netflix on while on move
It's got a 484-mile battery by the WLTP test. We nudged 400 in the real world.
A clever two-speed auto gearbox for added efficiency.
All sorts of aero tricks, including underbody wheel spoilers, to help it slice through the air.
Rapid 800v charging to suck up 200 miles of juice in just ten minutes.
So it's a proper long-range cruiser that's easy to live with.
There's a video camera above that 14in central screen for Teams meetings.
You can watch YouTube and Disney+.
Play Fortnite and Angry Birds.
All of the above when parked up, obviously.
There's a third passenger screen coming later that will cover up some of those bleedin' stars.
The 'Hey Mercedes' personal assistant wants to be your friend.
We asked her to 'play Raye'.
She did.
We asked her to 'name that statue of the naked ladies to our left'.
She did.
We asked her: 'Should I buy a Mercedes CLA over a BMW?'
She's been taught well.
She replied: 'Choosing between a Mercedes CLA over a BMW ultimately depends on your preferences and needs. The Mercedes CLA offers luxurious design, advanced technology and innovative features.
'If you seek more details about the Mercedes CLA feel free to ask.'
Hang on. I'm having a proper conversation with a car. Like Michael Knight and KITT. Just not chasing baddies.
5
5
If you're rubbish at parking, no stress.
Press a button and watch it shimmy in and out of tight spaces on its own.
It's the first Mercedes to have a front trunk, 100 litres of extra storage space under the bonnet.
Out on the open road, CLA is everything you'd expect a Merc to be.
Quiet. Sophisticated. Effortless.
And so hovercraft-smooth you'd think it has air suspension.
It doesn't. Steel. That's engineering at its best for you.
Acceleration is nicely calibrated. Not silly fast. But enough. AMG will add a bit of spice later.
Actually, that brings me nicely to other versions.
There's a smaller 335-mile battery on the way, an estate, 4WDs, and a new 1.5-litre petrol hybrid for those not ready to switch to electric yet.
Bonus. The petrol doesn't have all the illuminated stars on the front grille because it needs more cooling.
So it's less Burberry.
Tone down all the bling and I'd give it five stars.
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