RAY MASSEY: Buckle up for a chat with the new AI Mercedes
Thanks to the addition of AI it not only answers questions but – the manufacturer claims – can hold and sustain 'complex conversations'.
Offered for the first time in the CLA, the system is certainly a step up from Amazon's Alexa – but it's not infallible, simply ignoring the question when puzzled. There's an undeniable eeriness to conversing with the assistant, too.
I drove the all-electric CLA 250+, which will be the first version in a new family of variants to reach UK shores by autumn.
While bigger all-round than its predecessor, it still looks reasonably compact inside, and the legroom in the back is certainly a little tight.
That said, the space up front is actually more generous than it looks, and there's a decent boot, at 405 litres, plus a handy front trunk under the bonnet adding another 101 litres. Exterior styling is sporty, with a sweeping, coupe-like smart-casual vibe on what is essentially a sleek saloon.
Some 142 illuminated LED stars adorn the front grille, plus many more sprinkled around.
The interior is a mixture of modern and sophisticated, with flashes of bling that verge on looking and feeling a bit cheap. The dashboard is dominated by a 14in display, and there's an option to elongate it for the front passenger to form the MBUX Superscreen. Without it, the rest of the dashboard is covered in more stars.
In urban areas, the new CLA is comfortable and quiet for tootling around. Various warning sensors signal the driver when there are other vehicles, obstacles and cyclists (of which there are many in Copenhagen), giving you time to take evasive action.
On faster country roads, it has a feistier side. Powered by an 85kW battery and a 200kw electric motor, the two-speed gear-box accelerates from rest to 62mph in a sprightly 6.7 seconds, up to a top speed limited at 130mph. It performed well on corners with instant speed for overtaking.
With a claimed 484 miles – allowing for some reduction with real-world driving – you can safely cover the 400 miles from London to Edinburgh on a full charge. Mercedes says a ten-minute blast on a fast charger will give you a 200-mile top-up.
Prices for the new CLA were never going to be cheap – and they are well above the £37,000 cap for the Government's new Electric Car Grant of up to £3,750.
There are three trim levels starting from £45,615 for the Sport Edition, rising to £49,375 for the AMG Line Edition, up to £51,770 for the range-topping AMG Line Premium Edition.
Maybe I should ask my AI companion for a discount.
With a claimed 484 miles – allowing for some reduction with real-world driving – you can safely cover the 400 miles from London to Edinburgh on a full charge
CHAT CLA
The fourth generation of Mercedes-Benz User Experience – or 'MBUX' - infotainment system integrates AI from Microsoft and Google, combining knowledge gathered from the Internet based on ChatGPT4o and Microsoft Bing Search.
So I also 'road-tested' my AI companion – speaking with an educated English woman's soothing, classless tone – with some testing questions.
'Who said E=mc² ?, I asked for openers, before receiving a treatise on Albert Einstein's famous equation linking energy and mass from my virtual assistant.
'Why was Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the news?' I ventured before receiving an oral report of her tearful performance in the House of Commons.
Then I went for a moral conundrum: 'If everything I say is a lie, am I now telling the truth?'
Gotcha! The AI response did not answer, nor even seek to tackle the question. It just changed the subject, like any wily politician caught out. Humanity 1, AI nil. For now.
But I do not doubt as the tech advances, the levels of subtly will increase exponentially to the level of KITT from TV's Knight Rider.
IN THE PIPELINE
Although only the 250+ version of the CLA is being launched in the UK for now, I also drove the more powerful (260kW), punchier all-wheel drive 350 4Matic version which accelerates from 0 to 62mph in just 4.9 seconds ( 1.8 seconds quicker) up to the same 130mph governed top speed. It felt a gutsier and more muscular drive.
From early next year a petrol-electric hybrid version of the CLA will be launched with 48-volt technology, a newly developed 1.5 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
I also had an early peek in Denmark of a second generation CLA Shooting Brake estate version following the first launched in 2015. The German car giant's first battery-powered estate car with a claimed range of up to 472 miles goes on sale next Spring and features hundreds of three-pointed stars including 158 embedded into the glass on the car's stellar panoramic glass starlight.
Other variants will follow.
VERDICT
The new all-electric CLA 250+ is a smart and sporty choice with decent acceleration and ambience – though if you want more punch wait for the CLA 350 4Matic all-wheel drive.
Either way, you'll never be short of conversation.
Confusion over Electric Car Grant scheme
On the face of it, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander's announcement this week of discounts of up to £3,750 as part of Labour's £650million Electric Car Grant scheme sounds like good news to stimulate flagging sales.
But my motor industry contacts, while supportive, warn 'the devil's in the detail', as a complex system will determine which cars qualify and for how much, based on how green they are, including production.
Additionally, it is only available for cars costing up to £37,000 – which rules out top-selling Teslas – and carmakers must apply to see if their vehicles are eligible, putting extra bureaucracy on to dealers.
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