i actually own one of these, and apart from the space in the back, the quality and the way it drives is remarkable. The fit and finish of this product is amazing!
Joaquim Duarte Im not a big fan of Merc styling these days, but...this CLA is probably the only Merc id buy if I could afford it because the design has grown on me somewhat.
Simon George You don't make sense at all. You probably want a CLA, yet you're not a fan of Mercedes styling. That doesn't make sense at all. I like the design of the CLA and i like all other Mercedes styling.
Thorbjørn Madsen he made that comment back in 2014 though.. back in 2014 Mercedes never had the new sleek designs like the c class, e class, s class coupe
My eyes tell me long before the sensor, when your doing 70 and can read the drivers logo on his hat you know its time to back down. If you can read what he is playing in his cd then your driving a bmw.
This car is awesome. (I'm driving the CLA 200 CDI "Urban-line" with manual trans and sports suspension with 18" alloys, sports seats and panorama glass roof. I can not quite share the thoughts about sports suspension being too hard. The sports suspension actually beats audi A6 regular suspension in comfort at city speeds since the suspension gives a bit more in start of the suspensions movement and tightens alot when it comes to blocking body roll and because of softer seating material than the A6 is equiped with and feels more stabile and planted than a Audi A3 while still managing the comfort. Steering has nice feel to it, though you can not quite feel the bumps in the road (if its a bad thing... well that's a personal choise). Since the shape and position of wheels on the road is easy to manage on a car this size I can not call that a negative thing since the difference to its main rival Audi A3 is just marginal. What comes to drivers and front passangers space. It is generous and the seats are just perfect while having the nice shape and being soft enough to absorb minor stuff on the road. Space in the back (specially with the panoramic sun roof that eats almost 4cm of headspace) is not suited for tall persons. (Under 177cm should still somewhat fit in the back) Boot space is generous for this size of a car - You can not complain. What comes to the side of cons, I deffinetly thing the interior starts to feel a bit dated since the traditional command panel just looks so old.. so old, but it is absolutely a pleasure to use. The central screen should be bigger as standard though since display panels are so cheap nowdays that you shouldnt even have an option for a bigger screen, just have the bigger one as standard. Controls have a nice quality feel to them, and specially the sports steering wheel gives a very nice places for your hands to grip on. 200CDI motors torque at 2000rpm+ feels natural and packs a decent punch up to 4000rpm for overtakes and accelerations. I have not noticed torque steering as a problem, there literally is none of that to feel even if accelerating from a 90 degree turn in a cross road. What I am concerned about though is the reliability problems that have been reported. Otherwise I can see this mercedes just a perfect entry level car with nice styling to hit just the customers mercedes wishes to find. Young well doing couples only 2 of them or with small children who fit in the back seat (over a 177cm is going to bang ones head in the sealing)
The reason the screen is low-definition and is small with a huge bezel is because that vehicle did not have the navigation package, but rather the Becker Map and Pilot system. With navigation, it'd have a much larger, much more quality screen...just as a note.
ThePotatoCarEnthusiast All cars get beeping sound while driving. It's a warning sound that means there a car in front of you and you're about to bump into it. The other beeping sound is seat-belt chimes which all car must have, the same with door chimes.
My dad has one of these and I'm 6 foot and my brother's 6' 2 and we fit in the back fine. You notice the lesser head room compared to an E-class but it's nothing detrimental.
Good decision mate. It may not look just as good but it's way better value overall. The looks will turn your head for a few weeks but after that it's the practical side that will make you love or hate a car.
I always loved my old VW Passat 1.8T Sport B5 & 1.9TDI 130bhp SE B5.5. The Mercedes CLA has a nice roofline&tail lights pity headroom is not like my old Passats.
I feel like this car works better here in the states because here, it is the entry level Mercedes, and that is all that this car deserves to be. The fact that you can get an A-Class for less in Europe makes this car redundant. I 've also slowly gone off the looks.
This is definitely one of the best looking cars out there, definitely the best looking for this price. But as he said, they have compromised some other things in favor of the design.
The car looks beautiful. A good option for those of in the city who do not want an oversized saloon. Average sized passengers can sit comfortably in the rear. Only the occasional, unusually tall passenger will be uncomfortable. The brown leather makes the interior look much nicer though.
yep, black is cool.. i saw one in a mall and my jaw dropped.. in red is not good because that lack of contrast with those tail lights, but in black is awesome
Audi's S-Tronic is basically perfect, but saying it is "faaaaar better" than the 7G-DCT makes the latter seem quite a bad gearbox. I drive an A 180 CDI with the dual clutch 7G and surely it is an awesome gearbox. Smooth, precise and quite fast. I've never driven an A3, and I only can trust you if you say it's better, but Mercedes' one is very good too. Also, I tested a manual A 180 and I think that manual is crap, and the clutch pedal is just way too light.
Are you sure they should learn how to make 7 speed dual clutch transmissions from Audi? Recently there have been recalls on Audi lower end models including the A3.
Lexus, but I, like my friends, avoid the dealers as much as possible for any service. The car has been very reliable. One friend has an LS400 that is almost 16 years old, her daily driver, and it has had only one repair. I'm not sure that the repair was really necessary, but it was done by the dealer before she changed shops. Another friend has an Acura...over 300,000 miles with no repairs.
Somebody on my street has one. It looks really good in all black tinted and all. It's not a traditional stately mature Mercedes. It's quite clear the design was meant to be quirky and dramatic, younger demographic maybe? I like it in black, but this red paint just feels like a wrong match.
Mercedes are not very good at making an affordable car, which in my opinion is a very good thing, they should just stick to what they know! Big expensive luxurious and powerful !
After searching for weeks, I finally found it, placed the order and it came right to my door, I looked at it , drove it and did a few checks, and I was sold…. Fast Forward 4 weeks. My brakes jamming, had to pay £400 to replace the stuff under…. OhI forgot , the driver side under panel flew off the highway an I have started noticing chips on the window… wowow, what did I buy..
@Suzanne Duncan Google is your friend!... anyway it was recommended by my neighbor and its the most practical guide , I have everything in one place...
MB seem to be introducing new models and variants like there's no tomorrow. Grabbing a bigger market share I suppose. Cheeky reference to your alluring co-host too.
This may sound absolutely stupid but I'm really confused, wasn't the number supposed to indicate the volume of the engine? For example, a CLA180 should have a 1.8L engine. Yet, this one has a 1.6L engine.
Actually the front end and interior are just the A Class. Hell it's just a saloon version of the A Class. The reason it's called a CLA is because the styling is similar to that of the CLS but it's based on the A Class's platform. Check your facts bro.
I've owned 2 German "luxury cars". Never again. They both spent far too much time in the shop. Problems began within a couple of weeks of taking delivery.
Why are diesels so popular in Europe? This car only comes in the 250 or AMG forms. Over here in the USA petrol engines are the first choice. I believe VW's TDI Golf is the most popular diesel over here.
I think it's petrol prices here being significantly high, it's more than a pound per litre if I'm not wrong. I'm not from Europe, just speaking from what I've observed.
hahaha 5'4" and half = Rebecca. That's too funny. Also Getrag is Mercedes's DCT supplier, so they should have a word with Audi, well technically Audi uses a DSG not a DCT on their A3s.
the upcoming BMW 4 Series Coupe is a much more stunning looking car and i'm very sure it's has better interior, gearbox and handling... probably similar rear visibility and headroom at the back....
Why on earth do Mercedes (and certain other manuafacturers for that matter) think it looks good to have a sat nav/ multimedia screen that simply looks like an ugly bolt on afterthought that doesn't even look like it's part of the dash , it looks aweful! I drive an insignia with an incorporated 8 inch screen which blends into the dash and looks far better , I don't understand it . Nice looking car tho , even if headroom in the rear looks pretty bad !
![2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA - Is it worth it? [Review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0w75qG3b494/mqdefault.jpg)
![2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA - Is it worth it? [Review]](/img/tr.png)
i actually own one of these, and apart from the space in the back, the quality and the way it drives is remarkable. The fit and finish of this product is amazing!
I own one and just want to cruise around in it all the time. That's how cool it is. And it's got an awesome sound system. :)
Joaquim Duarte Im not a big fan of Merc styling these days, but...this CLA is probably the only Merc id buy if I could afford it because the design has grown on me somewhat.
Simon George You don't make sense at all. You probably want a CLA, yet you're not a fan of Mercedes styling. That doesn't make sense at all. I like the design of the CLA and i like all other Mercedes styling.
Thorbjørn Madsen what they said make sense
Thorbjørn Madsen he made that comment back in 2014 though.. back in 2014 Mercedes never had the new sleek designs like the c class, e class, s class coupe
Wow ..! That system that detects your too close is impressive. To be honest it should just flash up an Audi logo when you get to close.
My eyes tell me long before the sensor, when your doing 70 and can read the drivers logo on his hat you know its time to back down. If you can read what he is playing in his cd then your driving a bmw.
This car is awesome. (I'm driving the CLA 200 CDI "Urban-line" with manual trans and sports suspension with 18" alloys, sports seats and panorama glass roof.
I can not quite share the thoughts about sports suspension being too hard. The sports suspension actually beats audi A6 regular suspension in comfort at city speeds since the suspension gives a bit more in start of the suspensions movement and tightens alot when it comes to blocking body roll and because of softer seating material than the A6 is equiped with and feels more stabile and planted than a Audi A3 while still managing the comfort. Steering has nice feel to it, though you can not quite feel the bumps in the road (if its a bad thing... well that's a personal choise). Since the shape and position of wheels on the road is easy to manage on a car this size I can not call that a negative thing since the difference to its main rival Audi A3 is just marginal.
What comes to drivers and front passangers space. It is generous and the seats are just perfect while having the nice shape and being soft enough to absorb minor stuff on the road. Space in the back (specially with the panoramic sun roof that eats almost 4cm of headspace) is not suited for tall persons. (Under 177cm should still somewhat fit in the back) Boot space is generous for this size of a car - You can not complain.
What comes to the side of cons, I deffinetly thing the interior starts to feel a bit dated since the traditional command panel just looks so old.. so old, but it is absolutely a pleasure to use. The central screen should be bigger as standard though since display panels are so cheap nowdays that you shouldnt even have an option for a bigger screen, just have the bigger one as standard. Controls have a nice quality feel to them, and specially the sports steering wheel gives a very nice places for your hands to grip on.
200CDI motors torque at 2000rpm+ feels natural and packs a decent punch up to 4000rpm for overtakes and accelerations. I have not noticed torque steering as a problem, there literally is none of that to feel even if accelerating from a 90 degree turn in a cross road.
What I am concerned about though is the reliability problems that have been reported.
Otherwise I can see this mercedes just a perfect entry level car with nice styling to hit just the customers mercedes wishes to find. Young well doing couples only 2 of them or with small children who fit in the back seat (over a 177cm is going to bang ones head in the sealing)
The reason the screen is low-definition and is small with a huge bezel is because that vehicle did not have the navigation package, but rather the Becker Map and Pilot system. With navigation, it'd have a much larger, much more quality screen...just as a note.
Audi drivers, don't buy the CLA! You'll constantly get the beeping sound while driving.
ThePotatoCarEnthusiast All cars get beeping sound while driving. It's a warning sound that means there a car in front of you and you're about to bump into it.
The other beeping sound is seat-belt chimes which all car must have, the same with door chimes.
Thorbjørn Madsen all cars don’t have that technology, But i think he was making a joke about audi drivers being tailgaters
Still a beauty 8 years later
My dad has one of these and I'm 6 foot and my brother's 6' 2 and we fit in the back fine. You notice the lesser head room compared to an E-class but it's nothing detrimental.
You must be over estimating your height. Im 6'3 and it feels like my necks about to break.
Entry level CLA 180 in Singapore costs around USD125,000 -.-
Wtf? I’m 6 foot tall and I feel like I’m going to be crushed in the back, it’s so small.
I’m 5’9” and I think I’d even struggle in the back of there
I like your reviews a lot bro. You say all the important stuff in a honest way and in a short time. Good work! :)
I've been waiting for this review for too long!
Good decision mate. It may not look just as good but it's way better value overall. The looks will turn your head for a few weeks but after that it's the practical side that will make you love or hate a car.
Just got mine today. Great car. Love it.
WHAT A CAR!! I filmed the 2013 CLA AMG and A45 AMG
Great review, loved the bit about the 'headroom'
Wait..Is that...Mat Watson?
From @carwow ?
I filmed the 2014 CLA AMG in differnet colors
I always loved my old VW Passat 1.8T Sport B5 & 1.9TDI 130bhp SE B5.5. The Mercedes CLA has a nice roofline&tail lights pity headroom is not like my old Passats.
I feel like this car works better here in the states because here, it is the entry level Mercedes, and that is all that this car deserves to be. The fact that you can get an A-Class for less in Europe makes this car redundant. I 've also slowly gone off the looks.
But the a class is a hatch back
This is definitely one of the best looking cars out there, definitely the best looking for this price. But as he said, they have compromised some other things in favor of the design.
liked the 5'4.5'' reference...
you two should do a review together sometime! could be fun
in my opinion this is the best MB ever!! stunnig!
The car looks beautiful. A good option for those of in the city who do not want an oversized saloon. Average sized passengers can sit comfortably in the rear. Only the occasional, unusually tall passenger will be uncomfortable.
The brown leather makes the interior look much nicer though.
yep, black is cool.. i saw one in a mall and my jaw dropped.. in red is not good because that lack of contrast with those tail lights, but in black is awesome
I'm glad Matt did the review of this one.
I actually don't like the look of this as much as the hatchback...the hatchback is a really good looking car!
Please do a review for the new GLA, Matt! Keep it up! Good unbiased review!
lol... unbiased..🙄🤔
Love the cheeky reverence to Rebecca :)
5 foot 4 ....and half......... I heard it a lot.... If u do not know how tall it is find Rebecca. :-)
he is calling Rebecca for war! LMAO
"the only person who'd be fine back here is someone who is only.. about 5 foot 4 and a half... "
The navigation - you have the optional Command Online navigation system witll full frame display :) goes for around 2800 Euros
Audi's S-Tronic is basically perfect, but saying it is "faaaaar better" than the 7G-DCT makes the latter seem quite a bad gearbox. I drive an A 180 CDI with the dual clutch 7G and surely it is an awesome gearbox. Smooth, precise and quite fast. I've never driven an A3, and I only can trust you if you say it's better, but Mercedes' one is very good too. Also, I tested a manual A 180 and I think that manual is crap, and the clutch pedal is just way too light.
DSG is how you say DCT in German. Both are dual clutch transmissions, the abbreviations are different.
Are you sure they should learn how to make 7 speed dual clutch transmissions from Audi? Recently there have been recalls on Audi lower end models including the A3.
he threw the golf thing away like a boss :D
I like it when you say "good for somebody who is 5' 4 1/2"
I don't know it's just tickles me to chuckle :-)
Literally
That car is based on the A class what do you expect? for it to compete with a bigger class like the 3 series?
tricky because at this price point there are not many differently stylish cars.. the base model Evoque seems the obvious choice
me too, it was a white metallic one. Well it´s not bad actually but i´ve expected a bit more (especially for that huge price). :)
hey ! What do you think , what's better for my grandpa CLA or audi a 3 sedan^^
Lexus, but I, like my friends, avoid the dealers as much as possible for any service. The car has been very reliable. One friend has an LS400 that is almost 16 years old, her daily driver, and it has had only one repair. I'm not sure that the repair was really necessary, but it was done by the dealer before she changed shops. Another friend has an Acura...over 300,000 miles with no repairs.
Please do a review of the new E Class as well
Gonna buy one soon hopefully
Somebody on my street has one. It looks really good in all black tinted and all. It's not a traditional stately mature Mercedes. It's quite clear the design was meant to be quirky and dramatic, younger demographic maybe? I like it in black, but this red paint just feels like a wrong match.
Mercedes are not very good at making an affordable car, which in my opinion is a very good thing, they should just stick to what they know! Big expensive luxurious and powerful !
Hello sir can you do a review on audi a3 saloon . I have been dying to see review on that from carbuyer. Thank you :)
After searching for weeks, I finally found it, placed the order and it came right to my door, I looked at it , drove it and did a few checks, and I was sold…. Fast Forward 4 weeks. My brakes jamming, had to pay £400 to replace the stuff under…. OhI forgot , the driver side under panel flew off the highway an I have started noticing chips on the window… wowow, what did I buy..
@Suzanne Duncan I used confidentcar buyer , this is what got me through when I got mine,,
@Suzanne Duncan Google is your friend!... anyway it was recommended by my neighbor and its the most practical guide , I have everything in one place...
I think the styling is okay. I don't think the CLS long elegant design carries well on a short wheelbase.
i always ask myself what they changed in a reuploaded video :) but what the heck, i'll just like it again.
Do a review on the new peugeot 2008 crossover the one thats out this month
Is this good First car or not?
MB seem to be introducing new models and variants like there's no tomorrow. Grabbing a bigger market share I suppose.
Cheeky reference to your alluring co-host too.
The only thing I can say is Why can't we get the A-Class in the US if we are getting the CLA?
i like the music in the background. makes me shout yeah!!!
I test drived it. I liked it alot.
This may sound absolutely stupid but I'm really confused, wasn't the number supposed to indicate the volume of the engine? For example, a CLA180 should have a 1.8L engine. Yet, this one has a 1.6L engine.
Jon theGreat The CLA 200 has also 1.6 with 156 HP. CLA 250 has 2.0 211HP... asking the same question
+Jon theGreat they used to do that but theyve made the numbers all different now bmw do the same now for example a bmw 520 now has a 2.2 engine
+doluss no the e320 actually has a 3199cc engine well the petrol one does anyway
Perfect car!
Which is better Mercedes cla or Audi a3 sedan
and where the heck are the release levers to fold down the rear seats from boot??!!
great review.
my car!!! I'm going to buy it
Benji's pod??? Not stolen is it??? :)
Actually the front end and interior are just the A Class. Hell it's just a saloon version of the A Class. The reason it's called a CLA is because the styling is similar to that of the CLS but it's based on the A Class's platform. Check your facts bro.
What do you own now?
Nevermind, found it mayself. By the way, the song is: Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
o.0 9s for 0-60 is fast enough. Is there any non SUV/truck vehicle that slow?
I feel the entire C-series from Merc has the best aesthetics.
hahaha rebecca will be a bit angry because of that 5 ft 4 and a half :P :D
i never expected to say this.. but the rear lamps.. resemble those of hyundai sonata --
Because some cars dont offer this ?
This car was growing on me (as a Merc hater) until I saw the headroom. And should be in a dolphin grey metallic so show off the curves and lines
I'm not so sure about the sound of those door slams. They sound a bit...hollow.
I've owned 2 German "luxury cars". Never again. They both spent far too much time in the shop. Problems began within a couple of weeks of taking delivery.
LMAFO about Commodore 64 reference. This will be popular with teens or Short People in America. I Mercedes is building to body types now.
so the car is perfect Richard Hammond size?
Why are diesels so popular in Europe? This car only comes in the 250 or AMG forms.
Over here in the USA petrol engines are the first choice. I believe VW's TDI Golf is the most popular diesel over here.
I think it's petrol prices here being significantly high, it's more than a pound per litre if I'm not wrong. I'm not from Europe, just speaking from what I've observed.
PieSlicedHamYT Where are you from?
DAYM Singapore. Somewhere in Asia...
PieSlicedHamYT Im quite aware where Singapore is. :) Quite a wealthy country and FORMULA 1 ;)
hahaha 5'4" and half = Rebecca. That's too funny. Also Getrag is Mercedes's DCT supplier, so they should have a word with Audi, well technically Audi uses a DSG not a DCT on their A3s.
3 series IS NOT bigger. they are about the same size but every car has more headroom in the rear
Mat, the auto is good, but the DSG is VW's box
What's up with Mercedes lately?
cla 200, cla 250, or cla 45 amg??
3:35 Haha Rebecca's height.
Please review the audi q7!:)
the upcoming BMW 4 Series Coupe is a much more stunning looking car and i'm very sure it's has better interior, gearbox and handling... probably similar rear visibility and headroom at the back....
DO ONE ON THE AUDI SQ5!! :(
Mat had a lot of negatives to say about this car, but then again I don't see the point in it really...
dude i wanna you to review rebecca
Red doesn't do justice to its looks. Black perhaps
Even the rear headroom is from the A class :D
Why on earth do Mercedes (and certain other manuafacturers for that matter) think it looks good to have a sat nav/ multimedia screen that simply looks like an ugly bolt on afterthought that doesn't even look like it's part of the dash , it looks aweful! I drive an insignia with an incorporated 8 inch screen which blends into the dash and looks far better , I don't understand it . Nice looking car tho , even if headroom in the rear looks pretty bad !
The fact that after you but it you'll lose a ton of money in depreciation should put anyone off buying a Merc.
did anyone notice he was refering to Rebecca at 3:36?
the screen in the a class is bigger than that one
But people who buy this type of car don't really look at the things you mentioned. They go for the badge :)
Cla shooting break please guys
Nearly a review without the mention of a VW group vehicle.
The intro song reminds me of another song, anybody knows how it is called?
It's a Merc. It could be 15 year old technology and it would still sell
feeling exactly the same. skipping all those without mat.
You're living in the past. Merc improved ALOT.
That is so true!