Page 46 - MotorTrend (March 2020)

FIRST DRIVES

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250

The updated CLA nearly completes its to-do list

y wife loves to-do lists. Crossing off
each item gives her a little spark of
Mjoy, no matter how many boxes are
left to check. If the engineers for the rede-
signed 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 are
anything like my wife, it’s safe to assume
they have similar self-satisfied smiles.
Mercedes introduced the original CLA
in 2013 as a hip, inexpensive entry point
meant to lure people out of their Accords
and Camrys and into a Benz. Although it
certainly attracted a fair number of buyers,
it also attracted criticism—most notably
for its low-grade interior, recalcitrant
transmission, and droopy styling.
You would be correct if you imagined
these shortcomings atop the to-do list for
the product planners in Stuttgart. Equally cool is the forward-facing in the capability of the latter. It’s enough
Far and away the greatest progress has camera view on the navigation screen that to make you smile on a back road but not
been made inside the CLA. The previous overlays big arrows to show you where to frown on a poorly maintained one.
car screamed “Cheap C-Class!” The new go. It’s great for impressing your friends, The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
one emits a technology and style vibe. Not but the arrows don’t show up until you’re is remarkably improved but still feels
everyone loves the freestanding screen 300 feet from your turn, which means unfinished. It’s considerably smoother
trend, but anyone can appreciate the clear you may be making a lot of last-minute than before and does an excellent job of
influence from the six-figure flagship maneuvers if you keep your eyes on the covering any low points in the engine’s
S-Class. Options like two-tone color road (recommended) rather than peering power delivery with smart, crisp shifts. It
schemes and multicolor accent lighting down at the small screen. did, however, still yield a clunky downshift
really help dress it up, for a price. If you do find yourself making some here and there, particularly when getting
Also available at a price: an eye-opening sharp maneuvers, you’ll be pleased with back into the throttle after coasting (for
list of high-tech features, including how the CLA responds. The electri- example, when approaching a red light
adaptive cruise control, lane keeping cally assisted steering has just the right that turns to green before you stop). Upon
assistance, and the navigation system response for a sporty daily driver, with ignition, the CLA now defaults to its
that automatically allows the car to slow a good weight to it, and the brakes have Comfort mode rather than the lethargic
for corners and facilitates lane changes just the right amount of bite for confident Eco mode, greatly improving its respon-
(the latter after you activate a turn signal) stopping without being too grabby. It siveness to throttle inputs out the gate.
while the car is in cruise control mode, makes a fine trade on ride and handling, as There are a few other things remaining
similar to Tesla’s technologies. well, the stiffness in the former reflected on the to-do list, however. Interior noise

The original CLA-Class fell
short of what we tend to
expect of a Mercedes, but a
redesign for 2020 addresses
many of those issues.

46 MOTORTREND.COM MARCH 2020