What differentiates them is in the interior dimensions of the cabin. The CLA boasts of better front leg- and knee-room, the Audi hits back with better head-room and rear knee-room. This despite the fact that the CLA has the longer wheelbase at 2,699 mm compared to the A3’s 2,637 mm. However, a word of warning. Irrespective of who has how much more space, please remember that these are really compact cars, which means equally compact interior dimensions. So do not try to seat five full-grown adults at the back unless you feel comfy only at close quarters. The panoramic sunroofs that both cars get do help in releasing a feel of roominess that wouldn’t otherwise have been there, not to mention the added appeal that comes with a sunroof. There is one other aspect of the two cars that needs special mention: the boots of the respective vehicles. Now, on paper the A3 has the smaller boot at 425 litres while the CLA has a much larger 470-litre one. Ideally, this should have given the Merc an auto advantage in luggage capacity. However, for some inexplicable reason, Mercedes-Benz India have thought fit to plonk a rather hefty space-saver spare tyre into the boot. There is, of course, a spare wheel well, but the space-saver is too large to fit into that! Consequently, it eats into the main boot compartment where it is tethered down. A natural advantage that the CLA should have enjoyed but has been lost on account of some unknown reason.
Spare tyre in the boot of the CLA-Class reduces usable space drastically
A3’s boot might be smaller on paper but in the real world it’s far more usable
