The CLA’s trump card, however, turns out to be its brakes. In our 80-0 km/h test, the times posted by the CLA and the A3 are almost neck and neck. While the CLA takes 2.33 seconds to come to a dead stop, the A3 stops just 0.03 seconds earlier with a time of 2.30 seconds. However, where the Audi travels 25.87 metres to come to a stop, the Mercedes stops more than three metres before taking 22.4 metres to come to a stop. The results were similar when we conducted the 100-0 km/h test. While the A3 takes 2.88 seconds and 39.62 metres to come to stop, the CLA stops dead in its tracks in 2.67 seconds, having travelled 36.44 metres. Clearly, the Merc has the edge when it comes to stopping — a crucial factor when you consider Indian driving conditions.
Overall, here are the things that work for the Mercedes-Benz CLA200 CDI. It’s better-looking, has more room up front, boasts of a quicker acceleration figure and much better brakes. The Audi A3 35 TDI, on the other hand, has better head-room and rear room, a more usable boot, better fuel economy, higher top speed, more refinement, quicker gearbox and more communicative steering. It also boasts of better ride and handling than the Mercedes on our Indian roads. On all other parameters, the two cars are very evenly matched. The light then must shine on the Audi A3 35 TDI, which, incidentally, is also the cheaper of the two.
