Even luxury car manufacturers are starting to realise that future success can lie in things that aren’t too big. And that brings us to the new Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class
Story: Aninda Sardar
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Small is the new big. Or so it would seem to anyone who’s following the product strategy that’s increasingly being employed by luxury car manufacturers. We have already seen evidence of such strategy with luxury hatchbacks like the A-Class and the 1 Series and of late the battleground has been moved to the world of sedans. Audi were the first to establish the luxury compact sedan segment in India with the A3 and now Mercedes-Benz are set to follow suit with their new CLA-Class. With this car, the Stuttgart-based marque will not only enter a brand-new market segment, but will also launch a new phase of aggressive expansion in India with no less than 15 products slated to enter the market in 2015. Some of them all new with no predecessors in Mercedes’ Indian portfolio. Yummy! To support such an aggressive expansion plan, the company also plans to expand their Indian footprint with a total of 80 touch points in existence by the end of this year. And all of this onslaught starts with the launch of the CLA-Class.
The car makes for a stunning visual. Most of you would have seen the CLA45 AMG either in the flesh or on our pages in a previous issue. The CLA-Class looks the same. It’s just as lithe and lean, with musculature exactly where you want them. Not too loud, and yet not too understated either. When you drive in – anywhere – with this compact Merc sedan, people will take note, even if you haven’t screamed your presence from rooftops. Build quality is of a very high order and we couldn’t find anything at all to complain about.
The inside story is much the same: lots of top class materials put together with first-rate craftsmanship. The racy looking leather seats with the integrated head-rests work quite well, provide good all-round support and are electrically adjustable for multiple positions. Arriving at the most comfy driving position is, therefore, easily done. Visibility all round is quite good too despite the fat-ish A-pillars on either side. To Merc’s credit, the wing mirrors, which don’t look much different from their earlier cars, have a wide field of vision and show a lot of the road behind. At 2,699 millimetres the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class has the longest wheelbase in its segment and legroom, especially at the rear, is quite decent. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of the headroom. Thanks to that oh-so-sporty coupé-like sloping roof-line, the German auto giant has had to compromise somewhat on the rear headroom. As a result, it will be difficult for a tall person to sit at the rear without his head touching the ceiling. Mercedes have given the car a panoramic sunroof (first in segment) that they claim will shut automatically when it senses rain. More importantly, Mercedes claim that the few millimetres extra that you get with a sunroof will help improve the headroom. Unfortunately, despite all of Merc’s efforts, the CLA’s headroom remains poor. The high shoulder-line and limited glass area at the rear also create a perception of a cabin that is more cramped than it actually is. To be fair, though, the CLA is at best a 4+1-seater, which is to say that four adults and a child can be seated comfortably. Fitting in five adults will be a bit of a squeeze, and in this aspect it’s not much different from its competitor.
The boot, on the other hand, is a large one. The fact that the rear seats are split 60:40 further adds to practicality, as does the little hatch behind the central arm-rest that allows you to reach into the boot from the cabin. The only thing that mars the boot space is the space saver, which eats up quite a bit of the room. However, Mercedes claim that it’s a small price to pay for added peace of mind. Given Indian road conditions I’d have to agree, though I wouldn’t mind a separate spare wheel well like in the days of yore.
As is the case with most cars that wear the three-pointed star, the Mercedes CLA has a great ride quality. Its ability to iron out bumps, flatten potholes and make short work of ruts on the road is commendable. At no point in time do you feel achy from that deep pothole you just went through. Handling, too, is very good, courtesy a taut chassis combined with a well-tuned suspension and a steering that has plenty of feedback. The steering also feels quite light at low city speeds, weighing up nicely as velocities increase. Without doubt, Mercedes have managed to arrive at a good balance and the CLA is certainly more of a driver’s car than previous cars from the manufacturer’s earlier portfolios. However, the competition is still likely to have an edge where handling is concerned.
