Design — Clean, With One Asterisk

The new CLA looks genuinely good. Clean, sleek, and unmistakably a Mercedes without being shouty about it. The body lines flow well and the low roofline gives it a purposeful, athletic stance. A drag coefficient of just 0.20 makes it one of the slipperiest production cars ever built — and you can believe it looking at the profile. It's a step forward from the previous model. 

The full-width LED lightbar at the rear takes some getting used to. It's a bold choice and Mercedes is clearly committed to it as their EV signature. Once it grows on you — and it does — it reads as distinctive rather than odd.

The front is cleaner than recent Mercedes offerings. Flush door handles, slim headlights, active aerodynamic shutters hidden in the grille. It looks like a car designed by engineers who understood that form and function don't have to fight each other.

Interior & seats

This is where the new CLA makes its biggest statement. The previous generation interior always felt like it was trying to punch above its weight and not quite getting there. This one doesn't try. It just is.

The step up in quality over the old model is immediately obvious. Materials are better, the layout is more considered, and the whole cabin feels like it belongs in a proper premium car rather than an aspirational one. It reminded me of climbing into a C-Class from a few years ago — that level of presence and solidity.

The centrepiece is the new infotainment system. Games, movie streaming, games console connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — it's properly equipped. The interface is intuitive in a smartphone-like way, which makes it genuinely easy to use rather than just impressive to look at. It's configurable, responsive, and genuinely one of the better systems in this class.

One note of critique that others have raised and is worth echoing: Mercedes decided to copy the much-hated haptic buttons and switched windows. Cost-saving in a car at this price point stings a little when everything else is so well executed.

The rear seats lack head and legroom for taller adults. The sloping roofline is the culprit — it's the same compromise every sleek saloon makes and the CLA is no exception. Short journeys and smaller passengers? Fine. Regular long-distance rear passenger duties for adults ... less so. If rear space matters to you, the CLA Shooting Brake estate version addresses this and is worth a look.

Boot: Better Than It Looks

405 litres of boot space, which is more than you get in the ID.3, with a wide opening and a low load lip that makes loading easy. There's also a small frunk under the bonnet — reportedly the first on a Mercedes since the rear-engined Type 130 nearly 90 years ago. It's useful for charging cables and keeping them out of the main boot.

The Drive

Smooth and more capable than the numbers suggest. The CLA 250+ produces 272hp from a single rear motor, with 0-62mph, or 0-100km/u in 6.7 seconds. Even in the single-motor 250+, the car feels lighter on its feet than the curb weight would suggest. It's not a sports car and doesn't pretend to be, but it drives with more confidence and precision than any CLA before it. So does the suspension. It handles just nicely and glides over bumps. 

The efficiency is genuinely impressive. An official consumption figure of 5.7 miles per kWh is better than most small electric hatchbacks. And WLTP range of up to 778km. Real-world testing has shown 650–740km depending on conditions and driving style. For a compact saloon those are class-leading numbers.

Charging is where the CLA pulls furthest ahead of the competition. Up to 320kW DC fast charging can add over 200 miles of range in just 10 minutes — that's faster than a Tesla Model 3 and changes the road trip calculation entirely.

One caveat worth noting: early production models charged at 800V only, which excluded a large number of 400V public chargers. This has since been resolved with a software update, but worth checking on any used example.

Price: Premium Earned, Premium Charged

This is a more expensive CLA than its predecessor and it feels like it. That's the right trade. The question is whether the compact saloon format justifies the price against larger alternatives. My honest answer is yes — if you prioritise efficiency, technology, and design over rear passenger space and boot volume. If family practicality is the primary brief, the Shooting Brake or a compact SUV makes more sense.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Genuinely premium interior — finally feels like it deserves the badge
• Class-leading range
• Clean, elegant exterior design that ages well
• Best infotainment system in this class
• Efficient drivetrain — better consumption than most small EVs
• Useful frunk for cables

Cons:

• Rear legroom and headroom tight for adults
• Haptic window switches feel cheap at this price
• Premium price for a compact saloon
• Boot smaller than previous generation at 405L

Verdict

The new Mercedes CLA is the car the previous generations always wanted to be. It looks right, drives well, goes further than anything comparable on a charge, and charges faster than almost anything on the market. The interior finally delivers the premium feel the badge promised. Rear space is the expected compromise and the price is real — but for the right buyer, this is one of the most compelling compact EVs available right now.