2014 Mercedes Benz CLA250 And CLA250 4Matic - It Puts The CLA In Class

New Benz brings Mercedes to the entry-level buyer

The entry-level choice in the Mercedes line used to be a C-class sedan, which, not too long ago, could be had for around $30,000. OK. Maybe that was too long ago. Now a C-class starts at 35 and goes pretty far up from there. When the new C arrives in 2014, it’ll be even bigger and more expensive than what you can get now – opening up a nice entry-level-size spot in the space beneath it.

2014 Mercedes Benz CLA250

This fall, you will be able to enter the realm of Mercedes ownership and, as Willem Dafoe says, “All that goes with it”, for right around $30,000 again. And we’re not talking about some truncated, sawed-off 2.3 Kompressor hatchback, either. You will be able to get a full-fledged four-door Mercedes sedan with styling that evokes the larger and much more expensive CLS. Your entry-level dreamboat will be called the CLA, a stylish, capable five-seat sedan that could launch you into a lifetime of Mercedes owner-ship – Benz hopes.

The flowing exterior lines are not just nice to look at; engineers used them to produce the lowest coefficient of drag of any production vehicle ever, a remarkable 0.23 in U.S. trim, but 0.22 in one European version. All that should help return fuel mileage well above 30 mpg, though Mercedes won’t be releasing EPA mileage figures until closer to the car’s launch in September.

While other markets get a choice of three engines and three transmissions (dang you EPA/DOT.NHTSA/IIHS!), we in America will get just one engine and one transmission – a 208-hp, 258-lb-ft turbocharged gasoline direct-injection four powering the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The lowly sales potential of even a manual trans “just wasn’t worth homologating”, the chief engineer said. (And don’t they read rabid Web comments of the diesel faithful?) A4Mactic all-wheel-drive version apparently was worth homologating, and we will get that in the spring of 2014, as well as an AMG shown at the New York auto show that will be in showrooms in November.

At autobahn speeds of 125 mph, there is almost no wind noise and the car is as stable and flat as a freshly fried kartoffelpuffer.

While the basic geometry of the CLA setup is pretty mundane – MacPherson struts in front and a four-link rear – Mercedes did a good job of delivering a taut and relatively responsive ride. Handling in both front and all-wheel-drive versions was also safe and stable, if prone to occasional under-steer when pushed hard. The AWD version is usually in front-wheel-drive mode. Under hard acceleration, it sends half its torque to the rear wheels. If the fronts are on ice, it can send “over 90 percent” rearward, according to Mercedes officials.

While it’s perhaps not lively by sports and sporty car standards, that might not have been its goal. Roll, dive and squat are controlled better than anything else in the class and in a few other classes, too. The ride is on the firm side but not uncomfortable. Let’s say it’s more well-controlled than taut. Europeans will get a choice of suspension calibrations, but we in the U.S. will get only the sport version. If it’s not particularly sporty, that just means the AMG version has a bit more room for improvement.

At autobahn speeds of 125 mph, there is almost no wind noise and the car is as stable and flat as a freshly fried kartoffelpuffer. All that aerodynamic tuning is apparent – it’s what makes the car so remarkably quiet at such speeds.

Inside is pure Mercedes. The front seats lack for nothing, with multiple adjustments and plenty of head, leg and shoulder room.

Inside is pure Mercedes. The front seats lack for nothing, with multiple adjustments and plenty of head-, leg- and shoulder room. The back seats, while comfortably adequate for shorter people who do not necessarily want to see much of the outside world, are cramped for most adults, especially in headroom. Back seats would be perfect for, say, child stars who do not want to be seen while being chauffeured quietly around. Small price to pay for all that style the roofline affords.

When you consider that you could spend this much money on any number of compact and midsize sedans both foreign and domestic, the value equation of this well-build and well-equipped baby Benz becomes clear. Mercedes loaded it up with safety features, including Distronic cruise control, Attention Assist to keep you between the lines and Collision Prevention Assist, which senses imminent impacts and puts on the brakes. A new feature connects your smartphone via the mbrace2 technology to quite efficiently and cheaply integrate numerous apps, from Aha to Glympse to Facebook (which it reads to you) and beyond. The only thing missing is a convenient place to stow the connected phone on our demos, it slid around in the glove box, but Mercedes says an under-the-armrest connection will indeed be included on U.S. models.

A4Mactic all-wheel-drive version apparently was worth homologating, and we will get that in the spring of 2014, as well as an AMG shown at the New York auto show that will be in showrooms in November.

Clearly, Mercedes planners are using this car to draw in younger buyers. With a starting sticker price of a little more than $30,000 and a host of connectivity features Gens Y and Z crave, they could succeed. You can get the prestige of a Mercedes for the price of a bland midsize sedan. Even though it sits on the A-class platform, it looks and feels like a midsize car. Unlike the truncated hatchback of a decade ago, this entry-level Benz makes no compromises and no excuses.