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Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class: Out of its League

7/28/2014

 
PicturePhoto: Mercedes-Benz
I never think of Mercedes-Benz as being “out of its league” in any category.  If anything, that term means to me that the company’s technological leadership has created an entirely new class of cars to which other manufacturers could aspire.  A prime example is the new S550, which takes luxury automobiles to new heights and may be the closest thing to a driverless vehicle available in any showroom.  It leaves other large luxosedans, such as the Lexus LS, in the dust and is considered by many to be a bargain at over $100K with options.  It has truly set a new standard at the higher end of the market.

Unfortunately, there’s the other end of the spectrum, where Mercedes is certainly out of its league in trying to field near-luxury sedans known as the CLA250 and CLA45.  We had a chance to drive these cars not long ago and they simply felt cheap.  If you could close your eyes behind the wheel, you’d never guess that you were in a car made by one of the world’s premier makers.  The ride was harsh, the engines felt buzzy and sound insulation was sparse.  The stick-on dash screen is an abomination worthy of Pep Boys at a time when the competitive new Audi A3 (which actually drives and feels like an Audi) provides one that slides down automatically.  Make a fist and knock around the plastic dash areas of a CLA and you’ll hear the hollow sounds of an econobox.  Perhaps it was no surprise that, during testing, the base model was put out of commission by a pothole.

Yes, the CLA sedans look good, but that’s about where it ends.  With a decent set of options, they sticker in the mid-$30K range and you can get a lot of good cars for that money.  If you must have the Mercedes badge on a limited new-car budget, go buy one at the parts department and then stick it on the hood of your Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Mazda6 or Subaru Legacy, all of which seem to be better cars for the price . . . or less.


BY THE NUMBERS (CLA250)
Price: $29,900
Horsepower: 208
0-60: 6.9 secs (Mercedes)
Curb weight: 3,262 lbs

TO LEARN MORE

Mercedes

Car and Driver

Motor Trend


Chrysler 200C:  What the Mercedes CLA should have been

7/8/2014

 
PicturePhoto: Chrysler
Look out, Toyota, Honda and, yes, Mercedes.  We recently had a chance to drive the new Chrysler 200C and it is one fine automobile.  I can remember the days when the rental car agent would offer you one of Chrysler's hapless Sebrings, or even the prior 200 model, and you'd ask, "What else have you got?"  Well, those days are over.

Plush, quiet and solid are some of the adjectives that come to mind as we drove this car.  We were impressed with the precise steering and the thrust of its 295-horsepower V-6 that still manages to deliver 32 miles per gallon on the highway.  We could absolutely do without the fake wood pieces in the interior, especially the one offered in blue, but this was a minor criticism, indeed. 

Yes, our test Chrysler was loaded and the sticker price was over $34,000.  But you can pick up a nicely optioned 200 in the upper-$20,000 range and, in our part of the country, dealers are offering fairly good discounts.

We drove this car back-to-back with the Mercedes CLA and its souped-up cousin, the CLA45 AMG.  The two Mercedes cars felt cheap, while the Chrysler drove like something worth $10,000 more.  If I had $30K+ to spend on a near luxury vehicle, I'd  drive right past Mercedes and head down to my Chrysler dealer.  Let's hope the Fiat Chrysler folks in Auburn Hills and Turin (soon to be London for the world headquarters) can churn out more cars as good as this one.



BY THE NUMBERS
Price: $21,700 ($34,000+ as driven)
Horsepower: 184 (four-cylinder), 295 (V-6)
0-60: 8.6 secs
Curb weight: 3,473 lbs

TO LEARN MORE
Chrysler

Motor Trend

Edmunds


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    David Fluhrer has been a classic car columnist for Newsday since 2008, as well as a new car reviewer for the auto section and a feature writer for Newsday's glossy magazines, Luxury Living and Long Island Living. 

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