The 2015 Mercedes CLA is the most affordable sedan from the German autmaker and comes with oodles of style coupled with a luxurious cabin.
Having brought the entire family of MFA premium compact cars in the country over the past two years, Mercedes-Benz India had kept the best for the last and has finally launched the much awaited CLA premium compact sedan priced from Rs. 31.5 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Like all MFA cars, the CLA is a front-wheel drive model and is the most affordable sedan to come from the Stuttgart based automaker’s stable. Incidentally, Mercedes first launched the performance oriented CLA45 AMG sedan last year and has now brought in the saner and budget friendly version to the country.
Design – Without a second thought, the 2015 Mercedes CLA is an absolute stunner. The front fascia is familiar and pleasing with the bold front diamond grille which is black instead of chrome and houses the 3-pointed star in the centre, while the sculpted lines on the hood add to a muscular feel and a wider appearance. Moving to the sides, the CLA gets a coupe-like roofline inspired from the CLS sedan, while drama comes from the flowing lines and most importantly the frameless windows. Complimenting the front, the rear comes with petal shaped LED tail lights and a well sculpted boot-lid with integrated lip spoiler. Completing the look are the dual chrome tip exhausts for a sporty feel along with the 17-inch AMG inspired alloy wheels.
In terms of dimensions, the 2015 CLA measures 4630 mm in length, 1777 mm in width and 1432 mm in height, while the wheelbase is measured at 2699 mm, 62 mm longer than its competitor, the Audi A3. The flowing lines also serve a purpose and have helped reduce the drag coefficient to 0.25, making the CLA India’s most aerodynamic series production car. At present, Mercedes is offering the sedan in only three colour options namely red, white and silver.
Interiors – Much like the front fascia, the 2015 Mercedes CLA comes with a well appointed but familiar cabin. Nonetheless, the interiors do gets a host of changes to make it more appealing and spacious compared to other MFA based vehicles. The dashboard comes with brushed silver finish in the centre, while the turbine themed air-con vents have been retained. In addition, the front seats have also been scooped up to improve legroom at the rear. Mercedes is offering the cabin in two colour themes namely beige or black.
In terms of equipment, the CLA sedan is loaded with an updated telematics infotainment system with a bigger resolution display, navigation, 12 speaker Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system, Bluetooth, CD, USB connectivity as well as an additional USB port on the centre armrest for rear seat access. You also get panoramic sliding roof, reverse camera and bi-Xenon headlights as standard. The boot capacity is limited to 470-litres and comes with a space saver spare tyre.
Engine – Powering the 2015 CLA sedan are the existing petrol and diesel engine options found on the GLA SUV. The petrol variant comes with a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 181 BHP at 5500 RPM and 300 Nm of torque between 1200-1400 RPM. Diesel power on the other hand comes from the 2.2-litre engine under the hood producing 134 BHP of power between 3600-4400 RPM and 300 Nm of torque between 1600-3000 EPM. Both the motors are paired to a 7-speed Dual-Clutch automatic transmission and come with 3 driving modes – E (Economy), S (Sport) and M (Manual).
Performance Figures – The 2015 CLA petrol is capable of doing the 0-100 km/hr sprint in 7.8 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 235 km/hr. The CLA diesel does 0-100 km/hr in 9.8 seconds with a top speed limited to 220 km/hr. Stopping power comes from all disc brakes that ensures effective braking in no time.
Safety – Ensuring safety as paramount importance, Mercedes has loaded the 2015 CLA sedan with six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP as well as driver assist functions like Adaptive Braking, Hill Hold, Acceleration Skid Control (ASC), Tyre Pressure Monitoring system, Pre-Safe and Attention Assist.
Fuel Efficiency – Mercedes-Benz claims an ARAI certified fuel efficiency of 15.04 km/l on the petrol and 17.09 km/l on the diesel CLA sedan. The CLA also gets brake energy recuperation that stores the kinetic energy in the battery that helps in improving the overall fuel efficiency.
The 2015 Mercedes CLA is definitely one of the best looking budget luxury sedan there is out there. With the initial units brought in via the CBU route, the car packs in style, performance and certainly a host of luxury. While the pricing might seem optimistic at the moment, Mercedes has stated that it plans to locally assemble MFA models at the Chakan facility starting with the CLA later this year and prices should see a significant drop then. Competing primarily against the Audi A3 in the segment, the CLA looks a lot more interesting and will easily connect with the young aspirational youth that Mercedes is targeting.
Make sure to read our review of the 2015 Mercedes CLA HERE.
2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA Prices (ex-showroom, Delhi) –
* CLA 200 CDI Style – Rs. 31.50 lakhs
* CLA 200 Sport – Rs. 35 lakhs
* CLA 200 CDI Sport – Rs. 35.90 lakhs
