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2025 Mercedes-Benz GLA review

2025 Mercedes-Benz GLA review

7NEWS05-05-2025
The Mercedes-Benz GLA has formed the entry point to the German luxury carmaker's SUV lineup for years now.
A formidable rival to the likes of the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Lexus UX, Mini Countryman, and Volvo XC40, among others, this small premium SUV has been on sale in Australia in second-generation guise since 2020.
Now it has received a worthwhile mid-life facelift.
On the outside there is a 'modernised' headlight and tail-light signature, as well as a redesigned front bumper and grille.
Inside, there is a new steering wheel with touch-sensitive buttons and sliders, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, illuminated USB ports, and an additional USB-C port.
Under the bonnet, the mid-spec 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic on test here, as well as the hotter AMG GLA35 4Matic, now get 48V mild-hybrid assistance, comprising a belt-driven starter-generator that's capable of providing an additional 10kW for brief periods.
Is this small luxury SUV from the three-pointed star still the benchmark in its segment? Read along to find out.
How much does the Mercedes-Benz GLA cost?
On test here is the mid-range GLA250 4Matic, priced from a cool $80,500 plus on-road costs.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLA lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What is the Mercedes-Benz GLA like on the inside?
Despite its more compact dimensions, the Mercedes-Benz GLA feels very much like any other model from the German luxury brand. The door handles require a similar amount of force to open, and the doors make a familiar thwack sound when closed.
Once you're in there are rather comfortable sport seats that feature plenty of electric adjustment and manually extendable thigh support. This means people of all different sizes and statures will be able to find their desired seating position easily.
As standard, the GLA gets microfibre upholstery with Artico artificial leather on the seat bolsters. While real leather is available as an option, I prefer this because it doesn't make you feel as sweaty on hotter days.
Both front seats are heated, which was appreciated as it's starting to get a little cooler here in Melbourne. On the highest setting, these seats got hot really quickly, which is yet another benefit of the microfibre upholstery.
Ahead of the driver is an AMG Line steering wheel, which feels chunky and is wrapped in soft Nappa leather. Annoyingly, it has touch-sensitive buttons and sliders for adjusting things like the sound system volume and cruise control, among other things, and they aren't nearly as intuitive as proper physical buttons.
Another disappointing aspect of these buttons is the fact they are covered in glossy piano black panels which attract fingerprints and look grubby quickly.
While there are dedicated buttons for picking up and hanging up phone calls, there's also no proper way to change the track that's playing, which resulted in me having to use the touchscreen instead. Bizarre…
Behind the steering wheel is the same dual 10.25-inch screen setup that this car has featured for years now. It just has a refreshed look with the mid-life update.
The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster looks crisp and high-resolution. It has a number of different layouts to choose from, and you can customise them to show different information. The Germans still know how to do a good instrument cluster.
Moving across, the 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen still looks good, but compared to some rivals it's starting to look a little small. The screen is very responsive to touch inputs and the user interface is dead easy to navigate.
Compared to the pre-update model, the GLA range now gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The window for smartphone mirroring also now takes up the entirety of the display, which looks much better.
Looking around the cabin, you can tell this car has received some tweaks over the years. The most notable is the removal of the touchpad on the centre console. Instead, there's now an awkward storage space that isn't big enough for a plus-sized phone.
I appreciate all the physical switchgear for the climate controls as they feel premium and are much more intuitive than having to use the touchscreen. It is somewhat annoying, however, that you need to look at the touchscreen to see what temperature you're setting the system to.
While the majority of the finishes in this car look and feel premium to interact with, there's an overload of glossy piano black around the cabin. It's especially frustrating around the circular air vents because it attracts dust quickly.
There are a lot of darker finishes up front, though there is interior ambient lighting in certain areas, which makes the car feel a bit more special at night. There's also a panoramic glass sunroof as standard, which has a panel that tilts and slides to offer more air flow.
Moving to the second row, it's clear there's more emphasis put on the seats up front. It's not a terrible space to be, it just doesn't feel as special.
At a leggy 182cm, I had enough leg, head, shoulder and toe room behind by own driving position. Two adults will fit fine in the second row, though pushing it to three would make things squishy. The person in the middle seat also has to contend with the sizeable transmission hump.
Second-row amenities include air vents, USB-C ports, as well as a fold-down armrest with retractable cupholders. It's pretty standard.
Around the back, there's a power tailgate that has a hands-free function, which comes in handy if you've got your hands full of stuff. With the tailgate open, there's a decent amount of boot space, though it won't blow you away.
Disappointingly, there's no spare wheel here. As standard, the car comes with run-flat tyres, though you can opt for a tyre repair kit as a no-cost option. This isn't ideal for those who frequently travel in the country.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLA lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What's under the bonnet?
The Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic's 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine gains 48V mild-hybrid assistance with the mid-life facelift.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLA lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How does the Mercedes-Benz GLA drive?
Starting up the GLA250 4Matic, the turbo-petrol engine deliver a rowdy rev flare, which is more noticeable in the cabin than outside the car. Tat's because this car pumps fake engine sound into the cabin.
To set off, you use the column-mounted gear selector, which feels premium and sleek. It's handy because you can quickly flick from drive to reverse, especially in parking scenarios or when doing a three-point turn.
When the engine is still warming up, the first two gears rev out to around 3000rpm, which feels like way too much. This creates a jarring feeling inside the cabin, as the engine doesn't sound the best at these revs.
Once the engine has warmed up a little, or you start travelling a bit faster, the car then opts for higher gears and will keep the revs down to minimise fuel consumption. This feels a lot more natural and calm.
While the 2.0-litre turbo four in this car is far from new, it is now augmented with mild-hybrid assistance, which allows for more seamless and longer engine idle stop/start interaction. When in Eco mode, the car can also coast with the engine switched off to save fuel.
As part of this 48V system, there's a belt-driven motor generator that is used to start the engine, but can also provide an additional 10kW of power for brief periods. This helps for faster acceleration, or to generally take load off the engine.
Another part of the 48V mild-hybrid system is the regenerative braking system, which helps top up the small 48V battery pack. It's satisfying to know that you're recuperating energy to then use to help performance later on.
In practice, the system is seamless and even has an intelligent function by which it'll increase the amount of regenerative braking based on how quickly the car in front of you is travelling. It means you don't have to think that much about it and can instead focus on driving.
As a package, this powertrain is a little firecracker. You'll easily be keeping up with traffic from the lights, and with only a subtle flex of your right foot, you'll be accelerating faster than most. At no point was I looking for more power, which makes me feel like the AMG GLA35 is somewhat superfluous, as many performance cars are.
This car comes with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which provides snappy and almost instantaneous gear changes. With the assistance of the 48V motor generator, a lot of the dual-clutch hesitancies are ironed out, making it feel more seamless behind the wheel.
However, there were still moments where it was abundantly clear this car has a dual-clutch auto. An example included when I changed from drive to reverse on a hill and started to roll before the gear actually engaged. This wasn't the most confidence-inspiring feeling behind the wheel.
While the engine packs a punch, it also has the driving dynamics to match. The steering is wonderfully direct and well-weighted for tossing this small SUV around on city streets. It's rather smile-inducing.
Even though all local non-AMG GLAs come with the AMG Line package as standard, they don't actually have sport suspension. Instead, they have a lowered version of the comfort suspension, which is great because this means the car doesn't feel overly stiff all the time.
This car soaks up general lumps and bumps that occur with general urban road imperfections without any worries, though harsher singular bumps can send shocks into the cabin. It feels a little brittle if you hit a hard bump with a little too much pace.
On the parking front, there are front and rear parking sensors, as well as a surround-view camera which has great quality. There's also a parking assistant, which is handy if you're not the most confident at parallel or perpendicular parking, though it's slow.
Out on the open road, this car settles into a perfectly comfortable cruise. The engine revs are kept down low as the transmission prioritises the highest gear possible, though there is a bit of tyre roar at higher speeds. This isn't uncommon with European cars, especially those with run-flat tyres.
There's still plenty of punch available if you need to do a quick overtake. The transmission will drop a few gears and the 48V motor generator will help get acceleration happening as soon as possible. You need to keep an eye on your speed because you'll easily creep above the speed limit if you're not paying attention.
The steering still feels incredibly direct and well-weighted, which makes this fun to drive in the twisties. Like many crossover SUVs, however, the GLA does get a bit of body roll up when pushed. It's not horrible, but it limits its dynamism compared to a lower-slung hatchback, for example.
Like at lower speeds, the suspension feels settled and composed at higher speeds, though harsher bumps can transmit into the cabin.
On the safety front, the GLA is now fully loaded. With the mid-life update, it now gets adaptive cruise control as standard. It's an intuitive system which is able to keep a safe distance between the car ahead and not freak out when a car cuts in front of you.
The lane-keep assist is fairly relaxed with how it reacts when you get close to the lane markings but, disappointingly, there's no active lane-centring function as standard. You need to opt for the Plus Package to get this, among a range of other features, including a head-up display and adaptive high-beam.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLA lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
What do you get?
On test here is the mid-spec Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic with no option packages.
2025 Mercedes-Benz GLA200 equipment highlights:
LED headlights with adaptive high-beam
Power-adjustable front sports seats
Heated front seats
Galvanised paddle shifters
AMG Line exterior package
10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Apple CarPlay, Android Auto – wireless
Satellite navigation with live traffic
Wireless phone charger
Nappa leather-wrapped steering wheel
Semi-autonomous parking assist
Panoramic sunroof
Dual-zone climate control
Keyless entry and start
Power tailgate
GLA250 4Matic adds:
Off-Road Engineering Package
Options
The GLA250 4Matic is available with a number of different options, but none were equipped to our tester.
Plus Package: $5000
Driving Assistance Package
Augmented reality satellite navigation
Burmester sound system
Illuminated door sills
Head-up display
Multi-beam LED headlights
Adaptive high-beam
MBUX Interior Assist
Surround lighting with projected logos
Other standalone options include:
20-inch AMG multi-spoke black alloy wheels: $1600
Black Lugano leather upholstery: $1700
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLA lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLA safe?
The Mercedes-Benz GLA has a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on tests conducted on the related B-Class in 2019.
Standard safety equipment includes:
Autonomous emergency braking
Adaptive cruise control
Blind-spot monitoring
Lane-keep assist
Safe exit warning
Traffic sign recognition
Surround-view camera
9 airbags (front, side and curtain, plus a driver's knee airbag)
Opting for the Plus Package on the GLA200 and GLA250 4Matic adds:
Active Distance Assist
Steering Assist
Active Lane Change Assist
Extended route-based speed limit assist
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLA lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
How much does the Mercedes-Benz GLA cost to run?
The Mercedes-Benz GLA is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
To see how the Mercedes-Benz GLA lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
CarExpert's Take on the Mercedes-Benz GLA
The Mercedes-Benz GLA has long been a default option for those looking at a small but luxurious SUV.
There are now more rivals than ever, but this car still shines through as a benchmark, though it's starting to feel its age.
This mid-life update has invigorated the GLA just enough, though there are newer rivals like the BMW X1 that offer more technology and much better value.
It's nice there is now wireless smartphone mirroring, as well as different looks inside and out to keep things fresh. Some of the changes hinder the useability, though, including the fiddly touch sliders on the new steering wheel. The storage space where the touchpad used to be also just looks weird.
I'm a fan of the new 48V mild-hybrid version of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine in this GLA250 4Matic.
It certainly packs a punch and you likely won't be looking for any more power in your everyday commute. However, it doesn't notably improve fuel consumption.
Lastly, let's talk money. The GLA is certainly one expensive small SUV. At $80,500 before on-roads for the GLA250 4Matic on test here, it's considerably more expensive than all of its direct rivals. It's also rather expensive to service, which is a further pain point.
If you're willing to buck up the cash for one of these and are a die-hard fan of the three-pointed star, you'll love this car as a package. It certainly doesn't disappoint.
If you're more brand-averse, however, it may be worth checking out the competition because there's plenty out there.
Interested in buying a Mercedes-Benz GLA? Get in touch with one of CarExpert's trusted dealers here
Pros
Zippy performance
Fun driving dynamics
Comfortable driving position
Cons
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It's almost pillow-like at the top of the suspension travel, and while the weight (just over two tonnes for the 250+) means that it will drop a wheel quite hard into potholes, the CLA's ride quality is really good, especially when it comes to ironing out city roads and their speed bumps. Combine that with particularly good refinement and noise insulation when cruising, and you have a car that's capable of making great use of its lengthy one-charge range. Stretch all the way to the far end of that 792km leash, and you should be able to step out pretty unruffled, thanks in part to the impressive front seats. What the CLA isn't is much fun to drive. Even in a 350+ version, in AMG-Line trim, and with Sport mode selected, the steering remains pretty mute, although the weighting of the power assistance feels good. Danish roads are both slow and have long, slightly dull corners most of the time, so a full dynamic assessment of the CLA might have to wait until we get it on more familiar roads and put it to more of a challenge, but on this drive both versions felt tidy, well-sorted, but ultimately a bit inert. On the few corners through which we could build up a bit of excitement, the limitation seems to be the weight of the battery pushing the CLA into understeer, which is exacerbated by that soft suspension allowing a bit more roll than you'd expect. We'll have to give the CLA a certain amount of the benefit of the doubt for now, on the dynamic front, but from what we've seen here the CLA feels a bit too remote to be much fun, but it's certainly comfortable and a terrific long-haul cruiser. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Full specifications for local versions of the new CLA will become available closer to launch, which is still at least a year away. 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA equipment highlights: To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The new Mercedes CLA has not yet been independently assessed by Euro NCAP nor ANCAP, but we'd be pretty surprised if it turned out to be anything less than very safe indeed. Dr Christian Goggler, who supervised the car's safety design, told us that "safety is baked into the DNA of Mercedes" before going on to describe the new car's gruelling safety testing regime, which included an astonishing 150 full physical crash tests, and many tens of thousands of computer simulation loops. Beyond that, Mercedes still sends out investigators to inspect the scenes of real-life accidents involving its cars and does so in Europe, the US and India, garnering a huge archive of real-world safety data from which to draw. As well as the expected electronic safety systems – adaptive cruise, lane-keeping steering with a new automated lane change, blind-spot monitoring, etc – the CLA also gets a new central front airbag to prevent head-to-head impact injuries between the two front-seat occupants, and a dedicated crush structure designed to protect the battery in the event of a crash. There's also a QR code just inside the charging flap, which gives emergency services instant access to the car's safety sheet, including how to isolate the battery in the event of an emergency. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Mercedes has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia and the CLA's battery will likely be warrantied for eight years or 160,000km. Main dealer servicing will, of course, be fairly pricey as you'd expect with a premium brand. Mercedes-Benz offers three-, four-, or five-year inclusive servicing plans, which cost between $2000 and $3600 for compact electric models, although it hasn't announced anything specific for the CLA yet. As far as charging goes, as long as you're doing most of your charging at home, and you have a decent electricity supply cost of around 16c per kWh, then you could do a full charge of the CLA's 85kWh battery for just over $13. That's quite reasonable, but if the CLA's massive one-charge range is realistic – and we think it is – then you'll hardly need to charge up again for ages. In fact, given that the average Australian covers 33km per day in their car, and even taking a fairly realistic 700km real-world range, you wouldn't need to charge up again for three full weeks. That, helpfully, insulates you from public charging, which is just as well as there are still problems with that. In order to give the CLA a massive 320kW DC fast-charging speed – able to give it back 310km of range in just 10 minutes if you can find a sufficiently powerful charger – Mercedes-Benz has given the car an 800-volt charging system. Which is fine – Audi, Porsche, Kia and Hyundai all use one of those too for fast-charging. However, in the case of the CLA, its charger is only compatible with 800-volt charging points, which tend to be the newer and more powerful ones. It's not compatible – unlike those other brands – with older 400-volt chargers, which rather limits your options when you're out and about. A fix for this is coming, so hopefully that arrives before the first cars land in Australia, or you're going to struggle at times to find a charging point that will physically work with the car. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool We must confess to being a touch disappointed with the CLA's dynamics, at least from this limited assessment. For a supposedly sporty four-door coupe, it's a bit ordinary to drive. That said, the CLA's winning hand is most definitely its exceptionally long range, which translates from officialtest to real-world with surprising fidelity. The looks are a touch divisive, but the cabin's a good place to be, and the CLA is very refined indeed. Interested in buying a Mercedes-Benz CLA? Let CarExpert find you the best deal hereMORE: Explore the Mercedes-Benz CLA showroom Content originally sourced from: Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Pros Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Cons Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Pros Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Cons With its new third-generation CLA, Mercedes-Benz is pushing the electric vehicle (EV) boat way out from the shore (at least in terms of range and charging) and yet also hedging its bets ever so slightly with the promise of a hybrid version of the all-new small sedan to placate the plug-phobes. The design is proving a touch divisive (at least judging by social media responses). The overall shape is familiar enough, but the detailing at the front is vastly different, with a huge star-studded grille and new lights both front and rear, and not everyone seems to love it. It's certainly less conventionally handsome than the current CLA. But it's refreshing to see an automaker using a new EV platform (called MMA, and sharing hardly anything with the old NGCC front-wheel-drive CLA platform) and some critical new technology (most of all the adaptable software that controls pretty much all aspects of the car) in a compact sedan. Why not an SUV, given that replacements for the current Mercedes EQB and EQA are on the way too? Well, it probably has something to do with efficiency. The CLA isn't really a coupe, despite Mercedes-Benz's naming strategy and its frameless door glass. It's a compact, sleek four-door sedan and that gives Merc's aerodynamicists the chance to flex their wind-tunnel muscles, trimming the CLA's wind resistance figure to an impressive 0.21Cd. That allows Mercedes to then make the most of its new 85kWh lithium-ion battery, which uses silicon-oxide anodes for a 20 per cent boost in energy density – and some significant trimming of the car's overall carbon footprint, says Mercedes-Benz. All of that, combined with some knowledge gleaned from the ultra-long range Mercedes-Benz EQXX concept car, results in a new electric sedan from the three-pointed star brand that can travel for close to 800km on one charge. Can it though? We went to Copenhagen to find out… We simply don't know yet. The outgoing and entirely combustion-powered CLA (well, aside from the plug-in hybrid version) has a starting price in Australia of just over $75,000, so it's likely that with all the expensive new tech, the new electric CLA will have a higher price tag than that. Of course, mild-hybrid combustion powered versions will be cheaper than the EV, and the recently revealed Shooting Brake wagon version of the new CLA could return to Australia for the first time since the first generation. We won't know for certain until closer to the new CLA's arrival date in the second half of 2026. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool In a tech-sense, the new CLA is really impressive inside. There's a cliff-faced digital dashboard, which – if you get the optional passenger-side display – has essentially wall-to-wall screens and is clearly an evolution of the 'stretched iPad' dashboard layout of the current CLA. Sadly, Mercedes-Benz – as with most automakers – has decided to throw most of the physical buttons and controls into a skip bin, but on the upside the new software does seem to be on the ball, with fast responses to on-screen presses and swipes, and nice big icons for each menu item that mean you can generally catch them on the first stab when driving. The optional three-spoke AMG steering wheel still uses hateful touch-sensitive controls, but an update with some proper buttons is on the way for that particular part, we're told. allows you to do all sorts of things, such as downloading streaming services including Disney+ and YouTube to watch movies, along with games such as Angry Birds and Fortnite, and you can even connect your own PlayStation or Xbox controller to while away any time spent charging. The digital voice assistant (and you can choose between Google Assistant, Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz's own 'Hey, Mercedes' setup) seems a bit less stupid than many others. Meanwhile, the navigation – based on Google Maps, but with Mercedes-Benz's own overlays on top – is very impressive. Mercedes claims that doesn't just allow it to update the software over the air, it will in theory allow it to tweak and improve all of the CLA's systems, from battery management to electronic driver aids, as the car ages. On a physical level, the front of the cabin is nice, with high-backed bucket seats which are wonderfully comfortable, and lots of storage space in the doors and the centre console. The driving position feels a bit perched-up though, because of course the battery under the floor means that it can't drop down all that much, but you do get used to it. In the back, legroom is surprisingly good, but headroom is tight for anyone over 1.8 metres tall, plus the angle of the seat, and the high-set rear floor, means that your knees are way up in the air, and the backs of your legs left unsupported. The CLA might not really be a coupe, but it's a bit coupe-like in the back. There's better news in the boot, where there's 405 litres of relatively shallow luggage space, and another 101L in the very handy 'frunk' storage area in the nose. If you need more than that, wait for the new CLA Shooting Brake. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The electric CLAs come with a choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powertrains. Here, we're concentrating on the rear-drive CLA 250+, because that's the one with the headline-grabbing range figure. With 200kW of power and 335Nm of torque, the 250+ motor is right in the middle of the electric motor world, neither exceptionally powerful nor notably weak. Mercedes-Benz has equipped the CLA with a two-speed transmission, instead of the more common single-speed reduction gear, which is meant to give the car better low-down sprinting capability and still allow it to cruise effortlessly at higher speeds. That does partially work – and the transmission lives up to Mercedes-Benz's promise of it being impossible to tell when the shifts occur – but an initial shove off the line gives way to fairly relaxed acceleration in the CLA 250+. It's brisk, but you'd never call it very fast with a 6.7-second claimed 0-100km/h time. Obviously, the two-motor, all-wheel drive CLA 350+ 4Matic is a touch more emphatic, hitting 100km/h from rest in a claimed 4.9 seconds, and feeling much punchier overall. Given that it loses out on only 20km of official range compared to the rear-drive 250+, the 350+ might just be the CLA of choice. However, it is the 250+ that's the range champion here, and Mercedes-Benz quotes an official figure of 792km on the WLTP test. That's truly exceptional and way ahead of anything Tesla or BYD can claim. Does it stack up in the real world, though? Well, yes, but with a couple of caveats. The biggest is that we were driving the CLA on roads around Copenhagen in Denmark, where the speed limits are low and heavily enforced. The lack of any big mountain ranges over which to climb also plays into the CLA battery's hands when it comes to efficiency. But assuming you're not driving the backside off the car all the time, then yes that range is genuinely realistic. Certainly, based on our experience, you should be able to get at least 600-650km out of one charge, and 700km would be far from difficult. That's genuinely exceptional real-world range (and the 350+ isn't all that far behind). Mercedes-Benz says the CLA 250+ consumes between 12.2 and 14.1kWh/100km and that's more or less what we managed, recording 14.4kWh/100km on our test drive. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Given that the CLA is at least sold and marketed as a coupe and equally given that it will also compete with BMW's incoming 'Neue Klasse' electric 3 Series soon, it has a surprisingly soft setup. It's almost pillow-like at the top of the suspension travel, and while the weight (just over two tonnes for the 250+) means that it will drop a wheel quite hard into potholes, the CLA's ride quality is really good, especially when it comes to ironing out city roads and their speed bumps. Combine that with particularly good refinement and noise insulation when cruising, and you have a car that's capable of making great use of its lengthy one-charge range. Stretch all the way to the far end of that 792km leash, and you should be able to step out pretty unruffled, thanks in part to the impressive front seats. What the CLA isn't is much fun to drive. Even in a 350+ version, in AMG-Line trim, and with Sport mode selected, the steering remains pretty mute, although the weighting of the power assistance feels good. Danish roads are both slow and have long, slightly dull corners most of the time, so a full dynamic assessment of the CLA might have to wait until we get it on more familiar roads and put it to more of a challenge, but on this drive both versions felt tidy, well-sorted, but ultimately a bit inert. On the few corners through which we could build up a bit of excitement, the limitation seems to be the weight of the battery pushing the CLA into understeer, which is exacerbated by that soft suspension allowing a bit more roll than you'd expect. We'll have to give the CLA a certain amount of the benefit of the doubt for now, on the dynamic front, but from what we've seen here the CLA feels a bit too remote to be much fun, but it's certainly comfortable and a terrific long-haul cruiser. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Full specifications for local versions of the new CLA will become available closer to launch, which is still at least a year away. 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA equipment highlights: To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The new Mercedes CLA has not yet been independently assessed by Euro NCAP nor ANCAP, but we'd be pretty surprised if it turned out to be anything less than very safe indeed. Dr Christian Goggler, who supervised the car's safety design, told us that "safety is baked into the DNA of Mercedes" before going on to describe the new car's gruelling safety testing regime, which included an astonishing 150 full physical crash tests, and many tens of thousands of computer simulation loops. Beyond that, Mercedes still sends out investigators to inspect the scenes of real-life accidents involving its cars and does so in Europe, the US and India, garnering a huge archive of real-world safety data from which to draw. As well as the expected electronic safety systems – adaptive cruise, lane-keeping steering with a new automated lane change, blind-spot monitoring, etc – the CLA also gets a new central front airbag to prevent head-to-head impact injuries between the two front-seat occupants, and a dedicated crush structure designed to protect the battery in the event of a crash. There's also a QR code just inside the charging flap, which gives emergency services instant access to the car's safety sheet, including how to isolate the battery in the event of an emergency. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Mercedes has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia and the CLA's battery will likely be warrantied for eight years or 160,000km. Main dealer servicing will, of course, be fairly pricey as you'd expect with a premium brand. Mercedes-Benz offers three-, four-, or five-year inclusive servicing plans, which cost between $2000 and $3600 for compact electric models, although it hasn't announced anything specific for the CLA yet. As far as charging goes, as long as you're doing most of your charging at home, and you have a decent electricity supply cost of around 16c per kWh, then you could do a full charge of the CLA's 85kWh battery for just over $13. That's quite reasonable, but if the CLA's massive one-charge range is realistic – and we think it is – then you'll hardly need to charge up again for ages. In fact, given that the average Australian covers 33km per day in their car, and even taking a fairly realistic 700km real-world range, you wouldn't need to charge up again for three full weeks. That, helpfully, insulates you from public charging, which is just as well as there are still problems with that. In order to give the CLA a massive 320kW DC fast-charging speed – able to give it back 310km of range in just 10 minutes if you can find a sufficiently powerful charger – Mercedes-Benz has given the car an 800-volt charging system. Which is fine – Audi, Porsche, Kia and Hyundai all use one of those too for fast-charging. However, in the case of the CLA, its charger is only compatible with 800-volt charging points, which tend to be the newer and more powerful ones. It's not compatible – unlike those other brands – with older 400-volt chargers, which rather limits your options when you're out and about. A fix for this is coming, so hopefully that arrives before the first cars land in Australia, or you're going to struggle at times to find a charging point that will physically work with the car. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool We must confess to being a touch disappointed with the CLA's dynamics, at least from this limited assessment. For a supposedly sporty four-door coupe, it's a bit ordinary to drive. That said, the CLA's winning hand is most definitely its exceptionally long range, which translates from officialtest to real-world with surprising fidelity. The looks are a touch divisive, but the cabin's a good place to be, and the CLA is very refined indeed. Interested in buying a Mercedes-Benz CLA? Let CarExpert find you the best deal hereMORE: Explore the Mercedes-Benz CLA showroom Content originally sourced from: Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Pros Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Cons Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Pros Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Cons With its new third-generation CLA, Mercedes-Benz is pushing the electric vehicle (EV) boat way out from the shore (at least in terms of range and charging) and yet also hedging its bets ever so slightly with the promise of a hybrid version of the all-new small sedan to placate the plug-phobes. The design is proving a touch divisive (at least judging by social media responses). The overall shape is familiar enough, but the detailing at the front is vastly different, with a huge star-studded grille and new lights both front and rear, and not everyone seems to love it. It's certainly less conventionally handsome than the current CLA. But it's refreshing to see an automaker using a new EV platform (called MMA, and sharing hardly anything with the old NGCC front-wheel-drive CLA platform) and some critical new technology (most of all the adaptable software that controls pretty much all aspects of the car) in a compact sedan. Why not an SUV, given that replacements for the current Mercedes EQB and EQA are on the way too? Well, it probably has something to do with efficiency. The CLA isn't really a coupe, despite Mercedes-Benz's naming strategy and its frameless door glass. It's a compact, sleek four-door sedan and that gives Merc's aerodynamicists the chance to flex their wind-tunnel muscles, trimming the CLA's wind resistance figure to an impressive 0.21Cd. That allows Mercedes to then make the most of its new 85kWh lithium-ion battery, which uses silicon-oxide anodes for a 20 per cent boost in energy density – and some significant trimming of the car's overall carbon footprint, says Mercedes-Benz. All of that, combined with some knowledge gleaned from the ultra-long range Mercedes-Benz EQXX concept car, results in a new electric sedan from the three-pointed star brand that can travel for close to 800km on one charge. Can it though? We went to Copenhagen to find out… We simply don't know yet. The outgoing and entirely combustion-powered CLA (well, aside from the plug-in hybrid version) has a starting price in Australia of just over $75,000, so it's likely that with all the expensive new tech, the new electric CLA will have a higher price tag than that. Of course, mild-hybrid combustion powered versions will be cheaper than the EV, and the recently revealed Shooting Brake wagon version of the new CLA could return to Australia for the first time since the first generation. We won't know for certain until closer to the new CLA's arrival date in the second half of 2026. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool In a tech-sense, the new CLA is really impressive inside. There's a cliff-faced digital dashboard, which – if you get the optional passenger-side display – has essentially wall-to-wall screens and is clearly an evolution of the 'stretched iPad' dashboard layout of the current CLA. Sadly, Mercedes-Benz – as with most automakers – has decided to throw most of the physical buttons and controls into a skip bin, but on the upside the new software does seem to be on the ball, with fast responses to on-screen presses and swipes, and nice big icons for each menu item that mean you can generally catch them on the first stab when driving. The optional three-spoke AMG steering wheel still uses hateful touch-sensitive controls, but an update with some proper buttons is on the way for that particular part, we're told. allows you to do all sorts of things, such as downloading streaming services including Disney+ and YouTube to watch movies, along with games such as Angry Birds and Fortnite, and you can even connect your own PlayStation or Xbox controller to while away any time spent charging. The digital voice assistant (and you can choose between Google Assistant, Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz's own 'Hey, Mercedes' setup) seems a bit less stupid than many others. Meanwhile, the navigation – based on Google Maps, but with Mercedes-Benz's own overlays on top – is very impressive. Mercedes claims that doesn't just allow it to update the software over the air, it will in theory allow it to tweak and improve all of the CLA's systems, from battery management to electronic driver aids, as the car ages. On a physical level, the front of the cabin is nice, with high-backed bucket seats which are wonderfully comfortable, and lots of storage space in the doors and the centre console. The driving position feels a bit perched-up though, because of course the battery under the floor means that it can't drop down all that much, but you do get used to it. In the back, legroom is surprisingly good, but headroom is tight for anyone over 1.8 metres tall, plus the angle of the seat, and the high-set rear floor, means that your knees are way up in the air, and the backs of your legs left unsupported. The CLA might not really be a coupe, but it's a bit coupe-like in the back. There's better news in the boot, where there's 405 litres of relatively shallow luggage space, and another 101L in the very handy 'frunk' storage area in the nose. If you need more than that, wait for the new CLA Shooting Brake. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The electric CLAs come with a choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powertrains. Here, we're concentrating on the rear-drive CLA 250+, because that's the one with the headline-grabbing range figure. With 200kW of power and 335Nm of torque, the 250+ motor is right in the middle of the electric motor world, neither exceptionally powerful nor notably weak. Mercedes-Benz has equipped the CLA with a two-speed transmission, instead of the more common single-speed reduction gear, which is meant to give the car better low-down sprinting capability and still allow it to cruise effortlessly at higher speeds. That does partially work – and the transmission lives up to Mercedes-Benz's promise of it being impossible to tell when the shifts occur – but an initial shove off the line gives way to fairly relaxed acceleration in the CLA 250+. It's brisk, but you'd never call it very fast with a 6.7-second claimed 0-100km/h time. Obviously, the two-motor, all-wheel drive CLA 350+ 4Matic is a touch more emphatic, hitting 100km/h from rest in a claimed 4.9 seconds, and feeling much punchier overall. Given that it loses out on only 20km of official range compared to the rear-drive 250+, the 350+ might just be the CLA of choice. However, it is the 250+ that's the range champion here, and Mercedes-Benz quotes an official figure of 792km on the WLTP test. That's truly exceptional and way ahead of anything Tesla or BYD can claim. Does it stack up in the real world, though? Well, yes, but with a couple of caveats. The biggest is that we were driving the CLA on roads around Copenhagen in Denmark, where the speed limits are low and heavily enforced. The lack of any big mountain ranges over which to climb also plays into the CLA battery's hands when it comes to efficiency. But assuming you're not driving the backside off the car all the time, then yes that range is genuinely realistic. Certainly, based on our experience, you should be able to get at least 600-650km out of one charge, and 700km would be far from difficult. That's genuinely exceptional real-world range (and the 350+ isn't all that far behind). Mercedes-Benz says the CLA 250+ consumes between 12.2 and 14.1kWh/100km and that's more or less what we managed, recording 14.4kWh/100km on our test drive. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Given that the CLA is at least sold and marketed as a coupe and equally given that it will also compete with BMW's incoming 'Neue Klasse' electric 3 Series soon, it has a surprisingly soft setup. It's almost pillow-like at the top of the suspension travel, and while the weight (just over two tonnes for the 250+) means that it will drop a wheel quite hard into potholes, the CLA's ride quality is really good, especially when it comes to ironing out city roads and their speed bumps. Combine that with particularly good refinement and noise insulation when cruising, and you have a car that's capable of making great use of its lengthy one-charge range. Stretch all the way to the far end of that 792km leash, and you should be able to step out pretty unruffled, thanks in part to the impressive front seats. What the CLA isn't is much fun to drive. Even in a 350+ version, in AMG-Line trim, and with Sport mode selected, the steering remains pretty mute, although the weighting of the power assistance feels good. Danish roads are both slow and have long, slightly dull corners most of the time, so a full dynamic assessment of the CLA might have to wait until we get it on more familiar roads and put it to more of a challenge, but on this drive both versions felt tidy, well-sorted, but ultimately a bit inert. On the few corners through which we could build up a bit of excitement, the limitation seems to be the weight of the battery pushing the CLA into understeer, which is exacerbated by that soft suspension allowing a bit more roll than you'd expect. We'll have to give the CLA a certain amount of the benefit of the doubt for now, on the dynamic front, but from what we've seen here the CLA feels a bit too remote to be much fun, but it's certainly comfortable and a terrific long-haul cruiser. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Full specifications for local versions of the new CLA will become available closer to launch, which is still at least a year away. 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA equipment highlights: To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The new Mercedes CLA has not yet been independently assessed by Euro NCAP nor ANCAP, but we'd be pretty surprised if it turned out to be anything less than very safe indeed. Dr Christian Goggler, who supervised the car's safety design, told us that "safety is baked into the DNA of Mercedes" before going on to describe the new car's gruelling safety testing regime, which included an astonishing 150 full physical crash tests, and many tens of thousands of computer simulation loops. Beyond that, Mercedes still sends out investigators to inspect the scenes of real-life accidents involving its cars and does so in Europe, the US and India, garnering a huge archive of real-world safety data from which to draw. As well as the expected electronic safety systems – adaptive cruise, lane-keeping steering with a new automated lane change, blind-spot monitoring, etc – the CLA also gets a new central front airbag to prevent head-to-head impact injuries between the two front-seat occupants, and a dedicated crush structure designed to protect the battery in the event of a crash. There's also a QR code just inside the charging flap, which gives emergency services instant access to the car's safety sheet, including how to isolate the battery in the event of an emergency. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Mercedes has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia and the CLA's battery will likely be warrantied for eight years or 160,000km. Main dealer servicing will, of course, be fairly pricey as you'd expect with a premium brand. Mercedes-Benz offers three-, four-, or five-year inclusive servicing plans, which cost between $2000 and $3600 for compact electric models, although it hasn't announced anything specific for the CLA yet. As far as charging goes, as long as you're doing most of your charging at home, and you have a decent electricity supply cost of around 16c per kWh, then you could do a full charge of the CLA's 85kWh battery for just over $13. That's quite reasonable, but if the CLA's massive one-charge range is realistic – and we think it is – then you'll hardly need to charge up again for ages. In fact, given that the average Australian covers 33km per day in their car, and even taking a fairly realistic 700km real-world range, you wouldn't need to charge up again for three full weeks. That, helpfully, insulates you from public charging, which is just as well as there are still problems with that. In order to give the CLA a massive 320kW DC fast-charging speed – able to give it back 310km of range in just 10 minutes if you can find a sufficiently powerful charger – Mercedes-Benz has given the car an 800-volt charging system. Which is fine – Audi, Porsche, Kia and Hyundai all use one of those too for fast-charging. However, in the case of the CLA, its charger is only compatible with 800-volt charging points, which tend to be the newer and more powerful ones. It's not compatible – unlike those other brands – with older 400-volt chargers, which rather limits your options when you're out and about. A fix for this is coming, so hopefully that arrives before the first cars land in Australia, or you're going to struggle at times to find a charging point that will physically work with the car. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool We must confess to being a touch disappointed with the CLA's dynamics, at least from this limited assessment. For a supposedly sporty four-door coupe, it's a bit ordinary to drive. That said, the CLA's winning hand is most definitely its exceptionally long range, which translates from officialtest to real-world with surprising fidelity. The looks are a touch divisive, but the cabin's a good place to be, and the CLA is very refined indeed. Interested in buying a Mercedes-Benz CLA? Let CarExpert find you the best deal hereMORE: Explore the Mercedes-Benz CLA showroom Content originally sourced from: Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Pros Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Cons Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Pros Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Cons With its new third-generation CLA, Mercedes-Benz is pushing the electric vehicle (EV) boat way out from the shore (at least in terms of range and charging) and yet also hedging its bets ever so slightly with the promise of a hybrid version of the all-new small sedan to placate the plug-phobes. The design is proving a touch divisive (at least judging by social media responses). The overall shape is familiar enough, but the detailing at the front is vastly different, with a huge star-studded grille and new lights both front and rear, and not everyone seems to love it. It's certainly less conventionally handsome than the current CLA. But it's refreshing to see an automaker using a new EV platform (called MMA, and sharing hardly anything with the old NGCC front-wheel-drive CLA platform) and some critical new technology (most of all the adaptable software that controls pretty much all aspects of the car) in a compact sedan. Why not an SUV, given that replacements for the current Mercedes EQB and EQA are on the way too? Well, it probably has something to do with efficiency. The CLA isn't really a coupe, despite Mercedes-Benz's naming strategy and its frameless door glass. It's a compact, sleek four-door sedan and that gives Merc's aerodynamicists the chance to flex their wind-tunnel muscles, trimming the CLA's wind resistance figure to an impressive 0.21Cd. That allows Mercedes to then make the most of its new 85kWh lithium-ion battery, which uses silicon-oxide anodes for a 20 per cent boost in energy density – and some significant trimming of the car's overall carbon footprint, says Mercedes-Benz. All of that, combined with some knowledge gleaned from the ultra-long range Mercedes-Benz EQXX concept car, results in a new electric sedan from the three-pointed star brand that can travel for close to 800km on one charge. Can it though? We went to Copenhagen to find out… We simply don't know yet. The outgoing and entirely combustion-powered CLA (well, aside from the plug-in hybrid version) has a starting price in Australia of just over $75,000, so it's likely that with all the expensive new tech, the new electric CLA will have a higher price tag than that. Of course, mild-hybrid combustion powered versions will be cheaper than the EV, and the recently revealed Shooting Brake wagon version of the new CLA could return to Australia for the first time since the first generation. We won't know for certain until closer to the new CLA's arrival date in the second half of 2026. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool In a tech-sense, the new CLA is really impressive inside. There's a cliff-faced digital dashboard, which – if you get the optional passenger-side display – has essentially wall-to-wall screens and is clearly an evolution of the 'stretched iPad' dashboard layout of the current CLA. Sadly, Mercedes-Benz – as with most automakers – has decided to throw most of the physical buttons and controls into a skip bin, but on the upside the new software does seem to be on the ball, with fast responses to on-screen presses and swipes, and nice big icons for each menu item that mean you can generally catch them on the first stab when driving. The optional three-spoke AMG steering wheel still uses hateful touch-sensitive controls, but an update with some proper buttons is on the way for that particular part, we're told. allows you to do all sorts of things, such as downloading streaming services including Disney+ and YouTube to watch movies, along with games such as Angry Birds and Fortnite, and you can even connect your own PlayStation or Xbox controller to while away any time spent charging. The digital voice assistant (and you can choose between Google Assistant, Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz's own 'Hey, Mercedes' setup) seems a bit less stupid than many others. Meanwhile, the navigation – based on Google Maps, but with Mercedes-Benz's own overlays on top – is very impressive. Mercedes claims that doesn't just allow it to update the software over the air, it will in theory allow it to tweak and improve all of the CLA's systems, from battery management to electronic driver aids, as the car ages. On a physical level, the front of the cabin is nice, with high-backed bucket seats which are wonderfully comfortable, and lots of storage space in the doors and the centre console. The driving position feels a bit perched-up though, because of course the battery under the floor means that it can't drop down all that much, but you do get used to it. In the back, legroom is surprisingly good, but headroom is tight for anyone over 1.8 metres tall, plus the angle of the seat, and the high-set rear floor, means that your knees are way up in the air, and the backs of your legs left unsupported. The CLA might not really be a coupe, but it's a bit coupe-like in the back. There's better news in the boot, where there's 405 litres of relatively shallow luggage space, and another 101L in the very handy 'frunk' storage area in the nose. If you need more than that, wait for the new CLA Shooting Brake. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The electric CLAs come with a choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powertrains. Here, we're concentrating on the rear-drive CLA 250+, because that's the one with the headline-grabbing range figure. With 200kW of power and 335Nm of torque, the 250+ motor is right in the middle of the electric motor world, neither exceptionally powerful nor notably weak. Mercedes-Benz has equipped the CLA with a two-speed transmission, instead of the more common single-speed reduction gear, which is meant to give the car better low-down sprinting capability and still allow it to cruise effortlessly at higher speeds. That does partially work – and the transmission lives up to Mercedes-Benz's promise of it being impossible to tell when the shifts occur – but an initial shove off the line gives way to fairly relaxed acceleration in the CLA 250+. It's brisk, but you'd never call it very fast with a 6.7-second claimed 0-100km/h time. Obviously, the two-motor, all-wheel drive CLA 350+ 4Matic is a touch more emphatic, hitting 100km/h from rest in a claimed 4.9 seconds, and feeling much punchier overall. Given that it loses out on only 20km of official range compared to the rear-drive 250+, the 350+ might just be the CLA of choice. However, it is the 250+ that's the range champion here, and Mercedes-Benz quotes an official figure of 792km on the WLTP test. That's truly exceptional and way ahead of anything Tesla or BYD can claim. Does it stack up in the real world, though? Well, yes, but with a couple of caveats. The biggest is that we were driving the CLA on roads around Copenhagen in Denmark, where the speed limits are low and heavily enforced. The lack of any big mountain ranges over which to climb also plays into the CLA battery's hands when it comes to efficiency. But assuming you're not driving the backside off the car all the time, then yes that range is genuinely realistic. Certainly, based on our experience, you should be able to get at least 600-650km out of one charge, and 700km would be far from difficult. That's genuinely exceptional real-world range (and the 350+ isn't all that far behind). Mercedes-Benz says the CLA 250+ consumes between 12.2 and 14.1kWh/100km and that's more or less what we managed, recording 14.4kWh/100km on our test drive. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Given that the CLA is at least sold and marketed as a coupe and equally given that it will also compete with BMW's incoming 'Neue Klasse' electric 3 Series soon, it has a surprisingly soft setup. It's almost pillow-like at the top of the suspension travel, and while the weight (just over two tonnes for the 250+) means that it will drop a wheel quite hard into potholes, the CLA's ride quality is really good, especially when it comes to ironing out city roads and their speed bumps. Combine that with particularly good refinement and noise insulation when cruising, and you have a car that's capable of making great use of its lengthy one-charge range. Stretch all the way to the far end of that 792km leash, and you should be able to step out pretty unruffled, thanks in part to the impressive front seats. What the CLA isn't is much fun to drive. Even in a 350+ version, in AMG-Line trim, and with Sport mode selected, the steering remains pretty mute, although the weighting of the power assistance feels good. Danish roads are both slow and have long, slightly dull corners most of the time, so a full dynamic assessment of the CLA might have to wait until we get it on more familiar roads and put it to more of a challenge, but on this drive both versions felt tidy, well-sorted, but ultimately a bit inert. On the few corners through which we could build up a bit of excitement, the limitation seems to be the weight of the battery pushing the CLA into understeer, which is exacerbated by that soft suspension allowing a bit more roll than you'd expect. We'll have to give the CLA a certain amount of the benefit of the doubt for now, on the dynamic front, but from what we've seen here the CLA feels a bit too remote to be much fun, but it's certainly comfortable and a terrific long-haul cruiser. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Full specifications for local versions of the new CLA will become available closer to launch, which is still at least a year away. 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA equipment highlights: To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The new Mercedes CLA has not yet been independently assessed by Euro NCAP nor ANCAP, but we'd be pretty surprised if it turned out to be anything less than very safe indeed. Dr Christian Goggler, who supervised the car's safety design, told us that "safety is baked into the DNA of Mercedes" before going on to describe the new car's gruelling safety testing regime, which included an astonishing 150 full physical crash tests, and many tens of thousands of computer simulation loops. Beyond that, Mercedes still sends out investigators to inspect the scenes of real-life accidents involving its cars and does so in Europe, the US and India, garnering a huge archive of real-world safety data from which to draw. As well as the expected electronic safety systems – adaptive cruise, lane-keeping steering with a new automated lane change, blind-spot monitoring, etc – the CLA also gets a new central front airbag to prevent head-to-head impact injuries between the two front-seat occupants, and a dedicated crush structure designed to protect the battery in the event of a crash. There's also a QR code just inside the charging flap, which gives emergency services instant access to the car's safety sheet, including how to isolate the battery in the event of an emergency. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool Mercedes has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia and the CLA's battery will likely be warrantied for eight years or 160,000km. Main dealer servicing will, of course, be fairly pricey as you'd expect with a premium brand. Mercedes-Benz offers three-, four-, or five-year inclusive servicing plans, which cost between $2000 and $3600 for compact electric models, although it hasn't announced anything specific for the CLA yet. As far as charging goes, as long as you're doing most of your charging at home, and you have a decent electricity supply cost of around 16c per kWh, then you could do a full charge of the CLA's 85kWh battery for just over $13. That's quite reasonable, but if the CLA's massive one-charge range is realistic – and we think it is – then you'll hardly need to charge up again for ages. In fact, given that the average Australian covers 33km per day in their car, and even taking a fairly realistic 700km real-world range, you wouldn't need to charge up again for three full weeks. That, helpfully, insulates you from public charging, which is just as well as there are still problems with that. In order to give the CLA a massive 320kW DC fast-charging speed – able to give it back 310km of range in just 10 minutes if you can find a sufficiently powerful charger – Mercedes-Benz has given the car an 800-volt charging system. Which is fine – Audi, Porsche, Kia and Hyundai all use one of those too for fast-charging. However, in the case of the CLA, its charger is only compatible with 800-volt charging points, which tend to be the newer and more powerful ones. It's not compatible – unlike those other brands – with older 400-volt chargers, which rather limits your options when you're out and about. A fix for this is coming, so hopefully that arrives before the first cars land in Australia, or you're going to struggle at times to find a charging point that will physically work with the car. To see how the Mercedes-Benz CLA stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool We must confess to being a touch disappointed with the CLA's dynamics, at least from this limited assessment. For a supposedly sporty four-door coupe, it's a bit ordinary to drive. That said, the CLA's winning hand is most definitely its exceptionally long range, which translates from officialtest to real-world with surprising fidelity. The looks are a touch divisive, but the cabin's a good place to be, and the CLA is very refined indeed. Interested in buying a Mercedes-Benz CLA? Let CarExpert find you the best deal hereMORE: Explore the Mercedes-Benz CLA showroom Content originally sourced from:

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