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It doesn't always have to be an SUV: Mercedes CLA 220d in the driving test

2020-04-30T14:53:25.443Z


The first CLA has sold 750,000 units. Will the second generation of the compact coupe be similarly successful? It is always more beautiful - and it also drives better.


The first CLA has sold 750,000 units. Will the second generation of the compact coupe be similarly successful? It is always more beautiful - and it also drives better.

  • At 4.70 meters longer, the small CLA is as big as the C-Class.
  • The coupé even changes lanes independently.
  • Only 6.2 liters consumption despite sporty driving style

What an optical blessing! As is so often the case, there is not a mobile cupboard in front of the front door, i.e. another faceless SUV. No, a slim white coupe crouches behind the hedge. Not higher than 1.44 meters. You can even chat with the neighbor over the car. And when you enter the underground car park, you no longer automatically pull your head in because you should be afraid that the ceiling will fall on your head.

An SUV is rarely beautiful. Characteristic, perhaps, like a G-Class from Mercedes *, or the Renegade from Fiat - and maybe the new Land Rover Defender. Otherwise: A lot of off-the-shelf food, because the world just wants an SUV. Driving is also much more elegant. With the new CLA from Daimler, for example. The sideline is so beautifully curved, the car so well proportioned that the space in the design museum has long been reserved.

Mercedes CLA 220d: well thought-out aerodynamic design

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As beautiful as a CLS, only smaller. The CLA also cuts a good figure from behind.

© Daimler AG

The new CLA  has become wider than the normal A-Class . The track in front has grown by 45 millimeters, in the back even by 55 millimeters. That leaves him standing on the street with his legs apart. The design was based on a cola bottle: crisp rear (cola floor), slim waist and around at the top, almost towards the bottle neck (front), wider again. It was not just about beauty, it was also about lower air resistance . With a drag coefficient of 0.23, you calculate at Mercedes, you drive through the area as slippery as a professional cyclist.

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Looks like a small city car, but is as long as the C-Class: the Mercedes CLA.

© Daimler AG

Some people think that the CLA is too hot washed and shrunk CLS. This is impossible, but pretty well described. The sedan, which is based on the A-Class, is not really small. At 4.70 meters long and two meters wide , the CLA has almost the same dimensions as the C-Class.

In terms of dimensions, the coupé is no longer a pure-bred compact car - at most in the confined spaces in the rear. Pull in your head, screw in your body, put your center of gravity at a rump level, swing in.

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The rear of the CLA: If you have to get in here, you shouldn't be too big and halfway agile.

© Daimler AG

This is how the boarding process of a 1.78 meter tall person can be described. When you are sitting, there is only hope that the driver and front passenger will, for once, slide a little further forward than usual. The CLA is not suitable for a longer trip with four adults. Singles, couples, young families with one child - this is the right target group. Especially since the trunk has two disadvantages : the loading edge is high, the height of the trunk is low. A good 470 liters fit in, but it is not suitable for bulky items.

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Not suitable for bulky cargo. The trunk of the CLA is of a decent size, but it is not practical.

© Daimler AG

360-degree all-round view on the display

More space in the back - that's the only point an SUV makes against the CLA. The Mercedes Coupé can keep up with the overview. The view to the side and to the rear is restricted due to the thick B-pillar and the sloping roof line. But what are radar and the many cameras on board for? With the 360-degree all-round view from a bird's eye view , you have a better view of your surroundings on the display than if you twisted your torso and looked back. If the worst comes to the worst, the computer intervenes with the emergency brake assistant anyway.

And even in terms of objective safety, an SUV has no advantage over a sedan. Man drives - the car thinks. Modern safety systems such as lane change warning or automatic distance control are available both here and over there. Semi-autonomous driving in a Mercedes works particularly well - in all vehicle classes . The CLA also offers this. The cruise control with traffic sign recognition and automatic adjustment of the permitted maximum speed saves money and points. The stop-and-go pilot for the daily traffic jam at work is easy on the nerves.

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Modern, digital, with a hint of retro look. The Mercedes Cockpit sets the benchmark in its class.

© Daimler AG

Automatic lane change via the turn signal

The most beautiful feature is and remains the automatic lane change . Just put on the turn signal and the CLA moves onto the left-hand lane as if by magic. Overtake, turn signal on the right, and you're back. It's fun - but honestly we don't know what we need it for. Unless it's about impressing his passenger. Because if the driver has to operate the turn signal with his hand, he can still steer.

A limousine offers the greatest advantage when it comes to driving . And just like that (for a surcharge) air-suspended coupe like the CLA. It whizzes around the corners lightly, the car runs on the curves like on rails. With a heavy SUV, which always challenges centrifugal force with its weight, you have to hold the steering wheel powerfully against it. And the roll stabilization, which literally compensates for the swaying of the high-legged body, is usually very effective, but it always feels unnatural.

Driving nicer in a coupé - of course, that's also due to the engine . A diesel was working in our test car. And how! The 220d has 190 HP and is a small racing machine. 400 Nm of torque are also not a cardboard stick. And the four-cylinder unpacks them at 1,600 rpm. Powerful, uncompromising, robust! The diesel is also economical. Despite the dynamic driving style almost always in sport mode, we did not use more than 6.2 liters in the test .

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Goes like the fire brigade, but at least the 250 petrol engine with 224 hp or the 220 diesel with 190 hp have to be used.

© Daimler AG

That costs the CLA

The (driving) fun can also cost Mercedes something. The CLA costs 40,000 euros with this machine. The cheapest diesel with 150 hp costs from 37,700 euros , the smallest petrol engine with 136 hp almost 31,500 euros . If you look at the upper end, you will discover the hottest AMG variant, the CLA 45 S, with 421 horsepower. All in all makes around 67,000 euros . For this you get two entry-level gasoline.

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Rediscovering love for the limousine: Our author Rudolf Bögel.

© Bögel

Read also: Everything new - the Mercedes GLA is changing so radically .

Our conclusion on the Mercedes CLA 220d

It doesn't always have to be an SUV. If you are flirting with a new car and do not necessarily have a family of four, the CLA is a really nice and practical car with driving dynamics and digital expertise. In any case, we rediscovered our love for the limousine during the test drives.

Datasheet Mercedes CLA 220d

Displacement:

1950 cc

Power:

190 hp

Torque:

400 Nm between 1600 - 2600 rpm

Transmission:

8-speed double clutch

Drive:

front

Length Width Height:

4.69 / 2.00 / 1.44 m

Empty weight (perm):

1560 kg / 505 kg

Trunk:

460 l

0 to 100:

7.1 seconds

Top speed:

244 km / h

Standard consumption:

4.4 l

Co2:

117 g / km

Price:

from 40,430 euros

Rudolf Bögel

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* tz.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

Source: merkur

All tech articles on 2020-04-30

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