The Mercedes-Benz CLA will go on sale in Ireland in May/June of this year, offering the style of the larger CLS in a scaled-down, more accessible form. Prices are still to be finalised but will be in the early to mid €30,000 range.
Exterior
Following the style established by the CLS the CLA is touted as a four-door coupé. Mercedes boasts of a 0.22 drag coefficient for the entry-level model and 0.23 for the rest of the range, claimed to be the best of any production car (though that clearly doesn't include the new Volkswagen XL1...). The shape flows from the large grille at the front to a sloping boot with details including twin 'power domes' in the bonnet and 'flare effect' LED daytime running lights.
Interior
The interior is designed to match the sporting look of the body; there are five air vents, twin dials in the instrument cluster and a standard driver information screen set into a piano black panel and flush silver frame.
Mechanicals
Three petrol and three diesel engines are offered. Under the bonnet of the CLA 180 BlueEfficiency is a 1.6-litre unit with a 2.0-litre motor powering the CLA 200. The first diesel on sale will be the 2.2-litre CLA 220 CDI with 180 CDI and 200 CDI models to follow. Transmission choices are six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Combining diesel power and automatic transmission provides the best fuel economy (67.3mpg) and CO2 emissions (109g/km).
Two chassis set-ups are available: the standard setting is known as comfort while sports suspension is optional.
Anything else?
Options include a panoramic sliding sunroof with a glass surface that runs from the windscreen to the rear window.