Entry-level Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 exceeds all expectations for 2024
The CLA-class is the first step in the spiral staircase of the Mercedes-Benz hierarchy, meant to introduce car buyers to the brand with the hopes of establishing lifelong loyalty. It’s like playing a game of catch with your child before handing them an Astros cap to spark an interest that’ll lead to a full-ride scholarship.
First impressions matter because an individual’s opinion hardens quicker than fast setting concrete and changing it after the fact takes a herculean amount of effort.
That’s a lot of pressure to put on the fenders of a compact sedan from a brand with an extensive and historically varied reputation. Yet, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 4Matic bears the weight of this responsibility with grace, exceeding my expectations for style, comfort and performance efficiency.
Right off the bat, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 greeted me with a confident handshake with its newly available Starling Blue exterior. You don’t often see the German three-point star dressed in a vibrant shade of blue and totally worth the $750 tax to the MSRP. Perfectly matched with a set of 18-inch multi-spoke wheels for that executive suite look to attract eyeballs when you pull up to the valet for a power lunch.
MB labels the CLA250 sedan as a coupe, but I refuse to acknowledge it because the Oxford dictionary defines “coupe” as a car with a fixed roof, a sloping rear and two doors! Granted, the sedan’s full-rack-fastback profile does a great impression of a stylish GT coupe, but unless you shave off the rear door handles the CLA250 is a sedan.
Mercedes-Benz gave the CLA-class a styling tweak for the 2024 model year, giving it a shot of Botox to revise the front bumper, grille and new rear diffuser. The most significant change comes under the hood, with its 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine receiving a 48-volt mild hybrid technology and a belt-driven starter-generator to boost performance and fuel efficiency.
Inside, the standard black and available beige MB-Tex upholstery feels like leather and is decorated with brushed aluminum trim, a carbon fiber looking finish or two variants of Natural Grain Linden wood. Those looking to splurge can opt for genuine leather upholstery in all black or twotone in either red or titanium gray for an extra $1,450. The optional AMG-Night Package ($3,150) will dress the CLA250 in an AMG wardrobe with sports seats, AMG steering wheel, gloss black exterior accents and AMG body styling topped off with a set of 18-inch twin-spoke AMG wheels.
Speaking of performance, the CLA-class lineup consists of the 250 and 250 with 4Matic allwheel drive system sharing the same 2.0L turbocharged inline-four with mild-hybrid drive technology. The compact and complex engine produces 221 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, managed by an eightspeed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The performance numbers do not give the CLA250 justice, as the sedan feels lively and agile when you snap the reins and kick it in the gut with your spurs. Off the line, you can feel the turbo and mild hybrid tech working to give you a direct power ballad of effortless acceleration with a grin provoking burbling exhaust note.
Sitting above the standard models are the AMG-tuned CLA35 and CLA45 S. These highperformance variants flex a spicier spec of the turbocharged 2.0L engine. The AMG CLA35 boasts a power output of 302 hp, while the CLA45 S delivers an eye-widening 416 hp and 369 pound-feet. Of course, more power means more money, with the latter capable of reaching and surpassing the $70,000 price point depending on options — a significant gap compared to the CLA250’s $43,000 starting price.
The car’s best attribute by far is its fuel economy. I averaged 35.6 mpg over a 600-mile road test and got as high as 38 mpg on the highway during longdistance travel. Starting with a full tank, the estimated range projected an optimistic 470 miles, but much to my surprise was able to drive 425 actual miles before pulling into a gas station with the reserve fuel light on and 33 miles of range left. These are impressive numbers for a gas-powered luxury sedan.
Another noteworthy feature is its rearview backup camera. Most vehicles have a camera lens mounted on the trunk lid or tailgate, but this sedan takes it up a notch by adding some pizzazz to an otherwise standard safety gadget. When you shift into reverse, the center-mounted three-point star emblem on the trunk lid lifts, allowing the camera lens to poke out like a machine gun barrel on a James Bond spy car. Once you’ve completed your traverse in reverse, the camera lens ducks back into its hole like a groundhog.
My few nit-picks with this car are its transmission and trunk. The column shifter, while smooth to operate, has a noticeable delay in engagement when shifting out of reverse and into drive. Impatient or hurrying drivers wanting to get going as soon as possible will feel the otherwise suave sedan fumble over itself clumsily like a student driver learning how to drive a stick shift.
Then there’s the trunk, which offers a surprising amount of space to fit a set of golf clubs if you can get past its narrow opening. Moreover, when opening the trunk via the key fob or release button inside, the lid flies open like the last note on a jack-in-the-box toy, which could lead to embarrassing or incriminating situations depending on the cargo. For these reasons, I wouldn’t recommend the CLA250 as a good getaway car, but it gets high praise for being a competitively priced, fuel-efficient luxury sedan.