First previewed by a concept in September 2023, the Mercedes-Benz CLA has now been officially revealed as the brand’s new entry-level sedan with both EV and hybrid powertrains. In a first for Mercedes, the CLA EV and the CLA hybrid will share a common model name. This marks an end to Mercedes’ strategy of entirely bespoke EVs being developed to sit alongside their combustion-engined equivalents.
- CLA has been developed as an EV first, and then a hybrid
- Both EV and hybrid models look similar inside out
- CLA debuts Mercedes’ new MB.OS operating system
Mercedes Benz CLA EV battery, range and powertrain
CLA EV has more range than flagship EQS sedan
The CLA EV lineup starts with the entry-level 250+ with EQ Technology that is claimed to deliver a range of 792km. Meanwhile, the all-wheel-drive CLA 350 4Matic with EQ Technology is claimed to deliver 770km. What’s notable here is smaller disparity compared with the rear-driven version than is typical of most other EVs. Do note that these figures are still pending homologation under the WLTP cycle.
However, what’s really interesting is that the rear-wheel drive CLA leapfrogs Mercedes’ own flagship EQS 580, which manages 770km per charge (WLTP) from a 118kWh battery. That remarkable range figure is thanks to Mercedes’ efforts to minimise the CLA EV’s energy consumption: it has a nickel-managanese-cobalt (NMC) battery of just 85kWh in capacity. This means the CLA EV achieves an efficiency figure north of 9.0km/kWh.
Comes in both RWD and AWD configurations
The CLA EV’s new rear-mounted permanent magnet motor is also significant to its efficiency. It produces more output in a smaller package, is lighter and has greater torque density, too. The motor also gets a Porsche Taycan-style two-speed gearbox, rather than the usual single-speed reduction gearing. The powertrain puts out 272hp, which allows the CLA 250+ to complete the 0-100kph dash in 6.7 seconds. The four-wheel-drive CLA 350 4Matic with EQ Technology gets an additional 108hp motor with a single-speed gearbox on its front axle, giving a combined output of 354hp. This cuts its 0-100kph sprint time down to 4.9 seconds
This additional motor is decoupled from the front axle when it isn’t needed, reducing energy losses to friction by 90 percent. Braking primarily relies on the motors’ regenerative effect (which can provide up to 200kW of stopping power), helping to keep the battery topped up.
Can charge at up to 320kW, thanks to 800V architecture
The CLA EV can be rapid-charged at rates of up to 320kW, thanks to its 800V electrical architecture, allowing for a 300km top-up in just 10 minutes. In addition to the 85kWh battery, a 58kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) pack will also be offered at a later stage.
Mercedes Benz CLA hybrid powertrain
Mercedes says it has diesel levels of efficiency
The new CLA will also be offered in hybrid form. Specifically designed to fit in the same space as the EV’s front motor, its powertrain pairs a new 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a small, 1.3kWh battery and a 27hp electric motor. These combine to send either 136hp or 163hp through the front wheels or, in the range-topping 4Matic model, 191hp to all four wheels. Mercedes claims the new hybrid powertrain gives the CLA “diesel levels of fuel efficiency”.
Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius also announced that the hybrid will be priced at par with the EV in a push for greater parity between EVs and combustion models.
Mercedes Benz CLA exterior design and aerodynamics
CLA has a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.21
The CLA EV’s impressive range figure is in no small part thanks to its aerodynamic design. Although the car is larger than its predecessor in every dimension (25mm wider, 25mm taller and 30mm longer), much work went into minimising its frontal area, and smoothing the flow of air around it.
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For example, the wheels are set further in-board of the arches than its predecessor. Small inlets on the front bumper (and corresponding outlets at the rear) guide the flow of air around each corner, relatively undisturbed by the alloy wheels’ flush-faced designs. The efforts net a slippery drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.21, just behind that of the EQS (0.20).
CLA EV and CLA hybrid share the same design
Also, in a first for Mercedes, the CLA hybrid and CLA EV will look almost identical inside and out. The new CLA emphasises on the brand’s three-pointed star logo with its lighting elements. The motif features in the CLA’s headlights and rear brake lights, and the EV also gets a flush front grille with no fewer than 142 backlit stars. They surround the main front badge, which is also backlit. The CLA hybrid is differentiated by a traditional open grille, needed to provide cooling airflow to the engine.
Mercedes Benz CLA interior and features
Superscreen setup continues in CLA
Inside, the new CLA takes on a sportier character than its more luxurious stablemates. The front seats have chunky side bolsters, for example, and there are more exuberant material choices, such as a combination of black and white Alcantara and faux leather with red stitching.
The dashboard is designed around the latest iteration of Mercedes’ Superscreen, whose three digital displays (a 10.25in one for the instruments in front of the driver; a 14.6in infotainment one centrally; and, optionally, a 14in one for the front passenger) span its entire width.
New MB.OS operating system brings AI functions
Thanks to Mercedes’ latest MB.OS operating system, the screens can be used to play video games or stream shows and films via Netflix and other such services. The system also features the latest iteration of Mercedes’ virtual assistant, which blends various artificial intelligence functions (ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Bing) to provide more accurate answers to questions.
In cars without the Superscreen, the passenger screen will be replaced with a glass panel with LED-backlit star logos, which match the interior’s ambient lighting.
Boot space is rated at 405 litres. In a first for a modern Mercedes, the EV gets a frunk that adds another 101 litres of storage space.
Mercedes Benz CLA launch details
The CLA will first go on sale in its EV guise, around October in Europe, with the hybrid following a few months later. Joining the sedan will also be a new CLA estate version with both powertrain options, and is expected to be showcased around September at the Munich Motor Show. The CLA sedan can also be expected to come to India sometime next year.
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