The Mercedes-Benz CLA is a series of luxury subcompact executive cars manufactured by Mercedes-Benz since 2013. The first generation was a four-door sedan based on the platform of the W176 A-Class and W246 B-Class compact cars, marketed as a four-door coupé.2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Spy Photos News – Car & Driver (Retrieved 2012-09-23) In 2015, Mercedes-Benz expanded the CLA family to include a station wagon configuration which it markets as a Shooting Brake.
The CLA is Mercedes-Benz's first front-wheel drive vehicle offered in the American market. The CLA range is positioned above the A-Class and it is nearly on the level of the C-Class in the Mercedes model range, and models tend to be less practical than the A-Class it is based on.
The CLA first went on sale in Europe in April 2013, and was subsequently introduced in the United States in September 2013. Its largest markets are Western Europe and the United States. Global cumulative CLA sales reached 100,000 during its first year, cited as "our best launch in 20 years" by Mercedes-Benz. Worldwide, Mercedes-Benz sold about 750,000 units of the first generation.
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First generation (C117; 2013)
Development and launch The design of the C117 CLA is based on the Concept Style Coupe concept unveiled by Mercedes-Benz at the 2012 Avant/Garde Diaries event in Los Angeles, followed by the 2012 Auto China, and Huashan 1914 Creative Park. It is a four-door fastback coupe, based on the platform of the W176 A-Class and W246 B-Class compact cars. The production version C117 CLA was publicly unveiled at the 2013 North American International Auto Show, with sales commencing in September 2013.
Trial production of the CLA at the Kecskemét plant at southeast of Budapest, Hungary started in 2012, with production at Kecskemét plant beginning in January 2013.
Mercedes claimed that the C117 would be the most aerodynamic production vehicle on sale with a , beating the previous most-aerodynamic, the Tesla Model S with . The CLA 180 CDI Blue Efficiency was claimed to be even more aerodynamic with a . However, independent measurement by Car and Driver Magazine in May 2014 bore out Tesla's claim by exactly confirming a drag coefficient of , putting Mercedes' claim into question by measuring the CLA at . The test done by Car And Driver was in turn criticized for being imprecise as to which model variant of the CLA was tested and which variant was advertised featuring a .
The C117 CLA was also the first front-wheel drive vehicle ever offered by Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. market.
The 2015 model included updated infotainment with a bigger central screen and an updated head unit with iPhone interface as standard, Collision Prevention Assist Plus autonomous braking made standard and an extra 5 kW for the CLA 220 CDI. Furthermore, the 2016 model brought Carplay as an option to the CLA. A facelift was introduced for the CLA model range in 2017, offering new restyled headlights and restyled taillights with available bold LED lighting.
Initial release CLA Edition 1 (2013–2015) Available in CLA 180, CLA 200, CLA 250, CLA 220 CDI, they are versions of the respective CLA models with a choice of five body colours: mountain grey, cosmos black, night black, cirrus white or designo polar silver magno (expected to be available from the third quarter of 2013). The Edition 1 features AMG front and rear aprons, AMG side sill panels, black painted multi-spoke AMG light-alloy wheels, diamond-style radiator grille with black fin and chrome inserts, bi-xenon headlamps, lowered sports suspension, exclusive NEON ART interior, sports seats upholstered in leather and black microfibre DINAMICA with yellow stitching, instrument panel and the beltlines upholstered in ARTICO man-made leather with yellow stitching, trim elements in aluminium with a light longitudinal grain, and a three-spoke multifunction sports steering wheel with a flattened bottom section and perforations in the grip area. The vehicles went on sale for the twelve months after the launch of CLA vehicles.
CLA 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition (2013–2019) It is a version of CLA 180 with reduced fuel consumption. Drag coefficient value was reduced to 0.22 via low A-pillar shoulder with adapted A-pillar geometry, aerodynamically optimised exterior mirror housings and rear shape, optimised diffuser, optimised underbody and rear axle panelling, radiator shutter, aero wheel trims and serrated wheel spoilers on the front and rear wheel arches. The vehicle was set to go on sale in September 2013.
Mercedes-Benz Sport Equipment CLA 200 concept (2013) It is a version of Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 demonstrating Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH equipment for the CLA. It included "Road & Track" decal kit (number '1' decal at front door and hood, decorative stripe in red/grey runs along the centre of the car), carbon fibre-style exterior mirror housings, front apron spoiler lip and rear spoiler; red-painted brake callipers, Styling Package Night (black window surrounds, black shoulderline trip strips), 18-inch two-tone 5-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels in matt black with red rim flange, Sport badge at front wings, illuminated door sill panels with Sport lettering, a leather sports steering wheel, sports pedals in brushed stainless steel, Sport floor mats Drive Kit Plus. The vehicles were unveiled in 2013 Frankfurt International Motor Show.
Shooting Brake (2015–2019) Mercedes-Benz announced the X117 CLA Shooting Brake at the 2014 LA Auto Show, which is a five-door station wagon version of the CLA sedan. It measures in at the same length as the CLA sedan and also shares the same wheelbase. It was not sold in the United States.
The only visual changes start from the B-pillar, which provides more headroom in the backseat area. It also provides more boot space than the sedan, 470 litres to 495 litres, while folding the rear seats flat frees a usable 1354 litres. The Shooting Brake has worse fuel economy than the sedan due to the slight kerb weight increase and the drag coefficient increasing from to .
Technical details
Engines All CLA models are powered by four-cylinder engines, including a choice of 1.6 L and 2.0 L petrol, and three diesels, a 1.5L, a 1.8 L and a 2.2 L. Most of the engines come in a range of different states of tuning, and all include a stop-start feature.
+ModelYearsConfigurationDisplacementPowerTorqueTop speedFuel consumption/efficiency(EU-Norm combined)Petrol enginesCLA 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition (Coupé only)01/2013–05/2018I4 turbo (M 270 DE 16 AL red.)1,595 cc at 5,000 rpm at 1,250–4,000 rpm9.9 secondsCLA 18001/2013–12/2018I4 turbo (M 270 DE 16 AL)1,595 cc at 5,000 rpm at 1,250–4,000 rpm9.3 seconds (Coupé)9.4 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 20001/2013–12/2018I4 turbo (M 270 DE 16 AL)1,595 cc at 5,000 rpm at 1,250–4,000 rpm8.6 seconds (Coupé)8.8 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 220 4MATIC07/2016-12/2018I4 turbo (M 270 DE 20 AL)1,991 cc at 5,000 rpm at 1,250–4,000 rpm7.1 seconds (Coupé)7.2 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 25001/2013–12/2018I4 turbo (M 270 DE 20 AL)1,991 cc at 5,500 rpm at 1,200–4,000 rpm6.6 seconds (Coupé)6.8 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 250 Sport (Coupé only)02/2014–05/2018I4 turbo (M 270 DE 20 AL)1,991 cc at 5,500 rpm at 1,200–4,000 rpm6.5 secondsCLA 250 4MATIC06/2013–12/2018I4 turbo (M 270 DE 20 AL)1,991 cc at 5,500 rpm at 1,200–4,000 rpm6.5 seconds (Coupé)6.6 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 250 Sport 4MATIC02/2014-05/2018I4 turbo (M 270 DE 20 AL)1,991 cc at 5,500 rpm at 1,200–4,000 rpm6.4 seconds (Coupé)6.7 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 250 AMG Performance Package Plus**02/2014–08/2014I4 turbo (M 270 DE 20 AL)1,991 cc at 5,800 rpm at 1,200–4,000 rpm5.6 secondsCLA 45 AMG 4MATIC*01/2013–08/2015I4 twin-scroll turbo (M 133 DE 20 AL)1,991 cc at 6,000 rpm at 2,250–5,000 rpm4.5 seconds (Coupé)4.8 seconds (Shooting Brake) / * (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 45 AMG 4MATIC*09/2015–12/2018I4 twin-scroll turbo (M 133 DE 20 AL)1,991 cc at 6,000 rpm at 2,250–5,000 rpm4.2 seconds (Coupé)4.3 seconds (Shooting Brake) / * (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)Diesel enginesCLA 180 CDI***11/2013-05/2018I4 turbo (OM 607 DE 15 LA)1,461 cc at 4,000 rpm at 1,750–2,500 rpm11.6 secondsCLA 200 CDI (Coupé only)01/2013-08/2014I4 turbo (OM 651 DE 18 LA)1,796 cc at 4,000 rpm at 1,750–2,500 rpm9.4 secondsCLA 200 CDI***09/2014–12/2018I4 turbo (OM 651 DE 22 LA)2,143 cc at 3,600–4,000 rpm at 1,600–3,000 rpm9.9 seconds (Coupé)9.5 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 200 CDI 4MATIC***09/2014–12/2018I4 turbo (OM 651 DE 22 LA)2,143 cc at 3,200–4,000 rpm at 1,400–3,000 rpm9.8 seconds(Coupé) (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 220 CDI***01/2013–12/2018I4 turbo (OM 651 DE 22 LA)2,143 cc at 3,400–4,000 rpm at 1,400–3,400 rpm7.7 seconds (Coupé)7.8 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake)CLA 220 CDI 4MATIC***09/2014–12/2018I4 turbo (OM 651 DE 22 LA)2,143 cc at 3,400–4,000 rpm at 1,400–3,400 rpm7.7 seconds (Coupé)7.8 seconds (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake) (Coupé) (Shooting Brake) *With optional extra-cost AMG Driver's Package.
**(sold only in states LA, TX) Optional package, not base model.
***The designation "d" replaces "CDI" on all diesel models from 2015 onwards.
Transmissions
+ModelYearsTypesPetrol enginesCLA 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition01/2013–05/20186-speed manualCLA 18001/2013–12/20186-speed manual, 7-speed automatic 7G-DCTCLA 20001/2013–12/2018CLA 220 4MATIC07/2016–12/20187-speed automatic 7G-DCTCLA 25001/2013–12/2018CLA 250 Sport02/2014–05/2018CLA 250 4MATIC06/2013–12/2018CLA 250 4MATIC Sport02/2014–05/2018CLA 45 AMG01/2013–12/20187-speed automatic AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCTDiesel enginesCLA 180 CDI/CLA 180 d11/2013–12/20186-speed manual, 7-speed automatic 7G-DCTCLA 200 CDI/CLA 200 d01/2013–12/2018CLA 200 CDI 4MATIC/CLA 200 d 4MATIC09/2014–12/20187-speed automatic 7G-DCTCLA 220 CDI/CLA 220 d01/2013–12/2018CLA 220 CDI 4MATIC/CLA 220 d 4MATIC09/2014–12/2018
The 7G-DCT transmission includes electric activation of the hydraulics for the parking lock, which is locked by mechanical means; three gearshift programs (ECONOMY, SPORT, MANUAL). 7G-DCT transmission option became available for CLA 180 in June 2013, followed by CLA 200 CDI in September 2013.
AMG models Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 (2013–2019)