CLASSY COMPACT(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 76

The CLA Coupe has always been a rather different kind of Mercedes. This second generation version, like the model that inspired it, is compact and coupe-like, yet has four doors and a decent boot. And it's been carefully improved here with mild hybrid tech and smarter trimming. As before, it'll set the neighbours talking far more than if you simply bought yet another mid-sized German-badged executive saloon. And it remains a model to challenge your preconceptions.

Background word count: 162

Never underestimate the power of emotional appeal. It's brought us cars like this one, this second generation Mercedes CLA Coupe. We first saw the original version of this four-door coupe in 2013, that design followed by an equally trendy 'Shooting Brake' estate version a couple of years later. The replacement second generation model launched in 2019 continued in much the same vein: so it was A-Class-based, which meant that it was front-driven - unlike the kind of Mercedes C-Class saloon you could buy for very similar money. A C-Class would give you much more rear seat room and boot space, but a CLA will make a much more overt car park statement - which for its intended audience will be all that really matters. This revised version of that MK2 model is a little more sophisticated than the original. And, as before, it comes in the four-door Coupe form we're going to look at here - or in 'Shooting Brake' estate guise.

Driving Experience word count: 373

Mercedes markets this car as a 'sporty' alternative to its more conventional C-Class saloon. The CLA Coupe's sporty styling leads you to expect that. Though this car shares its chassis, steering and braking architecture with A and B-Class models, it does get its own suspension set-up, with various changes made to improve comfort and make it a bit less crashy over poorer surfaces. There's torque vectoring to help with the handling and 'Direct Steering' to sharpen things up at the helm. Probably the most significant change with this updated version of the MK2 CLA is that all the mainstream petrol engines now come with the brand's 48V mild hybrid system including the usual MHEV belt-driven starter-generator: that'll give you a 13hp boost when moving off. There are five mainstream engines, all of them four cylinder units mated to 7-speed auto transmission. As before, the petrol powerplant portfolio kicks off with a 1.4-litre unit, only available with front wheel drive and offered with either 136hp (in the CLA 180) or 163hp (in the CLA 200). Mercedes also offers a couple of 2.0-litre mainstream petrol variants that must be had with 4MATIC 4WD; the 190hp CLA 220 and the 224hp CLA 250, which makes 62mph in just 6.4s en route to 155mph. If efficiency is key, you'll be interested to know that there are still diesel alternatives, all using the same 2.0-litre four cylinder engine mated to 8-speed auto transmission; the CLA 180 d with 114hp, the CLA 200 d with 148hp and the CLA 220 d with 188hp. If you need efficiency but don't want to fuel from the black pump, you'll be interested to know that, as before, the CLA range also provides a Plug-in Hybrid option, in the form of the CLA 250 e. As previously, this uses a 1.33-litre engine mated to a revised 15.6kWh battery. The powertrain has a system output of 218hp and an improved all-electric driving range of up to 51 miles (an 8 mile improvement on before). As in the pre-facelift line-up, there are also two high performance Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre turbo petrol models, the CLA 35 4MATIC (with 306hp which gains the 48V mild hybrid system); and the top CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ (with 421hp, which doesn't).