Unlike the first-gen CLA, which was pretty bare-bones at its base price, the CLA250+’s starting price of $48,500 (including $1,250 destination) gets you a lot of stuff. Rain-sensing windshield wipers, automatic climate control with pre-conditioning, a heat pump, LED lights with a star motif, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, automated emergency braking, blind-spot assist with safe exit warning, lane-keeping assist and evasive steering assist are all included. There’s also a selfie camera that, in addition to taking selfies, is used for facial recognition when switching between driver profiles. The grille panel with 142 animated illuminated stars, an illuminated surround and an illuminated central Mercedes logo is standard, too.
The $2,250 Exclusive trim feels like a no-brainer, adding the pop-out door handles with keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, parking assist, 64-color ambient interior lighting, a wireless charging pad up front, and a fold-down rear center armrest with a pair of cupholders. Adding the $5,850 Pinnacle trim gets you all of that plus a power trunk with hands-free opening, a surround-view camera system, digital key compatibility and the Superscreen that adds the passenger display. Pinnacle also gives you a head-up display, which is a $1,100 standalone option, and fancier adaptive LED headlights that are a $750 standalone option. If you want a heated steering wheel and heated wiper blades, you’ll have to spend $450 for the Winter package.
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Some of the CLA’s options are called Digital Extras, meaning they can be paid for and activated after purchase, such as the aforementioned massaging seats and a dashcam for $200. For $1,950 you can get the MB.Drive Assist system that adds steering assist and automatic lane changes to the adaptive cruise control, while $3,950 gets you three years of MB.Drive Assist Pro, a hands-on Level 2++ system that can accomplish point-to-point driving in cities, with further functionality to come with OTA updates.
Spend an extra $2,550 more than the base rear-wheel-drive CLA250 and you can take home the all-wheel-drive CLA350 4Matic, which adds a second motor up front for a 4.8-second 0-to-60 time and a 312-mile EPA range. Unless you really need four driven wheels, just stick with the rear-drive car. For you speed demons, hold out for the electric AMG that will likely come out next year. And even though it should be cheaper than both of the EVs, you certainly don’t want to get the hybrid CLA, which feels like an afterthought according to my esteemed colleague Andy Kalmowitz.
