Had the oppt'y to test one yesterday, first day available in the Boston area. Some thoughts:
This was a base model, mountain gray with pana, multimedia, Nav and xenons, about 38k.
Interior fit and finish was very nice, better than expected, cup holder lid and little storage bin in the console (where the ash tray is) were very flimsey, but that was my only complaint, liked the screen, was cleaner than I thought, and very clear. Pana roof was frieking awesome. Car was on the loud side in the highway, but not bad, and due to the run flats im sure. Stock wheels on the base are ugly, dealer agreed. Eco mode sucks, dont want my engine off ever. When off, the trans was sluggish in first and second ( dealer agreed), but fine in other gears, had some get up and go on the highway. Head room in rear very tight, no surprise. Visibility was tough out the rear and rear side windows, again no surprise. They had 2 sport models that were sold and the sport looks sooooo much better....they wera white with pana, and red with pana, white is sweet with the pana and the sport wheels, very sharp!!
I had decided this summer that I would pass on the car and got a 2010 E350 4matic. Black/Black with 18k miles, not a scratch or door ding. P1 pkg and pana...Got it for $29.4K...added a sport grill, rear spoiler, and 19" AMG replica wheels...all in for under 32k, car is sharp....was I unfairly comparing the CLA to the E, probably...but was so happy to get back behind the wheel.
My feeling with the CLA FWD (that has not changed) was that with the 4matic and AMG quickly on its heels, the FWD would quickly lose value when those are released and did not want to take this hit.
All that said, the car was very sharp, and a head tuner...had a lot of attention at the dealer, and will do very well for Benz. One other thing, the fit and finish issues I saw at the NYC car show were addressed. Overall fit and finish was excellent and exceeded my expectations, typical Benz I thought!
cheers!!
This was a base model, mountain gray with pana, multimedia, Nav and xenons, about 38k.
Interior fit and finish was very nice, better than expected, cup holder lid and little storage bin in the console (where the ash tray is) were very flimsey, but that was my only complaint, liked the screen, was cleaner than I thought, and very clear. Pana roof was frieking awesome. Car was on the loud side in the highway, but not bad, and due to the run flats im sure. Stock wheels on the base are ugly, dealer agreed. Eco mode sucks, dont want my engine off ever. When off, the trans was sluggish in first and second ( dealer agreed), but fine in other gears, had some get up and go on the highway. Head room in rear very tight, no surprise. Visibility was tough out the rear and rear side windows, again no surprise. They had 2 sport models that were sold and the sport looks sooooo much better....they wera white with pana, and red with pana, white is sweet with the pana and the sport wheels, very sharp!!
I had decided this summer that I would pass on the car and got a 2010 E350 4matic. Black/Black with 18k miles, not a scratch or door ding. P1 pkg and pana...Got it for $29.4K...added a sport grill, rear spoiler, and 19" AMG replica wheels...all in for under 32k, car is sharp....was I unfairly comparing the CLA to the E, probably...but was so happy to get back behind the wheel.
My feeling with the CLA FWD (that has not changed) was that with the 4matic and AMG quickly on its heels, the FWD would quickly lose value when those are released and did not want to take this hit.
All that said, the car was very sharp, and a head tuner...had a lot of attention at the dealer, and will do very well for Benz. One other thing, the fit and finish issues I saw at the NYC car show were addressed. Overall fit and finish was excellent and exceeded my expectations, typical Benz I thought!
cheers!!
