My 2¢ here. I have the same generation CLA as you, and I have mine with the base comfort suspension and 17" wheels with Bridgestone DriveGuard RFTs (which are supposed to be smoother than the OEM Pirelli Cinturato P7 RFTs).
Even with my "comfort" suspension, yes, the bumps in the road are harsh and road noise is high. Uneven surfaces, mild potholes, and sunken manhole covers have caused bumps big enough for me to inspect the car afterwards, something I never worried about on my previous cars.
I don't think you're having some abnormal issue unless see sagging or you hear a bunch of clattering or loose rattling coming from the chassis. This is just how gen 1 CLAs are. The problem is that the suspension on gen 1 CLAs does not have much travel at all. See for yourself: drive it over one of those larger, rounded speed bumps without slowing down too much. The whole car will follow the speed bump and wallow like a boat, unlike a car with a better suspension that just soaks it up without too much movement. This is exacerbated by having 18" wheels and/or Sport Package.
The tradeoff, as
@jmc noted above, is that the car handles like a train on rails; I've taken turns faster than what is normally comfortable and I've taken it on drives through windy mountain roads and taken corners at about 2x the speed that the speed advisory signs say, and the car is glued to the road, and of course 4Matic helps with that as well. This is a huge positive for me with this car, it's very fun to drive when you're trying to take it to the limit.
If you want a soft, compact MB, your options are:
- A-Class
I had a base suspension loaner FWD A220 for the first time during my last service in Feb, and I was impressed at how well it took bumps. I purposely took it over bumps that are very uncomfortable in my car and they were not very noticeable in the A. Road noise was quieter but not as quiet as in C/E-Classes. This will come at the expense of handling, though; I took a turn at speed in the FWD A220 and it severely understeered and skidded, good thing there was nobody else on the road!
- C-Class
The C-Class will be softer, more powerful, have more interior space, and is also quieter than both the A/CLA, but also costs more $$$ unless you find a good CPO model. This would also give you RWD/RWD-biased 4Matic and its associated handling.
And something worth considering:
- New (2020+) CLA
The new CLA has 18" wheels standard and is sportier than the A-Class, but reviews indicate that unlike gen 1, gen 2 seems to be much more compliant on the road while still having some athleticism.
Trade-in of your car and CPO of these models may help you out with the price as well if you're looking to switch out your 2016.
Other than that, in general, I will say that my car has been reliable, easy to maintain, efficient, and just looks so damn good.