[LennyR]

In the April issue of Car & Driver, the cover story "25 Cars Worth Waiting For!" features the CLA, with a nice big red one on the cover. These sentences of the writeup (p.33) caught my attention: "Three different turbo-charged four-cylinders are expected, all backed by seven-speed dual-clutch turbos. Rudy (i.e., Rudolf) Diesel will be represented eventually by the twin-turbo 2.1-liter also found in the GLK250, where it makes 200 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. Don't expect the output to change much in the CLA. One gasoline-fired 2.0 will make 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque; the other 2.0-liter, an AMG with higher boost, will make 353 and 332, respectively."

So, the news there would seem to be about the diesel, although the word "eventually" could certainly fade into "never" if the marketing types at Mercedes decide it isn't worth doing. What do others think?

 

[Mike T]

Very interesting...because the GLK has been certified and the CLA is lighter, M-B would not have to re-certify the engine for the CLA.

 

[LennyR]

I did a little follow-up based on MikeT's comment and came up with an article from Car & Driver in March '12 (online at http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-mercedes-benz-glk350-glk250-bluetec-news) that has this to say:

The rollout of more four-cylinder diesels in the U.S. is long overdue, and we’re pretty psyched. And let’s be clear: Benz isn’t bringing its four-cylinder diesel here for just one car. Investing in emissions and crash compliance means you’ll see the diesel four in the next-gen C-class—a mechanical cousin to the GLK—among other vehicles.

Hopefully, the CLA250 will be one of them.