[Spartacus]

If you want a little German Engineering, cheap to maintain, good source of luxury, good capability in snow and good MPG, consider a Buick Encore as well. It is based on the German Opel Mokka.

I owned a Buick Regal (rebadged Opel Insignia) and recently a Buick Enclave), and I am not their typical buyer, below 30, and found the cars fun and packed with features. OnStar kicks mBrace's ass and IntelliLink kicks Command. I also cross shopped between the Verano and CLA, but I preferred the CLA for it's engineering edge, features for the price, looks, and of course the Brand equity. The option to do European Delivery also pushed the scales towards he CLA.

 

[derickveliz]

Just curious, with 37 mp g, what speed were you cruising, terrain (mountains, flat, etc) and did you have ac on?

This is my typical commute, New England roads are up and down... and Yes! AC cranking all the time!



D.

 

[07SGT]

Damn! You are precise. I like that!!! Thank you for the information.

 

[07SGT]

since you are getting 37 mpg with your current route, and 4 matic, I would think 38-40 would be attainable on highway only.

 

[Yoshi]

Love love my cla and prefer it over any other car in its class but for long term reliability you can't go wrong with a lexus. Have you looked at the is250? Gas mileage isn't as good but that car will last.. My parents just got rid of their ES300 with 180k miles. They never had an issue with that car and it was relatively cheap to maintain. Car drove like new the day they sold it. I also have a beater accord with 200k miles. That thing just keeps on going.

 

[07SGT]

Yoshi, consider yourself lucky to live in one of the best possible climes for auto longevity. You do not have extreme heat or cold, you don't have pot holes that ruin ball joints and suspension, and road salt for snow and ice which cause rust.

 

[derickveliz]

since you are getting 37 mpg with your current route, and 4 matic, I would think 38-40 would be attainable on highway only.

The CLA250 4Matic it's a Monster for MPG on the highway (easy on the gas keeping inertia and no cruise control specially if there are small hills) but as soon as you get off the highway and drive 5 minutes in city roads the MPG drops considerable. So there is a balance, and the way you drive will make that small difference.

In my day to day I say... "I get a good solid 34 MPG with my CLA, when I include heavy traffic and a couple of inspired acceleration fun, but in good days 42 MPG it's possible". Look at these 2 photos... same commute, same road and same gas tank... but different MPG.

At the end of the day, I really don't care about it, the CLA it's a pleasure to drive and turn heads every day, and that feels good!





D.

 

[jmc]

Well D ... your CLA (AWD) is more forgiving on gas than mine (FWD) and I drive mostly in E though in my area its mostly hills so maybe thats why.

 

[07SGT]

I baby mine and drive it as gently, mostly, as possible as it is still not to the 1,000 mile mark yet. Yes, any spirited driving will drop it instantly. Putting your foot in to the turbo charger will suck gas unbelievably.

 

[Ratty]

You don't have to think econobox. There are many choices out there that bridge the gap between just transportation and luxury/ performance. If you still want German engineering, VW has several models that would suit you, including the Passat. You might even consider a diesel. IMO, the best bang for your buck is Hyundai. The Elantra is small, moving up to the Sonata gets you a large car, well featured for $23,500. Also, their warranty is top notch. Nissan Altima, Buick Verano, Toyota Camry, the list goes on and on. Don't be discouraged, have some fun test driving. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Diesels dont do well in cold weather right? Their economy really takes a dive in cold weather I've read. I'll be doing a lot of long distance driving in Michigan/Ohio winters. Also, reading the VW Vortex forum is pretty horrifying. VW's reliability really seems to have taken a dive. I've owned 2 VW's before, but that was 10 years ago. I can't believe how many blow engine/turbo threads are going on over there. I'm not sure I want a turbo car since I am going to put 300k miles on this next vehicle.

My last rental car was a Hyundai Elantra and aside from the very mushy throttle and horrible reward visibility, it was a nice car. I might just get a bare bones, 5 speed manual Elantra and just drive it into the ground. I can't believe how hard it is to find cars with manual gear boxes these days. Looking for a 4 door VW Golf (w/ gas engine) with a manual gear box produced exactly ONE car out of 7 Chicago area VW dealerships. That's INSANE.

 

[Texas Dave]

Diesels dont do well in cold weather right? Their economy really takes a dive in cold weather I've read. I'll be doing a lot of long distance driving in Michigan/Ohio winters. Also, reading the VW Vortex forum is pretty horrifying. VW's reliability really seems to have taken a dive. I've owned 2 VW's before, but that was 10 years ago. I can't believe how many blow engine/turbo threads are going on over there. I'm not sure I want a turbo car since I am going to put 300k miles on this next vehicle.

My last rental car was a Hyundai Elantra and aside from the very mushy throttle and horrible reward visibility, it was a nice car. I might just get a bare bones, 5 speed manual Elantra and just drive it into the ground. I can't believe how hard it is to find cars with manual gear boxes these days. Looking for a 4 door VW Golf (w/ gas engine) with a manual gear box produced exactly ONE car out of 7 Chicago area VW dealerships. That's INSANE.

We used to have to pay more for automatics. They weren't reliable, and got poor gas mileage. Things have turned 180 degrees, and because the manufacturers lose the economies of scale, the manuals almost always have to be ordered, and cost more. Unless you just love driving a stick, automatics will be cheaper to buy and operate. all cars fuel efficiencies drop in cold weather, so you will still get better mileage with the diesel.

 

[Yoshi]

Yoshi, consider yourself lucky to live in one of the best possible climes for auto longevity. You do not have extreme heat or cold, you don't have pot holes that ruin ball joints and suspension, and road salt for snow and ice which cause rust.

True except for the potholes part. San Diego was ranked 8th worst roads in america!!

 

[Rapidfirerob]

True except for the potholes part. San Diego was ranked 8th worst roads in america!!

View attachment 20499

Wow, we're the worst, according to this chart! I didn't think it was that bad here.

 

[2katman2]

When the CLA first became available to test drive, I went to the nearest dealership in Maryland (where I happened to be at the time) and asked the salesman to take me to the roughest roads around.

We couldn't find anything to compare with LA city streets.

 

[07SGT]

Wow! That is hard to believe. I am not from the west coast but I would have assumed you would have much better roads because you do not have the snow/ice/road salt and subsequent pot holes. I thought you would have fairly smooth surfaces and saves millions of tax dollars on repairs per year not having the freezing contraction and subsequent pot holes. I was only in San Diego once, about 20 years ago, and remembered the roads as being good at that time. AZ roads seem to be pretty good, at least the main roads.

 

[Texas Dave]

Wow! That is hard to believe. I am not from the west coast but I would have assumed you would have much better roads because you do not have the snow/ice/road salt and subsequent pot holes. I thought you would have fairly smooth surfaces and saves millions of tax dollars on repairs per year not having the freezing contraction and subsequent pot holes. I was only in San Diego once, about 20 years ago, and remembered the roads as being good at that time. AZ roads seem to be pretty good, at least the main roads.

Yes, total surprise, 5 of the worst 8 in Cali, the other 3 in rust belt states. It must speak more to infrastructure spending/ taxation predilection.

 

[jmc]

Regarding San Diego county roads ... a few years back pre-CLA one pothole was so bad (and could not see it as it was night and raining) my passenger bumped her head against the moonroof shade when both right side wheels clipped the void and the car vibrated all the way home (another 2 miles) after that ... both wheels were beyond repair (stress cracks etc) and after getting me back on the road the insurance went after the particular city jurisdiction to recover the fairly large replacement costs (forged rims etc) though the car frame was never the same after that.

 

[5ilver-5amurai]

As much as I would love to sell you on a CLA for your long commute....you will be spending a hefty coin at the pump. Seriously. If brand isn't a deal breaker for you, I would strongly consider test driving a 2015 Accord. Real world experience shows me that highway fuel consumption on a drive is about 7 Litres per 100 KM here in Canada. I don't know what that translates to in MPG, but probably much better than the CLA considering the Accord also takes regular fuel. Test drive a fully stocked CLA and a fully stocked Accord before spending your hard earned money. That being said, the CLA will turn heads whereas the Accord probably won't What's your preferred balance of glam vs economy?

 

[Spartacus]

As much as I would love to sell you on a CLA

Funny, given you just joined the forum and have only three posts and two of them are trying to sway someone away from a CLA...

haha jk :haha:

#IAmAnAss

 

[5ilver-5amurai]

Funny, given you just joined the forum and have only three posts and two of them are trying to sway someone away from a CLA...

haha jk :haha:

#IAmAnAss

I call a spade a spade whether anyone likes it or not

#EvenBiggerAss