2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 First Drive - Motor Trend
They really like it and a lot of GREAT things to say like this:
Consequently, everything you see, hear, touch, or feel has been tailored to the standards of the Mercedes lineup. The instruments and vent registers could be mistaken for those of the SLS. The standard MB Tex vinyl will pass for leather to casual observers, and cowhides are optional. The sport seats (standard in the U.S.) offer abundant lateral support. The 2.0-liter, direct-injected turbo makes a delightful snarl when it’s on the boil, settling into the background the rest of the time, while the 208 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque it delivers move the sub-3300-pound sedan around quite briskly. That’s thanks in no small measure to the seven nicely spaced gear ratios in the twin-clutch, paddle-shifted transmission
Somewhat miraculously, given the torque at play, the driver’s sense of touch is never troubled with torque steer. I tried standing on the gas from a stop with the wheel turned, kicking down mid-corner at low speeds, and nuthin’. This is impressive, considering there’s no tricky multi-link virtual steering axis front suspension at work—just a humble strut and control-arm setup. It’s either magic, or (as Mercedes asserts) such forces are being cancelled by the electric power steering, which also allegedly compensates for extreme road crowns and heavy crosswinds, and applies corrective steering if the driver hasn’t mastered “steering into a skid.”
So the new CLA250 is no C Sport Coupe. Instead, it really reminds me of the original kinderBenz, the 190e. Like that car, this one represents a genuine high-stakes investment in Mercedes-Benz’s future, and I’m willing to bet the CLA will pay off as handsomely in the U.S. as the 190 did everywhere else. Its running gear seems capable of cashing the checks written by its bold, aggressive styling. And if Volkswagen isn’t careful, I suspect this could end up being the car GTI owners want to graduate into…
They really like it and a lot of GREAT things to say like this:
Consequently, everything you see, hear, touch, or feel has been tailored to the standards of the Mercedes lineup. The instruments and vent registers could be mistaken for those of the SLS. The standard MB Tex vinyl will pass for leather to casual observers, and cowhides are optional. The sport seats (standard in the U.S.) offer abundant lateral support. The 2.0-liter, direct-injected turbo makes a delightful snarl when it’s on the boil, settling into the background the rest of the time, while the 208 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque it delivers move the sub-3300-pound sedan around quite briskly. That’s thanks in no small measure to the seven nicely spaced gear ratios in the twin-clutch, paddle-shifted transmission
Somewhat miraculously, given the torque at play, the driver’s sense of touch is never troubled with torque steer. I tried standing on the gas from a stop with the wheel turned, kicking down mid-corner at low speeds, and nuthin’. This is impressive, considering there’s no tricky multi-link virtual steering axis front suspension at work—just a humble strut and control-arm setup. It’s either magic, or (as Mercedes asserts) such forces are being cancelled by the electric power steering, which also allegedly compensates for extreme road crowns and heavy crosswinds, and applies corrective steering if the driver hasn’t mastered “steering into a skid.”
So the new CLA250 is no C Sport Coupe. Instead, it really reminds me of the original kinderBenz, the 190e. Like that car, this one represents a genuine high-stakes investment in Mercedes-Benz’s future, and I’m willing to bet the CLA will pay off as handsomely in the U.S. as the 190 did everywhere else. Its running gear seems capable of cashing the checks written by its bold, aggressive styling. And if Volkswagen isn’t careful, I suspect this could end up being the car GTI owners want to graduate into…
