Colleagues from the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport took part in the first test drive as a passenger with the new electric version of the Mercedes CLA and here are their impressions.
The third-generation Mercedes CLA debuts in 2025 on the new MMA platform (Mercedes Modular Architecture) developed primarily for electric propulsion but can also be adapted for hybrid propulsion. The electric version of the CLA (codenamed C174) debuts in 2025, with the mild hybrid version coming in 2026. Mercedes is also working on an AMG version that will develop more than 500 PS.
Auto motor und sport colleagues took part in the first test drive as a passenger in the electric version of the Mercedes CLA which took place in the Timmelsjoch pass on the Austrian-Italian border, which is closed at this time of year due to weather conditions. The road was covered with snow and ice.
At the wheel is Markus Kern, test manager for the new Mercedes CLA who first demonstrates how energy recuperation works by decelerating the four-door coupe to a standstill using only the energy recuperation braking which provides a deceleration of up to 3 m/s2.
He then accelerates more vigorously and the Mercedes CLA takes off dynamically and without slip. The test car is the 4Matic version which has a 200 kW engine at the rear axle and an 80 kW engine at the front axle. Kern says the aim was to adjust the power delivery according to the coefficient of friction and not to slow the car down.
Very good ride comfort without adaptive suspension
The editor of Auto Motor und Sport notes the quietness in the car and the ride comfort considering that the car runs on a road covered with hard patches of ice. The new Mercedes CLA does not have air suspension or even adaptive suspension. And they won’t even be offered as an option. The higher weight helps to get good suspension comfort as the Mercedes CLA weighs no less than 1.9 tons. On first impression from the passenger seat, the ride comfort is high class but cornering dynamics could not be assessed due to low speeds in slippery corners.
The hybrid version codenamed C178 will debut in 2026 and will have under the hood the new FAME engines developed by Mercedes and produced in China at the joint Mercedes-Geely plant. These are 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder engines with 48V mild hybrid technology and a more powerful 20 kW (27 PS) electric motor that will also enable pure electric driving over short distances. The thermal engine runs on the Miller cycle and there will be three power levels: 136 PS, 163 PS, and 190 PS.
The Mercedes CLA will have a multimedia system with a new MB.OS operating system that uses artificial intelligence for a new level of personalization, safety, comfort, and autonomous driving.
In terms of design, the Mercedes CLA is almost unchanged from the forms of the Mercedes CLA Concept study, and the dimensions and proportions correspond to the concept presented at the Munich Motor Show in the fall of 2023.
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