New Mercedes CLA ride review: electric exec impresses from the passenger seat

He tells us his team has been working hard on the CLA’s regenerative braking system, which can recuperate energy that would otherwise be lost at a rate of up to 200kW. Often a weak point of Mercedes electric cars, the transition between regeneration and the friction brakes is demonstrated by Zolke  – with no noticeable step or delay from where we’re sitting. He also shows us how the strongest setting can bring the car to a stop in a controlled manner – even on snow-covered surfaces.

Our “top tier” CLA should, in theory, be capable of up to 466 miles of range in its most efficient form, but a glance at the instrument panel shows just 195km (121 miles) at 85 per cent state of charge. It’s probably fair to blame the sub-zero conditions and Zolke’s unsympathetic driving style for that, but we’ll reserve judgement until we test the car properly in the spring. He tells us he’s targeting 12kWh/100km – roughly equivalent to 5.2mi/kWh.

Regardless, the CLA’s 800v electrical architecture will ensure super-fast charging times. Indeed, during the Merc’s recent 24-hour endurance test, the engineering team regularly saw speeds of 300kW or more – enough to challenge the presumably pricier Porsche Taycan.

Mention of the Porsche is particularly pertinent, actually, as much of the CLA’s supposedly strong efficiency can be attributed to the innovative new two-speed transmission – similar to what’s offered in the Taycan. While the CLA can intelligently shuffle power as required, it’ll essentially shift into top gear at speeds above 110kmh (68mph) to improve economy. Whether it works in practice remains to be seen.