- The new-gen CLA is bigger and better looking than its predecessor.
- Comes with Mercedes’ MBUX Interior Assist with gesture control and augmented reality.
- Available in the CLA 250 guise right now, with line-up petrol and diesel engines to follow soon.
Mercedes-Benz has revealed the second generation CLA-Class at the 2019 CES in Las Vegas. The baby four-door coupe from the Stuttgart is now bigger than the older car and comes festooned with new-age features such as gesture control, augmented reality and fitness coach.
Appearance wise, the design of the new CLA has evolved over the previous car. The characteristic Merc grille is present, but now it is flanked by redesigned headlamp which doesn’t take its cue from the triangular design seen on the CLS. Instead, it is more mature and gets sleek LED day-time running lights running along as an eyebrow. The front bumper is akin to usual designs seen on other Mercedes cars. Edition 1 showcased at the reveal comes with all-black finish with orange accents on the bumper lip, on multi-spoke blacked-out wheels and on the rear bumpers.
The silhouette remains more or less the same but the rear boot reminds us of the C-Coupe. However, the taillights are new with 3D LED lighting signature. In terms of dimension, the new CLA measures 4688mmx1830mmx1439mm which is 48mm longer, 53mm wider but 2mm lower than the older car. The wheelbase is increased by 30mm and now measures 2729mm.
On the inside, the CLA now becomes the fifth car after the flagship S-Class to get the wide-floating screen display integrated with Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system. The MBUX is the most advanced infotainment system from German carmaker to date and it comes with active driver’s interaction. The multifunction steering wheel also gets aluminium inserts and jet-fighter style air-vents inside the ultra-modern cabin. Mercedes-Benz has also added new-age features like ‘automatic dome light’ which turns on/off with the driver’s hand movements. Another feature the CLA comes with is the Energising Package, which lets the driver connect a smartwatch (for the body stats) with the car and the Energise package also enables a specific wellness set-up tailored to the mood and need of the driver and passenger. All the other driver assist systems from Mercedes are now present in the new-gen CLA.
Under the hood at the moment is the 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 225bhp/350 Nm and mated to 7G-DCT dual-clutch transmission. When it hits the market in May, there will be a range of diesel and petrol engines with manual or dual-clutch transmissions and 4MATIC all-wheel drive. More potent AMG models will arrive in a year's time.
Mercedes-Benz India will surely bring the new-gen CLA to India. We expect it to reach our shores by the third quarter of 2019. Just like the model it replaces, the new CLA will come as a CKD and will be priced around Rs 40-45 lakhs.
