Glashub

'Affordable' 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA first drive

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/affordab...160000776.html

ABDomega

Because baller.

JT4

I’ve seen the CLA on the road and I think it looks great, I haven’t sat in one yet but from the photos it is not as roomy as the TL. My wife’s ML is going in for routine service in about a month and I’m going to see if they have the CLA’s as loaners yet. Just my two cents regarding MB and the German brands.

Before my wife got her first ML350 we had two MDX’s, a 2005 and then a 2008. Both MDX’s were great SUV’s with a few issues here and there. They both had their HVAC fan motors replaced because they became noisy. The 2005 had the rear lift gate and right rear door lock actuators replaced, a steering hose leak and the battery died @ 14K miles out of the blue during a gas stop.

The 2008 had a few electrical issues, one occasionally wouldn’t recall the memory setting from the key FOB and another would cause the radio to lose preset stations. Three head units later (one unit was defective) and it was fixed.

My wife wanted the ML and from day one the first ML350 a 2011 was the biggest POS we ever owned. Creaks, rattles, trans issues, steering issues one thing after another.

It took almost 2 years and with the help from my dealer, who was great throughout it all, MB bought it back and put us into a 2012 which now at 15K miles has been great mechanically.. MB calls the buyback a substitution of collateral.

There is definitely a different feeling in a German vehicle, and it does take some getting used to, at least for me it did. But as much as I loved the MDX’s (I would buy another tomorrow if the wife wanted one) there is no denying that when the ML is on the open road the MDX cannot touch it in regards to its rock solid feel and refinement. IMO there really is no comparison.

I’ve had three Acura’s, two have had some issues and the TL has been great so far. As far as MB, I’ve had two, one had major issues that MB addressed and the other has been fine.

So in my experience there are issues with every brand, yes some a lot worse than others but issues regardless that require trips to service.

American, Japanese, German all have their pros and cons, at the end of the day do whatever makes you happy.

hadokenuh

When I read "Road noise is quite pronounced ...", it completely turns me off. Not saying Acuras have no road noise, but MBs are supposed to be quiet.

Glashub

^^^^

Agreed.

SteveA2012

Just got finished reading Consumer Reports First drive on this car...
Price climbs up very fast with any options. Probably better getting the C250
Just a 4 cylinder car that's a cheap/diluted Mercedes
CR not really impressed with it. Neither am I. Not when you can get a base TL for low $30's

weather

I feel its more than allergies...its a vicious disease!! I thought Prep-H would help solve the itch but it didn't

I agree that dealer experience is the utmost important aspect of owning a vehicle. As many have stated, Acura or not, all things that are designed by men will have a failure rate...its how you are being treated when they breakdown that truly matters. So your comment about the dealership experience really resonates with me.

pickler

test drove the CLA 250 and i was disappointed with the power and interior space. I would not even compare this car to any acura except maybe the ILX.

BEAR-AvHistory

Was reading this & thinking back over the past 8 years or so. Its always been fun to beat up the German cars, kind of an honored tradition.

The interesting thing is there also seems to be two types of buyers here, repeat Acura buyers & those who move on to German brands. The trend over time is the increase in the number of guys moving on.

Edward'TLS

Absolutely agree.

The big German sedans and big German SUV's are designed for the autobahn.

If only the German auto makers can get their product reliability up to par with the top Japanese auto makers, then they will be invincible.

KeithL

True, but in Europe the comfort seats are offered on the A6.

KeithL

I only moved on because the Asians went MIA, no new TLX, the RLX is well, the RLX. I would have done another M37, but then14 is not out yet and there zero changes in the 14 to make it worth it, and the Genesis is next year. Unless this Audi just blows me away or the Asian drop the ball I suspect I will be back next go round.

BEAR-AvHistory

I move to what I like at the time I get an itch for a new car. BMW had what I was looking for on the last 3, well two actually my daughter was behind the X3. Now she is looking at a Range Rover. That being said I might go with the Stingray over the M4 next summer

I know I am considered one of the official BMW fan boy PIA's but I have two Fords & a Nissan also sitting on the driveway.

I would expect over the last 55 years I have owned at least one version of every major brand except Chrysler & Toyota. Even had a Fiat 124 sedan in the distant past.

KeithL

No loss on the Chrysler, I had one a while back and most unreliable car I ever owned. In the 18 months I owned it 4 power window motors were replaced, the same one twice! Also had a tranny issue and a few other minor things. Amazing they survived to this day even through bankruptcy.

JT4

I couldn't agree more.

AlpharettaBoomer

So you have had your A6 for about 3 months. How do you like it so far? How would you compare it to your M37? I came out of a G37 and I am now on 2013 TL SE... many differences of course...as I mentioned before, the G37 was a true sports sedan whereas the TL offers a better balance between size, sporty ride, and comfort. Throughout the years, I have gone back and forth between the Germans and the Japanese brands. Before I got the TL , I did drive the A4 and the A6. The A4 was too small and the A6 was too much $$$ and it seemed as if the interior quality was not up to par with my 2002 A6. It just seemed! Having said that, my neighbor has a gorgeous A5 coupe and once the kids are out, I might have to venture into one of those. I just can't keep my eyes away...

Many post in regards to the TL being too old or too risque or to whatever. To me, this is a lot of car for the money especially when you can get one in the low $30's. The same way many here would not consider an A6 or a 5 series versus the TL, I can say the TL is much much car when compared to the CLA250......... I drove one and unless you need a Benz batch, I would not be a fair comparison other than one would be paying the same amount of money...

Glashub

It's not like forum members have to go out of their way to "bash" German cars or anything. The quote to follow was just one of the many problems the long term tester had. I remember Brian Cooley got a brand new BMW to test and he couldn't get it started. He actually showed video of the car being towed away. Sure these things could happen to any car but it there seems to be a greater frequency with the German cars having small and big problems.

"The 328's most serious problem occurred at 14,533 miles, when the power steering failed. Everything was fine when it was parked, but the next morning, it was nearly impossible to turn the steering wheel. A warning message on the infotainment screen suggested the car was still safe to drive to the dealer, but I found it too difficult to steer out of the parking space, much less on a public street. It spent a week at the dealer having its entire power steering rack replaced free of charge under warranty. Per the paperwork, it was an internal fault, but I don't know what actually broke. The dealer says that in warranty cases like this it doesn't disassemble broken components -- it just ships them back to the automaker."

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz2iYLJOq42

docboy

My wife is the one who is very interested in the CLA. She likes the looks, and it's a Benz, and we can get it for mid $30k. That's her logic, and it seems to fit many other buyer's as well. She currently has a Lexus RX330, so it's possible the CLA may even steal Lexus demographics due to badge status.

I noticed this too. But there is another trend I noticed: Acura (or insert other Japanese make) -> German -> Back to Japanese.

Mr Marco

Wish someone would have bought back my 911, before the $2,800 repair bill. Did my time with the Germans, no more. The women make great wifes, the cars on the other hand...

BEAR-AvHistory

I expect it does happen but the disparity in sales numbers between the Japanese & German cars does not support a trend.

KeithL

Can I assumed you meant me in this post? Actually have my A6 2 months now and just turned 2000 miles. The short answer is there is no perfect car. The M37S had better steering and better seats and was a more comfortable ride especially on long drives. The A6 is a very refined car with an amazing power train and some great tech. That said of Acura or Infiniti can get the power train refined like the Audi I would be back in a second. The Germans have too many quirks and oddities and the interior while nice is not screaming $65K car. I hate the EPS in this car, I drove my TL with EPS and it was far better. Audi does not know how to do EPS steering. If they coudl make more comfortable seats and better steering I might get another one, but right now both annoy me to some degree, the steering more so. Ask me in 2-3 years and if reliability has been good I may buy again, but too many initial fit and finish things and an already flaky blind spot system and I sense the Gremlins are lurking already. There is no comparing Asian build quality to the Germans, I feel the Asians have that nailed, the Germans have refined power trains and are ahead in that area. The Germans realize the future is forced induction smaller displacement engines, the Asians are concentrating on cylinder deactivation and such.

ostrich

Hey docboy, did you notice that with the CLA AMG version, the 0-60mph time is 4.6 seconds!!! And yet the gas mileage is OUTSTANDING! And you can get it just above 50K even in Canada!!! WOW! Now I sound like a racer but I am far from one.... at least at my age, I should not act like one! LOL

I saw a CLA when I was in Paris a couple of weeks ago. It looked sweet. Now I am even more tempted! LOL

Perhaps when I come back down to planet earth, I may finally chose the 2014 MDX or RDX.... ROTFLOL

losimus

To me ALL C-Class and 3 series are GLORIFIED entry model compacts...they are essentially "luxury" Civics and Corollas in my book. MB and BMW's are THE LUXURY car, if you are wanting to look like you have "money" then make sure you can afford one (E-Class/S-Class & 5 Series/7 Series) and not the "entry levelers"...JUST so you can say, "I got a 'Benz/Bimmer" . If you say it's the handling or power or engineering aspect...please, like MOST reviews from mags and professional drivers will state..."OVER RATED". For the price, stick with the BIGGER, more RELIABLE "LUXURY Hondas"...ACURA.

TeamAcura

Overall Performance = Germans > Japanese/Asian

Overall Quality = Japanese/Asian > Germans

jshaw

... right. I forgot. Buying a car from Mercedes or BMW is all about status, and not simply getting the car you like most. I'll keep that in mind.



I do get what you mean. When I got into the BMW world, there was some ribbing over 3/1 series owners. I have no doubt Mercedes owners do the same over the C class.

BEAR-AvHistory

Same old, same old. We TL owners got ribbed by the TYPE S guys that we got the base car because we could not afford the S model. The FWD guys here get ribbed AWD guys as having made a mistake buying lesser cars. Guys here got ribbed because the moved down brand to a Hyundai Genesis.

I imagine that full boat Accord EX owners think the TL owners are status hungry paying extra for a tarted up Honda. I guess it all tends to be based on what your outlook in life is & what makes you feel good.

The good thing is most people tend to grow out of it.

saturno_v

I do not understand that poinc Docboy...You could get a mid $30K Mercedes with long time with the C Class.....is not news...


I agree that the CLA looks really really nice.

dcdriver

I like the look of the CLA... until I saw the nav screen on there which looks out of place in my opinion.

And like others have said, there are many people who will buy a car simply for the name, and this car fulfills that need without breaking a budget.

jim_c

There actually are some good reasons to choose one car over another.
For example, I was considering an Accord V6 before I got my TL. My neighbout who owns a new Accord told me he hates it and can't wait until the lease is up. Reason: the seats do not offer proper support. On a long trip to Fla etc. this kind of thing matters. The seats in the TL are terrific. In the end it was only part of my decision, but things one might not consider become important when you plan to keep a car a long time and drive it long distances.

docboy

I just built on the MB website a comparably equipped C class with what I did on the CLA. True, the C Class starts at $36k ish, but that has no options. By the time I chose a few options/packages, I'm at $46k already. Compared to the $36k CLA with the same options I built out. $10k difference between similarly equipped C250 and CLA.

That difference is looking like it's enough to draw in a whole new crowd looking for a relative bargain.

docboy

Hard to say. Too many variables at play here. Perhaps someone could do a study on brand post retention?

Makes sense. At the end of the day, as long as consumers are happy that's all that matters.

docboy

I saw that too. 4.6 sec w/excellent gas mileage; that's terrific engineering. The wife doesn't care about the AMG performance, which I suspect is marketed towards the male crowd.

The CLA AMG is tempting to me as well. I'm eager to see reviews on that sucker when it comes out.

Glashub

Oh, what's this due in 2014? Why can't Acura do this sort of tease?

TeamAcura

^^^ You have to consider all that power on an forced induced I4 will take a toll on that poor motor. Especially if it's a DD. Long term reliability will be a huge factor.

saturno_v

I understand what you are saying but however,, for the brand conscious, the chance to have a mid $30K Benz was already there, even if not well optioned...you live in Seattle as I do and I do not need to remind you how many bare boned 328i are around....

I think the problem was that the C Class was tradtionally not a very good looking car......the visual on some angles reminded me of old Korean sedans.....despite being the cheapest Benz...it sold in the same numbers as the Infiniti G.

The CLS looks much better.....but it is a front driver which it could be a problem for some....

docboy

I think you meant the CLA? I have to admit too the CLA looks really nice. I wrote above, I think the styling along will sell the car.

The CLA will come in AWD/4MATIC later on, as well as the AMG, which is also AWD.

I actually live across the bridge on the snobbish Eastside, so yup, I definitely see plenty of 328si and even 5s28is around, many which I've seen driven by hot blonds lol.

Glashub

Here in LA the CLA is starting to show up like a storm of arriving locusts. It does not look all that great to me from certain angles. From the front it looks tubular -- sausage like.

winstrolvtec

Some good points and interesting discussion, what some fail to realize though is that a lot of the time the person likes a particular car simply because it belongs to brand a, b, or c, not to suggest there is anything wrong with the car though. Naturally some brands have a stronger effect in that regard than others. The opposite exists as well, many won't buy an Acura, Lexus, or Infiniti (and even Audi to an extent due to VW the relationship) for example, under the belief it is merely a Honda or Nissan, and although partly true that doesn't really have anything to do with the car itself. Not fair in either case but such is life.

100% correct that a $30k range entry car could always be obtained, that's one of the reasons for the top three luxury brands sales and what is the key factor that separates them from the rest. Despite their tier 1 image, their entry point is not really unattainable for the mid to high end of mainstream mid segment buyers, especially considering how creative financing/leasing can be.

Their entry compact cars sell about two to three times the rate as others like Acura, Audi, and Infiniti. They have and will continue to make concentrated efforts to continue to up-sell many of the mainstream buying population, with newly introduced decontented cheaper trims and price points of existing models such as the 320's, and C250's, etc, and even go as far to intro new models that typically go against their luxury image or status, such as the CLA and could potentially weaken they're standings as such, as we see in other parts of the world, in the name of volume and up-selling the general buying population, but I still think it's good business, more power to them. That's where aggressive lease incentives, and things like free maintenance also come into play.

Not to get anyone wrong or fault someone for their decision but a lot of that success simply comes from that entry car being the cheapest MB, BMW, Lexus, etc that one can afford. It helps when you have a lineup that is twice the size as well, and more variants and configurations but let's not kid ourselves they make a lot of their money the same way everyone else does, in the entry market.

It's not as much about RWD, cutting edge engine tech, higher end feature options, V8, etc, etc because when it all boils down, those things are not often equipped or even available there and price points are actually very much the same in terms of actual selling price compared to cheaper priced competitors, and they often get less content, a smaller less powerful engine, less or no more performance, less size (if it matters to one) and statistical reliability, etc. Although there is no doubt these perceived luxurious items serve a function and there is a small market who does opt for it, but it is particularly served as a halo car or effect which really does help drive more entry sales as the brand has much more perceived cache as a result.

Notice, loaded entry cars in the highest trims are a dime a dozen, especially German brands, even in the mid level class where the badge is less of a factor and people for the most part do genuinely have more money to get almost whatever they want as it would seem or as they tell us, (as opposed to reaching from a mainstream demographic to an entry luxury one), the V8 is a rare sight on the road, those sales also appear to be moderately flooded with lesser trims and low to medium amounts of equipment, although a smaller percentage.

Where I see brands like Infiniti and Acura slightly different is although is it a given that they are often up sold to Nissan and Honda buyers due to status and what not (the same goes for Lexus and Toyota) as well, they have their cars and their brand for the different markets and demographics, where the others really don't, so it only make sense for them to reach down and up-sell a bit more and to keep doing so as the markets keep changing and evolving.

IMO Acura and Infiniti and some extent even Lexus attempt to serve more as a transition from their mother brand and also catch those on the way down and/or those who are looking for a reliable luxury experience that is modestly priced more than up-sell. A lot of members here actually transition up from the TL and cross shopped with more expensive ranged cars, many came from Hondas originally. Maybe anecdotal but it seems many entry buyers in certain other brands are stuck there.

A key difference is Honda, Nissan, Toyota are not afraid to offer closely competing cars among the regular brand and the luxury division (Honda Accord, TSX, TL) and it's no secret they are often cross shopped to an extent. Where you would expect that gap to distance it is actually getting closer, assumingly it's also a function of the market and with big strides being made in the mainstream mid segment markets, with median price points already close to $30k, it's no wonder cars like the CLA are popping up among other reasons as well.

saturno_v

Opps, yes I meant the CLA.....Freudian slip (I really love the CLS)

Yes I live in West Seattle...328i are a dime a dozen, more popular than Honda Civics!!

No too mention the boring basic trim A3s and A4s....

SeismicGuy

Here in LA Mercedes and BMW are as ubiquitous as plastic surgery on the ladies!