ForgotMyInfo

Anyone think so?

Truthfully, had no clue the CLA was coming out, had I known, I would've held off and gotten that instead of the ILX.

Going to give the ILX automatics a real run for the money.

Discuss...

ForgotMyInfo

Also, AWD drive (4matic) for only 32k? Whut whut??

pdpgps

Car is pretty darn sexy. Starting at $29k, but you know all the options will easily push it close to high 30s or even low 40s.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

with options, its a high $30's vehicle.

ForgotMyInfo

Damn, I was expecting a stripped down looking Benz for the price, but why did they make the car look so damn good for something starting at 29k?

I mean, just look at the back. Look at the exhausts!!

neveronlineilx

I knew it was coming out and saw spy photos, but I am not a fan of Euros and would rather drive the Acura ILX than a Mercedes anyday... are there shoppers that will cross shop both? I am sure there are, but will it deter the majority... I doubt it.

Its like the 1 series BMW, I dont think it hurt the Lexus/Acura crowd as much as it swayed VW buyers to graduate up sooner. Just my opinion and I could go wrong though

usdmJON

It is going to be a GREAT car.
But in my opinion it can in no way to compared to the ilx. BUT, critics comparing the two is a HUGE compliment to acura.

The way I see it. The base cla is going for 29 before taxes for the best offer possible with NO add ons. Which means it could be a cloth seated, halogen sporting merc with no navigation. That would be appalling to see in a Mercedes.
That at 30thousand would be comparable price wise to a fully loaded tech package ILX with navigation, xenon hids, leather, back up camera, the works.
You can't compare a base model vs the highest trim models. Not fair.

But, if you take both base models, you're looking at a car that will be out the doors 30grand minimum vs a car people are driving off the lot for 3-4 grand cheaper.

Also, the cost of ownership for the Merc will greatly outweigh the acura cost of ownership. Quit literally, the cost of ownership for the Merc could probably buy the ILX flat out.

Final thoughts, it is like comparing apples to oranges for what has more vitamin C... but in the end it says a lot about the apple even being compared to the orange in the first place.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^go spec one out at Merc.com

usdmJON

Ive seen pictures of it. Whats am I looking for?

ILX6speed

Still would rather have my ilx over the cla

neveronlineilx

Too much Chrysler, not enough Daimler in current Mercedes if you ask me, unless going with AMG, Braubus or something along those lines

Colin

With Premium and Navi it's 37K. But it's not direct competition for the ILX anymore than the S Class is to the RLX.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Spec one out.
not look at pretty pictures.
with "options" you're looking at a $35k-38k car.

usdmJON

Mercedes Benz 2014 CLA CLASS CLA250 COUPE BACKGROUND BTN 01MSRP (Standard Features)$29,900*Exterior: designo Magno Polar Silver Met (matte)$2,50018-inch AMG twin 5-spoke wheels$0Interior: Ash Leather$0Trim: Black Ash Wood Trim$325$4,672
Exterior
$1,540
Interior
$5,170
Entertainment & Convenience
$95
Performance & Safety
Transportation Charge$925
TOTAL $45,127

usdmJON

Even if I gave up ten grand worth of tech features, most of which I have on my ilx, it would still be 5 grand more.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

its not a cheap car! despite what the commercials say.

jiggaman

does it even come in 4matic?

Rickards

In Canada, if pricing was the same as the States (~$34k CAN vs ~30k USD) and I was looking for a new car, I'd probably put it on my list, but the ILX 2.0 Tech comes out at 34k. You haven't even started to tick options on the car yet, and not to mention, in Canadian winters, you'd want 4Matic. Hell, it would probably with tax hit around 50k. That's 10k more than what I paid for my ILX.

However, while we can all say it's not a direct competitor to the ILX, I bet many, many reviews will pit it and other small luxury cars such as the A3 sedan against it. What I'm hoping for is that Acura wakes up to their competitors jumping into this segment and turns the ILX what the TL is to other cars in its segment - 90% of the features and 70% of the price of the class-leading car (Saw this statement in the TL forums :P). The MMC for the ILX will be the best time for them to fix any issues with this car and give competitors a good run for their money.

The current ILX isn't a bad car, but it won't look any better in a few years if it stays this way. We can argue about pricing, but don't forget that many people lease to buy a better car, and IMO this is where the ILX would suffer hard.

spdandpwr

have you tried pricing out a c300 4matic? lol, they are 50k easily. Merc may have low price of entry for some models, but damn do they climb -- as usdmjon pointed out

opboarding

Funny seeing this thread now. I priced one out yesterday online. It was around 38k before taxes with minimal upgrades like leather seats. Looks damn good.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Nice looking car, but as usual, it is expensive. It is also an early foray by MB into mass market FWD vehicle dynamics so I would expect there to be a few nitpicky things to iron out the first model year or two.

CoquiTSX

I built one very "conservatively" and was up to 39K in a hurry.

CoquiTSX

+10

rsx2rdx

I'm curious if merc dealers will know how to sell to entry level buyers. I'm sure they will make a lot more margin as you move up classes so i wonder if buyers will feel out of place looking at the cheapest merc on the lot.

rsx2rdx

For 38k th TL is a much more substantial vehicle.

ILX6speed

at $50k might as well get a 335..

Still would rather have my ILX!

musty hustla

Its a beauty as is the c350. I heard its very easy to bump your head getting into the back seat.

spdandpwr

Yea, I wonder about this too. You don't see many a3s rolling around and it could be because of that point (or because americans don't like hatches -- idiots ).

usdmJON

Americans love hatches. I cant stand them civic eg and ek are alright. I loved my integra which was considered a hatchback coupe. But wagons hatchbacks like the a3 wagon or suby wagons; fuckin gross minivans.

All my friends love hatches and wagons. Best friend has owned 4 suby wagons. Both neighbors roll vw golf and a r32.
My manager at work is selling his legacy for a wagon andy best girlfriends husband lives by saabs and runs that saabaru wagon shit.
Go away wagons you look like minivans!

Dont even get me started on mazda :o

spdandpwr

wagons and 5 door hatches are popular, but not gti, civic type-r (euro version), and fiat 500 abarth two-door hatches.

Here's the data from C&D:

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/new...e-info-feature

Coupes, 3-door hatches only comprise 4.3% of the auto market vs everything else. As proof that 3-door hatches aren't popular, look at the current gti...they had to introduce a 5-door version. Hot hotches aren't American lol

sunnyflower

The CLA is gorgeous. I put my info on TrueCar and a couple Atlanta based MB dealerships emailed me, and from there I learned that a limited number of CLAs would be arriving to their lots today. At that time (last week), they did not yet have all the pricing details or lease offer information. Anyhow, the timing of it's release pretty much made it an impossible choice for me, since my Hyundai lease was set to expire 9/18 and I needed to trade it-in for equity.

Ultimately, I'm happy with my decision to go with the ILX, as I'm not the flashy type and prefer to be low key (although my new ILX is getting a lot of double looks!). A touch of luxury without the snob/jerk label. I love the fact that nobody is driving the ILX (at least in my neck of the woods). I hope it stays that way. My last car was the new generation Hyundai Sonata--at first it was rarely seen and got lots of attention and compliments, now EVERYONE has one, which is why I no longer have interest in driving one (although I still think it's one of the best looking cars out right now!).

pickler

CLA wont be as popular as people think it will be. With Options it's still very close to C-class territory $. Also with fast-food usage on the rise (and oil price going down), most people will take the extra room.

GrigioTL

Apparently, the CLA has been a HUGE success for Mercedes-Benz so far. Bloomberg reported the CLA sold 2300 units in its first week of availability. I do think this will be a big problem for the ILX and Acura. In my opinion, it makes it even harder to see the value of the ILX with the launch of the CLA.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-1...l-his-due.html

usdmJON

I imagined it would do great sales. A lot of people wish they had mercedes. Now they can.

But if you ask me about comparing the ILX to the CLA then all I have to say is the comparison alone speaks volumes for the ILX.

Colin

Obviously at its opening price point it is expected to do very well. As many have noted, the "real" price is going to be quite a bit higher than the $29,995* price shown. This car opens up a new market for Mercedes, it will be interesting to see how they deal with the "Honda" customer. A friend of mine used to work at Jaguar service when they introduced their lower-priced cars back in the Ford days. He used to complain that those "Japanese car customers" expect too much with regard to reliability. He missed the old Jaguar customers who could afford to leave their car for two weeks for service. Haha.

Will Mercedes face similar growing pains? Will these new (to the brand) customers deal with thousand dollar brake jobs? "What do you mean you don't resurface the rotors? I have to buy all new ones?"

graphicguy

Just wait until they have to pull into the service bay at their local Mercedes dealership and see what it costs for something as simple as an oil change (and the requisite inspections they need to keep their warranty)

My sister has an E350. She saw the CLA in the showroom and asked if the CLA service would be the same as her E. They said it would probably run a little more given the CLA has a turbo.

THey may sell a bunch initially. But, those who are shopping in that price range are not going to be happy with the service bills they're going to get.

GrigioTL

I am not sure what your sister's dealer was quoting on service for the CLA but I can tell you that the list price for the MB pre-paid maintenance plan on the CLA costs less than my GLK350 which has a V6 engine. I leased a brand new Mercedes last fall and my pre-paid maintenance for 3 years only adds between $7 to $8 a month to my payment. Over three years, my total maintenance cost is significantly less than what I paid when I leased a 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD Tech for 3 years. In addition, my MB has a lower lease payment than what I was paying for my 2009 TL SH-AWD. The lease quotes I got on another new 2013 Acura TL SH-AWD Advance from three dealers last fall came out higher than my MB even considering the fact that my MB had a 10K higher MSRP. The dealer experience has been the best of any luxury vehicle I have owned to date.

I think there is a real misconception out there about the true cost of ownership of a Mercedes-Benz.

You can get a very well equipped CLA for $35,000 which is just a couple grand more than an ILX Tech. Plus, you get a host of STANDARD technology features including Collision Prevention Assist and Attention Assist which are not available on many Acura products for any price. I just find it hard to see the value of the ILX. Acura's Marketing VP even acknowledged the ILX's value problem earlier this year.

http://wardsauto.com/sales-amp-marke...ders-small-cuv

usdmJON

I dont agree with this.
How much does it cost to replace a cla mirror vs tsx mirror?

Im going to price one again..

usdmJON

Ok. First the CLA is available to three colors. White black and red.
So if I want a damn gray car I have to pay $720 extra just for the Mountain Gray Metallic. Awesome.

We'll add the hid headlights since Ive got that on my ilx... costs another $850.
I have premium wheels on my ILX, not the base. So another $500 to upgrade larger wheels. Not bad Mercedes, THAT was cheap.

Screw adding any kind of body styling... only cost about a grand on the ILX... for the Merc is runs $2,200.

Whoa whoa!! Cloth interior? Screw this!!! I thought I was buying a Mercedes?
Adding leather interior, another $1,500.

And WTF!? If I add lather upholstery I automatically get upgraded to the Premium Package interior for another $2,300?! Where did that come from? I cant turn it off unless I take out the leather seats. Screw that its supposed to be a merc.
But this upgrade comes with standard ILX tech features so I guess I need it to compare.

I also need the mutlimedia pack to compare with my TECH ilx for features like the music memory. Navi. Rear view camera, all not standard on the CLA. Thats another 2,370.

Wow this thing is adding up quick.


Adding nothing else to the CLA I am at 39,195 for WELL QUALIFIED LESSEE BUYERS.

Almost 10 grand more than my ILX ($16 grand more than the ilx advertised price) just to get key features and that isnt counting maintenance that will still be more expensive.

CLA side mirror? $1grand
ILX side mirror... half that.

Oil change at a german shop? hahaha
Oil change at honda? $60 bucks.

Be it I do my own oil changes, the difference is still there.
Bend a Mercedes premium wheel and see how much that costs to replace.

GrigioTL

Seriously, why would you want to buy a side mirror on a brand new car? I assume owners of brand new vehicles typically have comprehensive and collision insurance in the event of an accident, theft or vandalism....

Oil changes are covered in the Mercedes-Benz pre-paid maintenance program which adds about $7-$8 a month to your payment which comes out cheaper than the Acura service schedule. It is cheaper to service the CLA than the ILX if you purchase the MB pre-paid maintenance upfront.

FYI- Mercedes Benz vehicles do not come with cloth interiors. You can either get the MB Tex interior or the full leather package which includes leather seats and more.

At the end of the day, it comes to your personal preference. The ILX in my opinion comes short for what Acura claims to be a luxury car. You can get more content in a 2013 Honda Accord, Mazda6 or even a Buick Verano.

There is a reason the ILX is falling short of Acura's own sales goals.