usdmJON

Cost of ownership goes well past a 3 year warranty my friend. 4 years down the line a biker in a freak range rover incident smashes your mirror and your warranty is up youre out of pocket twice as much.

Okay okay no cloth interior. Still not the leather I expect.


At the end of the day, to get a comparable CLA it will cost 39,195 BEFORE TAXES AND FEES for the HIGHEST qualifying lessee.
The ILX tech with comparable features came to just over $30,000 OUT THE DOOR for a FIRST TIME BUYER.

You are looking at OVER $10grand for a comparable CLA regardless of maintenance.

As well the CLA wont be as tuner friendly. I can pull parts from the civic si and 1.8 liter to play with my engine. CLA will be a while.

Sure, you look at the ILX negatively because you own a TL... or TSX... or RDX etc etc.
Have you heard what Merc owners say about the CLA? They think its incredibly heavy for its size and lack of technology and with that incredibly lacking in torque in comparison to its counterparts.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

ILX vs the CLA? Really the cost alone isn't going to justify it. There is no way that someone who's looking at the ILX would look at the CLA. If you can afford the CLA you could buy a TSX or fully loaded you'd be looking at the TL.

usdmJON

Exactly. Price wise they aren't comparable.
But I will say it again. Comparing the ILX to the CLA says a lot for Acura.
CLA should be a higher quality car hands down.
Is it? Arguable.
Is it more expensive? Definitely.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Definitely arguable. Take it from someone who details cars like this day in and day out. They are great for the first couple years. Any merc or bmw or audi from the early 2000's have shitty switch gear and the most delicate interiors which annoy me so much. I get rough on the cleaning of most japanese cars and they are just fine. The german rides however fall apart at the most gentle touch. And the irony is that the 3 series from 2003 shares the same switch gear in a 100K+ M6 today. Unbelievable that people fall for it.

American cars for all the flak they used to get, are building solid reliable rides these days. Can't say the same about any german car companies. Plenty of sheep out there though.

robtroxel

There is always whining about the next great car "shoulda waited" etc. Well I bought my 1st Mercedes 2003 C320 new in the winter of 2002 with a sticker of about 42 grand. I was expecting great things but what I got was the worst car I have ever owned! 32 trips to the dealer in three years! Thank God I leased it. Anything electrical was a problem! I would NEVER buy a first year first off the line car. Maybe Benz has cleaned up their act but why be on the bleeding edge?

Given the real selling price of the ILX, we have a great car for the money. Is it perfect? Nope, but much better than most cars out there.

Switt23

My best friends mother bought a new 2012 Mercedes C350 4Matic... at 12,000 miles the transmission grenaded itself into pieces. Trasmission fluid blown all over the highway . His mom is scared to beat on cars too, she doesn't even us the sportmatic option.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Did they get covered under the warranty?

CoquiTSX

Pre-paid maintenance program for less than $100.00/yr ? What does it cover?. It barely cover most synthetic dealer oil changes. Inquiring minds.

cherplex

iTrader: (3)

CLA>ILX

If I had to choose I would go with the CLA. I think it's a great car for the price.

GrigioTL

Mine comes out to about an additional $8/month to my lease payment. I purchased a 3 year term and it covers ALL scheduled maintenance - not just oil changes.

Your statement that it covers only oil changes is inaccurate.

tech2332

This thread is entertainment. No idea why the ilx and CLA are being compared as if they're in the same class.

usdmJON

Wow. Three years full maintenance for a whopping $288?? Damn thats great. I would have paid for that up front screw 8 bucks a month.
But I agree, $288 for 3 years would cover oil changes tops. I cant imagine mercedes offering 3 years of service for under $100 a year.

GrigioTL

Scheduled maintenance programs have pretty much been commonplace with German automakers for years. It is your choice if you want to admit or deny the truth. I agree maybe the ILX should not be compared to Mercedes Benz. However, I wonder what the competition is for this vehicle. There is nothing in the luxury auto space that fits in this category. Based on the content and price, I assume it was designed to compete with mainstream brands like the Honda Accord. However, the Accord offers more technology and content i.e. lane departure, LEDs.

neveronlineilx

This thread is entertaining. the only way these cars will be cross shopped is if the CLA buyer goes and checks out an ILX... The ILX buyer is not going to the Merc dealership.... Well unless maybe they saw this thread...LOL!!!

Some people also dont fit the general mold of perspective buyer... Personally I wanted the ILX (also shopped the Civic SI) they fit what I wanted something smaller, Manual Transmission, available in white without that ugly camel/tan interior, something more light on its feet and something I could have fun modding.

I almost bought a TL but decided i did not want to spend that much and I really did not want find one that fit my criteria. so I back tracked and started looking at EG's, 2003-2004 TSX's, older TL Type S'

when it was all said and done I ended up with the ILX and am really glad I did. I love this car I think its great and is exactly what I was looking for.

Personally I dont like euro cars, I love driving them but would never purchase one

usdmJON

I apologize I must be sending mixed signals. I was asking if you indeed pay less than $100 a month for all schedules maintenance. I find that unbelievable. Not as in truly unbelievable but unbelievably awesome. But after that 3 years.. you're fucked. Right?

The ILX definitely competes with the Buick as earlier mentioned. As well any entry level luxury car starting around $26,000. I see my ILX as being probably one of the most expensive at just over $30,000 for the tech package. So when I see it being compared to cars more expensive than the package I picked, but these cars are at a base trim level it makes me go WTF?

Inspekdah

New ILX owner and was shopping for both of these cars the past week. No stick shift for the CLA and when I started adding features, or even looking for an affordable model on a lot, it was $36,000 minimum. However, I still had the feeling I was shopping for a 1st year, budget cut, Mercedes. I was close to leasing one, because I would never trust a Mercedes lasting through an ownership cycle... but I went with the 2.4L Manual Premium ILX for $27k. Anytime you can compare vehicles roughly $10,000 apart (maybe more with some CLA's pushing well over 40k) that's a good thing. CLA is a nice looking car but it screams wow I just bought the cheapest Mercedes. Just my 2 cents. I had been coming off of 2 TSX leases and never had a problem so perhaps I am biased.

tsxinva

Before the arrival of the CLA I don't think the C class screamed "cheapest Mercedes." Same thing with the Audi A3 or 1 series BMW.

cherplex

iTrader: (3)

Exactly the A3 is an awesome car.

neveronlineilx

The BMW1 does though and the CLS does, but not so much by looks but more because of the way they are marketing it... at least in my opinion. The 3 series hatchback they used to sell was also was a hey I moved up from VW and still cant really afford a BMW but bought one any way! type of car too...LOL

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I took a nice long test drive of the new CLA this weekend and had a good chat with the salesguy while were in the car. In general, the car, despite being marketed at a younger, audience, is actually doing significantly better with the retiree crowd. They have the same issue as Scion did at its launch, which is to say that the younger generation is not necessarily all that interested.

And after driving it, I am not surprised. The steering is numb, the throttle provides little resistance and feels limp and ineffective, and the driving experience just does not live up to the sleek exterior appearance. Full review to come, but in short, the only version of the CLA that an enthusiast should even give a look to is the upcoming CLA45 AMG.

graphicguy

Oil change on my sister's MB are $200 (includes tire rotation). She has said it will be the last MB she ever buys.

Again, as has been pointed out, try replacing an Acura part and a similar Benz part, and see ho much more the Benz costs.

CLA will cost thousands more to buy (like for like on options), thousands more for maintenance over time, and in all probability spend more time in the dealer's shop than the Acura.

The reviews I've seen mention how cheap the interior is on the CLA.

To me, you're better off with the ILX for less money, or even the 320i for about the same money.

I'd choose an MDX over the MB GLK, even if they were priced the same.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Here is my full review of the CLA250:

http://www.eastwestbrothersgarage.co...nz-cla250.html

It really fails to capture the essence being a sporty looking car and truly does little to appeal to the younger audience it is trying to target.

Rocket_man

I think your expectations that somehow the CLA class is going to be like the CLS class just half the price is pretty unrealistic. Sure the car does not measure up to a car that starts at nearly twice the entry level of the CLA-250 and runs over 6 figures. Maybe it doesn't appeal to the audience you think it should appeal to, but in the end it is the marketplace that decides and whether it is of value to each buyer. In a partial sales month of Sep they sold 2,310. In the same month that Acura sold 1,363 ILXs. It will be interesting to see the numbers after a few full months of sales.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I think you misunderstand my expectations. I was hoping for something that drove as sporty as it looked. The CLS55, which is admittedly an AMG car and thus different, absolutely offers the right balance between sport and refinement. The CLA, at least in this setup, fails to capture anything resembling a sporty drive, which feels like a letdown given its appearance.

The AMG model, the CLA45, might provide some redemption, but in its current form, at least from a driver's perspective, the CLA is a bit of a disappointment.

Rocket_man

Right.... the CLS55 at twice the cost of a CLA offers that balance. That balance does not come cheap. At a much lower cost you get one but not the other. No offense meant... but I still think you expect too much from this car.

Meanwhile after a full selling month, 4,895 CLA sales means that there is a market for a car that looks sporty even if it isn't as sporty as it looks.

The ILX sold 2,005, a good month for the car, but less than half the CLA. So I guess for many buyers style counts and performance maybe not as much.

robtroxel

You are all masterfully comparing an apple to an orange!