When sitting behind the wheel of Mercedes-Benz's latest entry-level product, the hybrid CLA220 4matic, I could not shake the feeling that this car would not have existed, not the world's first car manufacturer. In an ideal world, Mercedes will exclusively sell the 3rd generation CLA as an electric car, without the need to add internal combustion components. Unfortunately for Mercedes, it does not live in that reality and we do not live either. Buyers aren't as keen on EVs as automakers once wanted, so companies are re-creating their lineup to include more diverse motor choices, and that's how you end up getting a small gas power plant with shoes on ground-up Ev engine bays like CLA.
Mercedes had to adapt quickly, but in a hurry to do so, the refinement and smoothness of the powertrain was left on the floor of the cutting room. To hybrid the new CLA, Mercedes Benz threw a new powertrain, called the m252, under the hood instead of the EV Frank, which we have here is housed within an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission and powered by a 1.3kWh battery. It is a 30-liter inline four with a small turbocharger adapted to a 48-volt hybrid system with an electric motor of 1.5 horsepower supplied by the engine. Overall, the system emits 208 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.
This is an estimated 7.1 seconds for Mercedes in the guise of front-wheel drive, which is enough to drive an entry-level sedan from 0 to 60 mph. Flat out on the autobahn, the thing knocks up against its 130mph speed limiter. CLA is a small car that should not have an engine in the first place. This car, in fact, is more powerful and slower than the current gasoline-powered mild hybrid CLA alternative. The base 2026 CLA250's turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four gives out 221hp and 258lb-ft of torque, making the sprint 60mph in 0.8 seconds faster than the new CLA hybrid certainly, it will almost certainly return better fuel economy than the old car, but it's worth paying attention.
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Engineers place great emphasis on this system, which can be driven electrically, especially during urban driving. The idea is that if a car needs less than 27 horsepower to move, it will drive entirely using electricity. The car also performs "electric gliding," in which the gas-driven system is separated at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, and can run as an EV to save fuel. In addition, all 8 gears have built-in regenerative brakes, which can send up to 25kW of power back to the battery. All this sounds promising on paper, but in fact it's not so good — especially if you want electric driving. The engineers really made it sound like this thing could make it around the electronic alone in town, but second I got on the throttle, small it always went into hybrid or gas mode because
I almost always seemed to need more than 3,900 horsepower to get a 27-pound sedan. This not only hurts refinement and smoothness, but almost certainly fuel economy as well. If it turned on smoothly, I could allow a gas engine to act quickly on the hybrid. Automakers have long built hybrids, but they have figured out how to make the transition between gas and electricity seamless, mostly. Toyota and Honda both sell cars that make the switch much more jerky and less noticeable than Benz, and the cost is also lower. I was acutely aware every time the gas motor kicked, and not just because the little things rumbled below the premium as the number of revolutions increased.
The 8-speed dual clutch transmission shares many responsibilities. It provided a crisp gear change when pressed hard, but at low and medium speeds it was jerky, lagging and not what everyone expected of a Mercedes-Benz. Between that and the noticeable turbo lag, there's a constant pause in the drivetrain, and I wonder how anyone can prefer this over the electric CLA.Shocking as it may sound, this did not make much of a recipe for energetic driving. When the roads were winding, the CLA was hardly exciting. In most cases, the steering was incredibly vague, and the problem did not improve deep into the corner. The suspension was pretty good on rough pavements and potholes, but it's definitely on the soft side and the CLA220 is a decent amount of body for this little car.
Mercedes really made a great car with an electric CLA. It is handsome, efficient, suitable size and has many technologies and some of the best specifications in its class. The problem I have with the CLA220 4matic is reserved almost exclusively for mechanical bits that you will not find in the electroplated. I especially like the appearance of the CLA220, both inside and outside, because they are almost the same as the EV's. Other than another grille and a slightly remade rear bumper, you'd be hard pressed to tell the two apart. Outwardly, the hybrid CLA220 works with all the design elements from the likes of EV, front and rear light bars, trillions and three pointed grilles, star headlights and taillights. And, of course, there is an overall four-door couper look that Mercedes pioneered in the first generation CLS in 2003.
It's a very similar story, with 2 cars almost indistinguishable from each other. As far as I know, the only difference is not the power meter on the EV, but the tachometer on the right half of the 10.25-inch gauge cluster. It's pretty customizable, but there's a bit too much lag in the refresh rate for my taste. In the center of the dashboard is the same 14 inch infotainment screen seen in the EV and buyers have also used a lot of passenger screens in the second 14 Yi I to complete the MBUX Super Screen, which is one of the best convenient and functional. It's not as cool as the new GLC's seamless super screen, but it's still a pretty sick look. Indeed, these 3 big screens are running Mercedes in-house MB.
I know people like to complain about the screen, so I'm here to tell you that there are still quite a few buttons. As with the EV, the floating center console of the CLA220 includes drive mode, camera startup, screen off, hazard lights and voice commands, including an added rocker switch back to the steering wheel to control the adaptive cruise that follows the distance and stereo volume. Ergonomically, the car is set up pretty well except for 1 thing. Mercedes dropped the paddle shifter for the CLA, but maintained the manual shifting mode. It operated by pressing back and forth on the column-mounted shift lever. Most CLA hybrid owners don't shift the car manually, but this is still a demonic setup.
Overall, it is a great place and it feels much more premium than its starting price suggests. Depending on the trim and options, there is a lot of real leather, metal and wood around the cabin, and Mercedes designers did their best not to approach the black plastic on the piano. Now we still don't have a pegged US price for the CLA220 hybrid, but we can make some educated guesses. We already know the electric CLA250+ and CLA350 4matic start at $448,500 and $551,050 respectively, and we have European prices for hybrids. The CLA220 starts at about $49,000 worth of U.S. dollars once taxes are removed, while the 4MATIC starts at about 51,150. I would expect US buyers to pay something around that, which means hybrid and electric CLAs might have very similar prices.
If it comes to hybrid CLA pricing, it represents a pretty big jump from the current mild hybrid CLA on sale today. The front-wheel drive CLA250 starts from 4 44,000, including the destination, and the 4matic adds another two spectacular costs.It sounds like a pretty chunk of change for a compact car, but buyers get a decent amount of equipment right from the bat. All CLA220 hybrids come standard with a panoramic roof, illuminated grille surround, 18-inch wheels,7 years of built-in navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and even a selfie camera.Other luxurious details come standard too, including leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, LED headlights, radar cruise control and a whole slew of safety features. In an era when automakers are giving buyers less for their money, the CLA220 seems like a nice change of pace.
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