For 2024, the entry point to the Mercedes-Benz lineup is getting a sleek new look and several new powertrain choices. They add more efficiency or more power, depending on your budget and your priorities.
Mercedes has canceled its A-Class sedan in the U.S. market for 2023. That likely leaves the 2024 CLA class as the least-expensive Mercedes sedan in the States. The company hasn’t announced pricing for the revamped 2024 model. For 2023, the CLA starts at $39,350, plus a mandatory $1,150 delivery fee.
New Look Front and Rear
The design stays the same in profile but looks different coming and going. A new front fascia wears a larger grille, with different grille designs for different trim levels. CLA 250 models get the big three-pointed star on a field of triangular points. AMG CLA 35 models set it on dark vertical slats. In either case, the grille has grown and has a slight forward cant to it, making for a more aggressive appearance.
In the rear, a new diffuser sounds like a modest change but does a lot to make the car look more upscale.
Under the hood, the changes are more significant.
Mild Hybrid, Passing Boost
The entry-level CLA 250 model gains a 48-bolt belt-driven starter generator. That adds 13 horsepower at startup and in a brief boost for passing power (though Mercedes still rates the engine for 221 horsepower total) and lets you coast with the engine off. Mercedes says that it “improves customer comfort and experience by enabling low-vibration and low-noise engine starting,” as well as adding a slight power boost for passing. The company hasn’t released new mpg figures, but such mild-hybrid systems typically add only a small improvement to efficiency.
The high-performance AMG edition gets a bigger power boost. It’s been renamed – no longer the AMG CLA 45, it’s now the AMG CLA 45 S. Its turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, hand-built, now makes 416 horsepower (up from last year’s 382). AMG models get the same starter generator, so they can coast with the engine off, too.
A new AMG Performance steering wheel adds customizable drive mode buttons.
In between the CLA 250 and AMG CLA 45 S is the AMG CLA 35, with a hearty 302 horsepower. Both AMG models have all-wheel drive standard, and the CLA 250 can be fitted with it as an option.
More Standard Equipment
The MBUX dual display screens now run Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly, and all USB ports are now illuminated. The “Hey, Mercedes” voice control system has been updated to respond to more natural language and can now “explain vehicle functions.”
The optional Burmester surround sound system now includes Dolby Atmos mapping for “more space, clarity, and depth.” A previously-optional parking assist package is now standard.
