Used 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA

Think of the 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class as a luxury subcompact sedan with some coupe attitude. Similar to the sleek CLS-Class, but scaled down to be even easier for zipping around town and parking. Yet still exuding that certain Mercedes-Benz prestige, while extracting far less from the bank account.

For some fortunate buyers, Mercedes-Benz ownership starts here. For others, the 2021 CLA-Class might represent a second car with a 3-pointed star to add to the stable. All the usual attributes are here, such as sleek designs, impressive engineering, quality materials, reassuring safety features, and great technology.

One piece of superb tech is the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), the company’s latest infotainment system that’s still being phased into higher Benzes. It understands voice commands given in natural language and offers the option of a virtual assistant.

Major rivals for the CLA 250 include the BMW 2 Series and the Acura ILX. The 2021 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 competes with the Audi S3 and BMW M240i xDrive. The CLA 45 mixes it with the Audi RS 3 and BMW M2 Competition.

This is a quiet and composed car with a natural feel to the steering and a comfortable ride quality. The seating position is low (for a sporty vibe), but the front sport seats (with integrated headrests) are supportive and forward vision is fine. Front headroom is excellent, even with the standard panoramic glass roof.

The engine in the 2021 CLA 250 gets the job done, leveraging low-end torque to feel relaxed yet confident when cruising around town. Dip deeper into the throttle and acceleration comes on strong. Mercedes-Benz says the CLA 250 reaches 60 mph from standstill in a respectable 6.3 seconds. Top speed is 130 mph. No turbo lag, just a linear power delivery.

The 7-speed dual-clutch automated transmission is super-smooth, and the shift paddles are there for fun stretches of road, or the occasional downshift for engine braking to keep downhill speeds in check.

With 4Matic all-wheel drive sending as much as 50 percent of available torque to the rear wheels whenever necessary, power is applied to the tarmac with admirable efficiency.

The 2021 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 is firmer, faster, and wears grippy Michelin Pilot Sport summer tires. It hits 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and tops out at 155 mph. The CLA 45 has 382 horsepower, a stunning amount of muscle to coax from a 2.0-liter engine. It’s almost a second faster than the CLA 35 in the sprint to 60 mph.

Free-standing digital instruments and circular turbine-look vents with mood lighting make the cabin of the 2021 CLA-Class seem just futuristic enough to be completely contemporary. Cabin materials feel top-notch.

True to Mercedes-Benz form, the adjusters for the front seats are on the door panels. And the seats themselves have sufficient rearward travel (in the finest German tradition) to satisfy tall drivers.

Being a 4-door subcompact, the 2021 CLA-Class is fine for a pair of 6-footers up front and two shorter people in the back. The split/folding rear seat is far from roomy (especially when the front seats are adjusted all the way back). There is a center rear seat, but the bench is too narrow for three adults.

The CLA 35 comes standard with a powerful Burmester surround-sound system and pricey Recaro sport seats.

The optional MBUX Interior Assistant — kind of Amazon Alexa for the car — can seem like overkill when all it might take is to tap a switch or twist a knob to change the cabin’s temperature or set a destination, but it works well.

The coupe-like roofline, LED headlights, power bulges in the hood, short rear deck, and dual exhaust outlets all work together to make the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class an arguably attractive luxury car. It has its own character, yet still harmonizes with the rest of the company’s lineup.

This apparent beauty also has a sensible side. Mercedes-Benz says the coefficient of drag (a measure of aerodynamic efficiency) for the 2021 CLA 250 is 0.23, among the best for a production vehicle. That helps with fuel consumption and performance.

DYNAMIC SELECT
This standard feature brings selectable driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+, and Individual. The default Comfort mode is aptly named, while Sport and Sport+ bring out the CLA’s inner performance machine with quicker throttle and steering responses.

AMG CLA 35
The previous generation had a massive gap of affordability and power between its regular cars and the hot AMG CLA 45 variant. This time around, the CLA 35 fills that gap with a generous amount of punch at a relatively reasonable price. It makes a fine introduction to the exciting ways of Mercedes-Benz’s in-house tuning division.

As mentioned above, blind-spot monitoring (Blind Spot Assist in company parlance) is now standard in the 2021 CLA-Class, addressing one of our few gripes from last year. So is ambient cabin lighting, about which we didn’t hold such strong opinions.

Also included in the 2021 CLA 250 is the voice-activated Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system, LED headlights/taillights, panoramic glass roof, 18-inch alloy wheels, twin horizontal 7-inch screens for driver information and the infotainment touchscreen, dual-zone climate control, push-button ignition, shift paddles, selectable driving modes, and automatic emergency braking (Active Brake Assist)

The 2021 CLA 35 has a 302-horsepower engine, 4Matic all-wheel drive, AMG-tuned suspension and driving modes, 3-stage electronic stability control, 18-inch AMG alloy wheels, and two 10.25-inch displays. And the CLA 45 tops the range with a hand-assembled engine making 382 horsepower, plus 19-inch alloy wheels and an even more sophisticated all-wheel-drive system.

A new CLA 250 can be upgraded with plenty of extras, the most significant possibly being the larger 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and touchscreen. Give the optional Burmester sound system a listen, it’s excellent.

A Driver Assistance Package brings active cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assistance. A self-parking feature (Active Parking Assist) is also available, as well as an AMG package that includes vented front brake discs, several styling tweaks, and an AMG diamond-block grille. Other extras include heated/ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, wireless charging, a head-up display, and an adaptive suspension.

The Mercedes-AMG variants are eligible for an AMG Track Pace, a feature that allows smartphones to collect lap times and other data, plus a sport-tuned adaptive suspension (AMG Ride Control), heated AMG/Recaro seats, and an AMG Night Package deploying black exterior accents for a more sinister appearance. The CLA 45 can also have its top speed raised to 168 mph.

A turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine provides the CLA 250 with a gutsy 221 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The other side of this power equation is decent fuel economy, averaging around 28 mpg for the basic front-drive (FWD) version. Mercedes-Benz’s all-wheel drive (AWD) system, known as 4Matic, is optional. In either case, a 7-speed automatic transmission is standard.

The Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 brings 302 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque to the party, going to all four wheels (with the ability to vary torque between the front and rear axles) through an AMG-tuned 7-speed automatic transmission.

The 2021 CLA 45 is the apex predator of the CLA-Class with 382 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque, running to a fully variable all-wheel-drive system through an 8-speed AMG automatic transmission.

The shut-off button for the automatic engine stop/restart system is located conveniently just below the push-button starter on the dash. Premium gasoline is recommended for each CLA variant.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 (CLA 250)
221 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm
258 lb-ft of torque @ 1,800-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 25/35 mpg (FWD); 24/33 mpg (AWD)

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 (AMG CLA 35)
302 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm
295 lb-ft of torque @ 3,000-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/29 mpg

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 (AMG CLA 45)
382 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
354 lb-ft of torque @ 4,750-5,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/29 mpg