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CLA Test Drive: Eco vs Sport

10038 Views 13 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  MaximilianJürgen
Took the CLA for a boot yesterday, still not fully sold but here are a few observations...

  • ECO mode is a joke. Stop start is jerky and downright annoying.
  • Sport mode is quite peppy and the flippers move you up and down easily enough, still want the third pedal but thats moot at this point.
  • Got it up to 60 mph quick enough, was well on my way past 100 before the salesboy lost his head and asked me to please slow down.
  • The turbo is powerful enough to feel V6ish yet there's no mistaking the FWD, torque steer isnt a problem per se but you can definitely feel the CLA grab the wheel from you.
  • As some of the others have mentioned, the CLA is narrow.

Trying to get some more seat time with it but my dealer has a pretty full roster of test drives... Would like to get into a 4Matic equipped CLA and see if that changes anything..
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I am Jeff Gordon with a mustache;) no nothing like that, he said he didnt want me beating on the car while it was so new. Fine by me, that's the only reason I was flogging it, not mine. Plus there were a few other cars coming and the demo CLA had the dealers name stickered across the back glass..

Its not the price that's going to break it for me its going to be what else could i get at that price.. I'm single so 4 door vs 2 door doesnt mean much to me, neither does cargo space. Its golf clubs and a suitcase max.

The Sport mode is fun, but like i said every now and then the CLA reminds you its FWD. RWD, Its just my thing, I grew up driving my dads pickups and the fist car i ever bought was a Foxbody Mustang and right now i'm in a 350Z. Was interested in the CLA because its a little more grown up than the 350Z, but hey man i still like to have fun behind the wheel.

I'm also shopping the ATS and the 2 series. I don't have to be out of the 350, its mine, so I'm comfortable exploring the different models. I'd really like some time in a CLA 45, but getting a test spin in one of those is like asking to sit down with the pope...
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by popular demand....

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Sports car Wheel


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TIEN coils, state 2 clutch, 3 inch header pipe each side, and those Brides are COMFORT... its an '03 i picked it in '07, Put about $8K into it since.

I dont know how much i would do to the CLA, If i do get it I'd like it to be a little more gown up than my 350... Wheels definitely, but Mercedes have never seemed to me a tinkerers car..
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I would think a CLA would be a bad car for modders. Too expensive. I mean, you could work on a WRX or a Focus that would be a lot cheaper to begin with and almost as fast. And lighter. All those fancy seats weigh a lot. I could see someone working on exhaust, but that's it. You just don't see Mercedes customers as modders. Even the group/age range that the CLA is targeting. Which is me.
yea thats what I'm thinking, at the $30K starting for the CLA there are plenty of cheaper and faster options one could pickup with change left over to grab a few go fast goodies. Plus Mercedes are notoriously complicated to work on, not something your average wrench could or should fiddle with in the driveway.

I think the CLA is targeting those that have grown out of their boy racer phase, Acura still makes the ILX for that type of gig....
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