That's not very fair Tonyride. The connotation of your remark is pretty negative considering that many people may equate the brand with "substance," just as much as anything else. Car ownership is like picking your spouse, its a very personal thing. Each individual trait is gauged on a very subjective scale. Some people "settle" for reasons other than pure preference like finances or small garages. Car "reviewers" offer up opinions about which cars are better in something akin to the dating game for finding your soul mate. It might be fun to watch, but its not much help finding "the one."
I can honestly say that overall I find Mercedes very "pretty" compared to Hondas. Maybe DW is just saying they prefer looks over cooking ability?
Seriously though, in the car/spouse analogy, I get much more pleasure from driving cars that have "soul" rather than mechanical perfection. I had a 2008 Honda Accord EX. My third accord in 15 years so something brought me back to the brand. I hated it. It was soulless. It never did anything "wrong." It was just uninspiring in every sense of the word. It was the perfect, practical choice. I could go on about little things like interior material quality or poor ergonomics. But the truth is I just never enjoyed driving that car. I sold it and bought a used Saab 9-3 convertible. That car had more "character" than Ron Burgandy. I loved that car. It was not the paragon of automotive perfection. It had squeaks and electrical issues. The Saab emblem fell off in the car wash once. It was a beautiful car.
I'm not trying to draw too close of a comparison here, but the CLA is one beautiful, soulful car. I've had mine for three days and I've already had more fun and enjoyment than 2 years with the Accord. Practical choice? We'll see. Either way, I'm in love.