Mercedes CLA vs Acura ILX

8108 Views 18 Replies 11 Participants Last post by AMG4Matic, Apr 5, 2013

cordovan

Discussion Starter · Jan 31, 2013

The low starting price of the CLA puts it in aim of potential ILX customers.

Any reason to get a CLA or an ILX?

The ILX does come with a nice 6 speed 2.4L option that does just over 200hp.

The base ILX is a weaker 2.0L.

Interior isn't comparable. Mercedes wins.

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

AMG

· #2 · Feb 1, 2013

According to some reviewers and ILX owners, it needs improvements. Noise coming from the engine and road can be heard at levels not expected for a "luxury vehicle", apparently it's a bit sluggish and can be a better drivers car.

Benz being who they are will have the better sedan. I bet the Mercedes CLA will beat the ILX easily.

But one of the main things that will factor into someone buying either one is if their able to afford the higher cost of maintenance and parts on the Benz over the Acura.

brianch

· #3 · Feb 1, 2013

2

I agree. It's hard to compare anything Japanese to a German car for cost because the maintenance cost on a German car will be higher than the Japanese. With that said I think it's much worth it.. All you have to do is compare the exterior and interior.

See less See more

AMG4Matic

· #4 · Feb 4, 2013

I agree that it's hard to compare the ILX to the CLA. Acura is known for their reliable and safe styling where as the CLA is more stylish and comes with more engine options.

The interior on the ILX is a basic Acura interior. The CLA interior looks and feels premium compared to the ILX.

Pitbull11

· #5 · Mar 28, 2013

My last Benz was a CLS63 AMG with the performance package. It was Bad Azz. Great style and when I got on it (well) it sounded like a NASCAR. It was expensive $128k+ MSRP, fast, etc.etc. MB AMG know how to build a expensive super car that is really expensive to maintain. $500+ oil/filter changes, at 7k miles $2000 brake job. All that background leads up to me stating that the CLA45 makes "NO" sense! Who wants a stressed out 4 cylinder that has a complex AWD system, that based on MB past reliability history can only be owned while under warranty and will cost a bundle to maintain. Same thing goes for the regular CLA compared to the ILX. Both are baby luxury cars. They are the same size. With the ILX you get Acura build quality and reliability plus a super low cost of ownership. The CLA will cost many times more to maintain and I would not want to own it if it was not under warranty. If you want to talk performance all the counts in this class of car is comfort and economy. 0-60 over 4.5 seconds is really all the same as long as you can move with the flow of traffic, other wise your talking one car being a little slower then the other

See less See more

brianch

· #6 · Apr 1, 2013

If I was looking to finance a CLA 45 AMG I would look in to an extended warranty. A 4 cylinder running at that power capacity will have parts fail eventually.

If you are just getting the regular CLA 250 there is not much to worry about. Plenty of 2.0L turbos around that power range.

The maintenance of the CLA will for sure be higher.

MrRyte

· #7 · Apr 1, 2013

cfrp said:
If you are just getting the regular CLA 250 there is not much to worry about. Plenty of 2.0L turbos around that power range.

For some reason; I strongly feel that the engine HP/TQ numbers has been understated. Has the CLA250 been dynoed as of yet?

BenzFan

· #8 · Apr 1, 2013

I know one thing we all can agree on is that right before warranty is up, a lot of CLA owners will be selling their CLA's, meanwhile a good number of ILX owners will be keeping their ILX's past that warranty term.

I just hope the CLA will be more reliable and not as costly to repair as other Benz's i've owned have been.

Giovanni S.

· #9 · Apr 2, 2013

Hands down the CLA has the ILX beat over most categories but one thing that Mercedes is still questionable for is reliability. For such a performance sedan I would play it safe and get the extented warranty. For turbocharged engines something is bound to go wrong its just a matter of time before something seizes or breaks. And the cost is up there fr maintenance.

BenzFan

· #10 · Apr 2, 2013

Giovanni S. said:
Hands down the CLA has the ILX beat over most categories but one thing that Mercedes is still questionable for is reliability. For such a performance sedan I would play it safe and get the extented warranty. For turbocharged engines something is bound to go wrong its just a matter of time before something seizes or breaks. And the cost is up there fr maintenance.

Yeah even the basemodel CLA 250 has the ILX beat in it's highest trim, it's how it always is with Japanese and German vehicles that are comparable.

Reliability will be the biggest question surrounding the CLA's, hopefully with it not being as technology packed and complicated as higher up Benz's, that will help it be much more reliable.

Pitbull11

· #11 · Apr 2, 2013

BenzFan said:
Yeah even the basemodel CLA 250 has the ILX beat in it's highest trim, it's how it always is with Japanese and German vehicles that are comparable.

Reliability will be the biggest question surrounding the CLA's, hopefully with it not being as technology packed and complicated as higher up Benz's, that will help it be much more reliable.

LMAO if you want a performance car at a cheap price get a Vette. The CLA45 is not a performance car. Actually the ILX has the CLA beat. In this category of car, luxury, economy and bang for the buck are the measurements. Like the saying goes you can't make a horse out of a mule. I am not saying that AMG does not make great performance cars, they do and they have big HP V8's and are very fast. They are not compact cars that are designed for front wheel drive with 4 wheel drive added on. This is ricer territory

fastlane

· #12 · Apr 3, 2013

Pitbull11 said:
LMAO if you want a performance car at a cheap price get a Vette. The CLA45 is not a performance car. Actually the ILX has the CLA beat. In this category of car, luxury, economy and bang for the buck are the measurements. Like the saying goes you can't make a horse out of a mule. I am not saying that AMG does not make great performance cars, they do and they have big HP V8's and are very fast. They are not compact cars that are designed for front wheel drive with 4 wheel drive added on. This is ricer territory

So if the CLA45 AMG is not a performance car to you, then what is it?

This is a performance compact, bringing V8's and more cylinders into this discussion is irrelevant. ****, I might as well say if you want a performance car, buy a Ferrari LOL

MaximilianJürgen

· #13 · Apr 3, 2013

The Mercedes CLA is in its own segment really, And the CLA 45 AMG is still a compact but this is the performance model. i don't know what else it can really compare to. But seriously a turbo inline 4 making 355hp and you dont consider it a performance vehicle?

Pitbull11

· #14 · Apr 3, 2013

It's a front wheel drive compact car with a very high output 4 cylinder engine that also under high out put driving transfer part of the power to the rear wheels. I am saying if you want a real performance car this vehicle will be at or near the bottom of the list for any reasonable buying decision when you look at performance cost dependability and cost of ownership. JMHO

Mike T

· #15 · Apr 4, 2013

Cost of ownership is a big factor when choosing a high performance car? Yeah OK.

brianch

· #16 · Apr 4, 2013

Pitbull11 said:
It's a front wheel drive compact car with a very high output 4 cylinder engine that also under high out put driving transfer part of the power to the rear wheels. I am saying if you want a real performance car this vehicle will be at or near the bottom of the list for any reasonable buying decision when you look at performance cost dependability and cost of ownership. JMHO

The 45 AMG won't be breaking any records but it is still a respectable car.

Wait till the comparisons come out before you judge. If the chassis is really that well balanced the the AMG suspension was well designed the 45 AMG could be a quick car around the track.

Pitbull11

· #17 · Apr 4, 2013

cfrp said:
The 45 AMG won't be breaking any records but it is still a respectable car.

Wait till the comparisons come out before you judge. If the chassis is really that well balanced the the AMG suspension was well designed the 45 AMG could be a quick car around the track.

Just don't own one beyond the warranty period. I'm sure it is designed to last only as long as the warranty. JMHO

BenzFan

· #18 · Apr 4, 2013

Pitbull11 said:
Just don't own one beyond the warranty period. I'm sure it is designed to last only as long as the warranty. JMHO

More like the other way around. I'd think they rather design it to have problems to start closer to the end and after the warranty. That way they actually make money.

AMG4Matic

· #19 · Apr 5, 2013

That is what pitbull is trying to say. The problems usually start to happen after the warranty is over.

But it's not really true. Problems exist throughout the warranty in plenty. Its just that by the time the warranty ends the car is such high mileage that many parts of the car need to be replaced due to wear and tear.

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.