2026 Mercedes CLA first drive: Entry level doesn’t mean basic

Summary

On the road The version we tested, the CLA 250+, is not a particularly fast car. It uses a single motor driving the rear wheels, which generates 268 hp (200 kW) and 247 lb-ft (335 Nm), but which also has to get the car’s 4,553-lb (2,065 kg) curb weight moving. From a standstill in sport mode, it takes 6.6 seconds to reach 60 mph. Acceleration is perfectly adequate for day-to-day driving, but you won’t find that traditional EV “punch in the back” feeling when you floor it. Top speed is 130 mph (210 km/h), aided by a two-speed transmission for the rear drive unit. The CLA should be future proof for a while, with regular OS updates. Credit: Mercedes-Benz The firmness of the suspension makes sense in light of that curb weight. It is relatively stiffly sprung, transmitting shocks from potholes and the like into the cabin. The steering is precise and well-weighted, and the pedal mapping was intuitive in the various drive modes and with different levels of lift-off regenerative braking. In the CLA you toggle those levels with the same stalk that you use to select drive or reverse (forward and back instead of up and down), which feels like a bit of an improvement on other control paradigms. And I am thrilled to report that when you are in the high and intelligent regen settings, the brake pedal no longer moves by itself as the car decelerates. (Now it’s just you, Nissan.) With lift-off regen turned off, the CLA coasts extremely well, as we’ve come to expect from German EVs. Speaking of Nissan, the CLA and the new Nissan Leaf do share something in common: they both have a J1772 port for AC charging, and a NACS port for DC fast charging. In the CLA’s case, that can peak at 320 kW and charge the battery pack from 10–80 percent in 22 minutes. In addition to the trunk at the back (14.3 cubic feet/405 L) there's also a 2.5 cubic foot (71 L) frunk at the front. Jonathan Gitlin In addition to the trunk at the back (14.3 cubic feet/405 L) there's also a 2.5 cubic foot (71 L) frunk a...