Mercedes-Benz CLA

What kind of Mercedes would suit a buyer with a younger outlook? A customer needing a sensible but uber-stylish compact car tinselled with technology and fashionable appeal, yet for sale at an accessible price.

Perhaps that means this one, the second generation CLA, which like its predecessor was available in four-door Coupe form or as a so-called 'Shooting Brake' estate. The idea here was to bring a fashionable feel to the Stuttgart brand's growing family of smaller models.

And in doing so, significantly lower the average age of the typical Mercedes buyer.

The MK1 CLA did just that - and much more.

In Europe, more than half of those who bought the original model, launched in 2013, had never purchased from the brand before and 75% of them went on to subsequently buy another Merc.

Glance at these dream demographics, then appreciate that this was the very first compact front-driven Mercedes model to be launched in the US and you begin to understand why company insiders described the introduction of the original 'C117'-series version of this car as the marque's most significant model launch in the last two decades. Hence the significance of this second generation 'C118'-series model, introduced in the Spring of 2019, the initial four-door Coupe quickly followed by the Shooting Brake estate we mentioned, then rapid Mercedes-AMG 35 and 45 4MATIC high performance models.

There are still those who would wonder whether this is a 'real' Mercedes, perhaps because it's front-driven, or possibly because volume versions share engines and transmissions with Renault.

Ever since the very first 'baby Benz', the '190' W210 model of 1982, the Stuttgart brand has been used to this kind of carping and tends to produce cars that rise above it to eventually become very much accepted in its line-up - as was quickly the case with the CLA. Interestingly, these sorts of questions never seemed to be directed at the other small front-driven Mercedes models from this period that shared this one's MFA2 platform and much of its engineering - primarily the fourth generation A-Class hatch, the third generation B-Class MPV and SUVs like the second generation GLA and the GLB.

Probably this was because the CLA had more up-market aspirations than its compact showroom stablemates, its intention (as before) to more affordably deliver to buyers the 'four-door coupe' and 'swept-back sporting estate' template the brand had done well with in the previous couple of decades in larger market segments with various versions of its luxury CLS series models. With the MK2 CLA, the technology was borrowed from those larger segments too, as you'll discover if you take a look at this car's interior technology and experience its semi-autonomous driving tech.

Plus this 'C118'-series model was usefully longer, wider and more spacious than its predecessor.

Given that a more practical rear-driven C-Class from this period can be had for much the same money though, the reason you'd buy one will still have much to do with the way this car looks.

It remains a rather trendy trinket.

But is there more to the appeal of this Mercedes than that? This MK2 CLA was lightly facelifted in 2023, then sold until the introduction of an all-new MK3 model in mid-2025.

By any measure, this is a distinctive car.

It always was.

Whether this MK2 CLA was the 'modern design icon' Mercedes thought it was - well, that's another question.

In this guise and in its alternative Shooting Brake form, this second generation 'C118'-series model was certainly a sleeker, more sophisticated thing than its predecessor.

You'd certainly be less likely to pigeonhole this car as any sort of saloon, this MK2 model no longer called upon to play that role since by 2019 Mercedes had launched a separate sedan body style into the fourth generation A-Class line-up.

That freed Designer Gorden Wagener and his team up to be a little more expressive with the second generation CLA, hence the lengthier, slightly lower roofline, the long stretched bonnet and the compact glasshouse, all of it delivering a more elegant silhouette. In its own way, this cabin is as distinctive as the exterior silhouette, with unique interior architecture shaped by the avant-garde design of the dashboard.

Some features are of course familiar from other large Mercedes models from this period - primarily the distinctive widescreen cockpit layout with its twin virtual displays, which can be activated by the provided 'Hey Mercedes' voice-activated functionality.

You sit a little lower than you would in other compact Mercedes models, on black faux-leather-stitched sports seats with integrated head restraints which position you lower in front of a race-style flat-bottomed nappa leather-trimmed steering wheel.

And you're surrounded by premium touches; a glossy piano black-coated centre console that flows up into the dash; and intricately fashioned door cards filleted with aluminium and double-stitched hide panels.

Luxury downsizers will love it all. As for back seat accommodation, well any car that describes itself as a 'four-door coupe' clearly isn't going to have this as a top priority.

Fashion is the keynote here - which is why you're provided with lovely frameless doors, just like a pricey CLS model in the next class up.

Negotiate around the plunging roofline and get yourself inside though and it is a little surprising to find that despite this car being 9mm longer than a W205 generation Mercedes C-Class saloon, it offers significantly less space for rearward passengers.

We can carry on carping about this kind of stuff as other commentators do, but it's pretty irrelevant because if you really cared about rear seat space, you'd be spending the same kind of money on either an A-Class sedan or that C-Class Saloon instead. The boot is accessed on the four-door model either by clicking on the key fob or by pressing in the top part of the brand badge.

Given the length increase - this second generation CLA has a rear overhang stretching beyond a metre long - you might hope for a bit more space than was offered by the MK1 model but for some reason, boot capacity actually fell in this MK2 design to 460-litres, 10-litres less than before.

Still that's 5-litres more than you get most C-Class Saloons of this period and 40-litres more than you'd get in a four-door A-Class.

If this isn't enough and you really want a CLA, there's the option of switching to the Shooting Brake estate variant, which offers 505-litres of capacity with all the seats in place - that was 10-litres more than before.

MK2 CLA prices start from around £19,000 (around £21,250 retail), which gets you a base 'AMG Line'-spec CLA 180 model on a '19 plate.

You'll need about £400 more for an equivalently-specced version of the more powerful CLA 200 model.

MK2 CLA 220d diesel prices start from around £17,850 (around £20,000 retail), which gets you a base 'AMG Line'-spec CLA 220d model on a '19 plate.

All quoted values are sourced through industry experts cap hpi.

Click here for a free valuation.

Check for rattles from the frameless doors, sunroof alignment, suspension noise and coolant level sensors.

Otherwise, quite a few of the same issues that apply to Mercedes A-Class, B-Class and GLA models also apply here.

Which means that the 1.3-litre petrol unit of the CLA 180 and CLA 200 petrol models can be harsh and jerky at low rpm or when idling.

We've heard of malfunctioning oil supply lines for the turbocharger, cracked drive shaft flex discs that cause vibrations and faulty Electronic Stability Program software.

Look out for interior rattles, creaks and inconsistent panel gaps.

And check the infotainment system out thoroughly; we've heard of the central screen turning off unexpectedly and failing rear view cameras.

Insist on a full Mercedes dealer service history, especially for the most recent models whose lengthy warranty - effectively for the life of the car - is dependent on proper servicing by an authorised agent.

Check that all the accessories work and watch out for cosmetic damage which can be expensive to correct. Also look for the usual signs of wheel kerbing and poorly repaired accident damage.

Otherwise, it's the usual things here; interior trim and electrical issues were the most commonly afflicted things that came up in our survey.

Check for uneven panel gaps and paint flaws.

Inspect the electrics and the air conditioning functionality - it should blow our really chilled air.

Obviously insist on a fully stamped up service book. Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2021 CLA 220d- Ex Vat) An air filter is around £13-£27.

An oil filter is around £6-£19.

A fuel filter is around £36.

Front brake pads sit in the £35-£84 bracket for a set (for rears it's around £24-£52).

Front brake discs cost in the £35-£86 bracket.

Rear brake discs can cost in the £146 bracket.

A starter motor is in the £101-£266 bracket.

An alternator sits in the £304-£566 bracket.

This second generation CLA might share its 'MFA2' platform and front-driven layout with humbler compact Mercedes models, but it got its own suspension set-up.

The damping system was tweaked differently, primarily with noise and vibration-countering hydraulic suspension bushes on the front axle.

There was also a stiffer front anti-roll bar than the A-Class has, plus a much wider front and rear track and a lower centre of gravity.

So it's not surprising that this car feels significantly more dynamic to drive than its compact showroom stablemates from this period.

You wouldn't buy it in preference to a hot hatch - the steering's not sharp enough for that - but the handling's precise and direct and there's plenty of grip and traction through the turns.

The ride's a touch on the firm side, but most will find it quite acceptable on the highway, where exceptionally sleek aerodynamics aid impressive levels of refinement. All mainstream petrol-powered versions of this car use a 7G-DCT auto gearbox and engine-wise, the range kicks off with CLA 180 and CLA 200 variants which use a 1.3-litre petrol unit provided by Renault, respectively putting out either 136 or 163hp.

If you take the view that a car of this sort has no business sharing an engine with a Clio supermini, then you might well want to limit your perusals to a CLA fitted with a 2.0-litre engine.

The popular choice here is the CLA 220, which offers 190hp and is the only mainstream model in the range available with the option of 4MATIC 4WD.

Alternatively, there's the 224hp CLA 250 model, which offers a useful boost in performance with no discernible impact on efficiency; WLTP-rated combined cycle fuel consumption is measured at up to 42.2mpg, while NEDC-rated CO2 emissions are rated at 138g/km.

If you want to do better, Mercedes offered its 2.0-litre diesel in the 190hp CLA 220d, paired with an 8-speed auto.

There are also two storming Mercedes-AMG performance models, the 306hp CLA 35 and the 421hp CLA 45.

In second generation form, the CLA continued to expand the Mercedes brand's customer base.

The people who buy one almost certainly wouldn't want anything else the company offers at this price point and rival saloon and estate models from this time look rather conformist by comparison with this four-door Coupe, or its Shooting Brake station wagon counterpart.

In short, both versions of this car remain something of a breath of fresh air in this part of the market from this period. Partly, that's because the CLA doesn't just rely on traditional brand values like comfort, quality and safety.

Instead, it majors on style and an uber-fashionable cabin.

There's no point complaining about the rather cramped rear cabin; if you cared about that, you'd buy saloon versions of the A-Class or the C-Class for similar money.

Are there other issues? Well not many.

This second generation model is a more mature, better-rounded product that in both four-door Coupe and Shooting Brake forms wears its premium price tag more credibly than its predecessor did.

True, we've been left feeling that there are elements of the drive dynamics that could be slightly more polished - mainly in terms of refinement from engine and transmission - but there's nothing in that to really dissuade you if you've set your heart on a CLA. Which is quite possible.

This may be a niche product but Mercedes found that it carried a near-volume level of appeal in some of its key markets.

It's a model that redefined what the brand stood for in the eyes of many potential buyers.

Exactly as it was meant to.