Can New Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Catch Up With Entry-Level A-Class?
Hey out there: Who wants a new Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan with less headroom and a higher price tag? Apparently the company thinks someone out there wants this and has released a teaser image of the upcoming replacement for the brand’s CLA-Class subcompact “four-door coupe.” The arrival of the new CLA follows the introduction of the A-Class sedan on American shores, the first time the diminutive sedan version of the company’s front-wheel-drive city-car platform has been sold here. Until now, only the CLA and GLA-Class SUV were sold in the U.S.; if you wanted a more useful sedan version, you were out of luck.
Related: 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Ably Relieves CLA of Entry-Level Duty
We haven’t had much love for the previous CLA, finding it cramped, expensive and dynamically challenged given its springy dual-clutch transmission and thrashy four-cylinder engine. The new A-Class sedan, however, just introduced as a 2019 model, is a far cry from that original model, with its sophisticated interior, formal sedan-roof styling, punchy turbocharged engine and greatly improved transmission. The new A220 also can be optioned up with all the latest-and-greatest Mercedes-Benz technology, like the voice-controlled MBUX multimedia system, augmented reality navigation screen and much, much more.
We expect the new CLA will be identically optioned to the A-Class, but perhaps with a bit more flair in the interior color choices. It will almost certainly come with a higher price tag, as Mercedes-Benz has already appointed the A220 as the new entry-level model in U.S. showrooms. The CLA is expected to be unveiled at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
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