M11GUL
Active Member
So after 3 months of ownership of my CLA Shooting Brake I thought I would do a quick review of how things have gone. I ordered the car after having a demo (AMG line) model for three days and found it perfectly fine to live with. It could take the child car seat and all related items need to cart daughter and wife around, it was a nice drive (even if it sounds a little agricultural) and it looked quite smart (apart from the deep cuts in the front and rear bumpers and the black gloss alloy wheels).
When Mercedes came to pick up the demo car, they had a C-Class estate with them so I took a look around inside to see if the CLA was that much smaller and to be honest, if not for the swooping roof line (which I adore) and the bucket front seats (that were very comfortable) there wasn’t that much in it. So I decided to take the plunge and place the order for the CLA SB but in Sport spec rather than the AMG line. Didn’t like the boy racer bumpers (I’m an old soul at heart), the ride was harsh and you couldn’t spec real leather as an option in any colour other than black.
I ordered the car with the mirror pack, memory pack, panoramic roof, exclusive pack with hazelnut leather, command online, reversing camera and silver 5 spoke 18” wheels all wrapped up in Mountain Grey metallic paint. Order placed on the 19th July and delivered on 3rd November.
Exterior – I must admit, I did regret not adding the LED lighting package, but overall the car looks very nice. The front halogen headlights look a bit archaic but I have learned to live with them now. The wheels on the sport are grey as standard so I’m very glad I opted for the silver finish as grey on grey is just a little too much for me! I haven’t seen many CLA SB’s on the road, but I do smile each time I see one, there goes another very crazy but unique individual like me. In terms of styling, I have found the only major differences from the Sport to the AMG Line seems to be the front bumper, lighting and wing mirror covers.
Interior – the front and surprisingly the rear seats are very comfortable. The finish added by the exclusive pack is worth every penny and the hazelnut leather looks gorgeous and really complements the grey paintwork. Although I am not a fan of the new stuck on iPads I have gotten used to it and don’t really think about it anymore. Some of the plastics on the lower dash are just about manageable however the artico upper dash trim really saves the day and makes you feel like you are in a quality space. I’m 5’11 and have found the driving position brilliant and with my settings, there is still a decent amount of room the back.
Space – the car has enough space to seat 4 adults (the middle rear seat is about the size of the swing seat at the local park) or 3 adults with the little one in the back. If you are very tall, it will hurt in the back over longer journeys but with most adults I have carted around being less than 6ft it hasn’t been a problem. The boot space is good and the rear seats fold giving you access to more space than an Astra van. We manage to fit a push chair and shopping etc in the boot no problem (and even when there is, you can just release the load cover).
Driving – I think the drive is exactly what I expected, very modern (I miss my W211). It has all the new modern electronic gizmos that make the driving hassle free but the ‘Sport’ mode livens it up a little, tightening the steering and letting you go bananas with the rev counter. The suspension is better than the test car thank God! I couldn’t imagine taking an AMG line on my regular pot holed a/b-road commute to work.
Economy – it hasn’t been anywhere near the official figures (blasphemy!) but I have been getting around 430-450 per fill up which translates to near 47mpg. That is made up of the odd motorway journey of +40 miles combined with lots of 5-15 mile journeys in-between. I’m sure this will improve as the engine wears in (or I hope so!).
The first three months have been quite enjoyable actually, and given the chance I would still order the CLA over the C estate…it makes me smile when I see it and I see very few others on the road.
When Mercedes came to pick up the demo car, they had a C-Class estate with them so I took a look around inside to see if the CLA was that much smaller and to be honest, if not for the swooping roof line (which I adore) and the bucket front seats (that were very comfortable) there wasn’t that much in it. So I decided to take the plunge and place the order for the CLA SB but in Sport spec rather than the AMG line. Didn’t like the boy racer bumpers (I’m an old soul at heart), the ride was harsh and you couldn’t spec real leather as an option in any colour other than black.
I ordered the car with the mirror pack, memory pack, panoramic roof, exclusive pack with hazelnut leather, command online, reversing camera and silver 5 spoke 18” wheels all wrapped up in Mountain Grey metallic paint. Order placed on the 19th July and delivered on 3rd November.
Exterior – I must admit, I did regret not adding the LED lighting package, but overall the car looks very nice. The front halogen headlights look a bit archaic but I have learned to live with them now. The wheels on the sport are grey as standard so I’m very glad I opted for the silver finish as grey on grey is just a little too much for me! I haven’t seen many CLA SB’s on the road, but I do smile each time I see one, there goes another very crazy but unique individual like me. In terms of styling, I have found the only major differences from the Sport to the AMG Line seems to be the front bumper, lighting and wing mirror covers.
Interior – the front and surprisingly the rear seats are very comfortable. The finish added by the exclusive pack is worth every penny and the hazelnut leather looks gorgeous and really complements the grey paintwork. Although I am not a fan of the new stuck on iPads I have gotten used to it and don’t really think about it anymore. Some of the plastics on the lower dash are just about manageable however the artico upper dash trim really saves the day and makes you feel like you are in a quality space. I’m 5’11 and have found the driving position brilliant and with my settings, there is still a decent amount of room the back.
Space – the car has enough space to seat 4 adults (the middle rear seat is about the size of the swing seat at the local park) or 3 adults with the little one in the back. If you are very tall, it will hurt in the back over longer journeys but with most adults I have carted around being less than 6ft it hasn’t been a problem. The boot space is good and the rear seats fold giving you access to more space than an Astra van. We manage to fit a push chair and shopping etc in the boot no problem (and even when there is, you can just release the load cover).
Driving – I think the drive is exactly what I expected, very modern (I miss my W211). It has all the new modern electronic gizmos that make the driving hassle free but the ‘Sport’ mode livens it up a little, tightening the steering and letting you go bananas with the rev counter. The suspension is better than the test car thank God! I couldn’t imagine taking an AMG line on my regular pot holed a/b-road commute to work.
Economy – it hasn’t been anywhere near the official figures (blasphemy!) but I have been getting around 430-450 per fill up which translates to near 47mpg. That is made up of the odd motorway journey of +40 miles combined with lots of 5-15 mile journeys in-between. I’m sure this will improve as the engine wears in (or I hope so!).
The first three months have been quite enjoyable actually, and given the chance I would still order the CLA over the C estate…it makes me smile when I see it and I see very few others on the road.
