Your 2014
Mercedes CLA 250 could be the latest arrival in TCC's storage area, and for the next four weeks we'll be studying whatever you get for your $30, 000 entry price.
To do of which, we'll first put the CLA 250 in certain better context. There are remarkably few direct competitors for the CLA, and in portion, that's on purpose. Mercedes pushed the CLA high on its priority list specially to outflank Audi and also BMW, as they work towards bringing new compact sedans to sell. It's in a niche, then, with some German vehicles that don't directly lineup against it in entire body styles or drivetrains--and against a few other cars that are more away from skew, in terms associated with price or packaging or maybe brand luster.
So, what cars do we place in the competitive pool, and how does the CLA compare using those other choices throughout its price and sizing class?
Let's start using some home turf, and with the BMW 1-Series, containing been on sale in the U. S. for many years. It's a bit of a mismatch: the 1-Series could be the smallest BMW (until the particular electric i3 arrives), however it's rear-wheel drive, and offered only in two-door coupe and also convertible body styles over the 2013 model year. Part sports vehicle, part small luxury coupe, the particular 1-Series puts handling earlier mentioned everything else--including value and also interior space, and at times, that's okay. Looking in advance, there's a replacement with the 1-Series due soon, but we're betting it can be dubbed a 2-Series through the time it arrives.
Next up could be the Audi A3, which includes turbo-four and turbodiesel machines, but comes only in the five-door hatchwagon body style--for right now. It's aged well, and still is a versatile and sporty choice proper that can afford to spend a little on respect. Soon, though, we'll end up being driving the 2015 Audi A3 and also S3--which will arrive beginning in 2014 as four-door sedans, the primary real direct challenge for the CLA 250.
There are a few early arrivals within this segment, sedans that come from America and Asia. If you're amenable with a front-drive Mercedes, you just might end up being amenable to a "premium" or perhaps a mainstream brand, if the car's suitable. Right?
We might give pause for the 2014 Acura ILX. It is just a more luxurious version with the Honda Civic, and shares that car's drivetrains as well as other underpinnings. Performance is lackluster in the ILX, and its skimpy again seat isn't vastly much better than that in the CLA. It's balanced regarding performance, and comfort beforehand is good, but should you be seeking true sport-sedan reflexes, find on.
The most fascinating counterpoint for the CLA is the 2014 Buick Verano. The Verano's been around since 2012, but the idea only truly arrived while it adopted its turbocharged four-cylinder. It is just a remarkably quiet, composed, peaceful four-door, especially in relief against the CLA 250. It moves upscale, without bowing to sport-sedan cliches, and we're convinced there's a place for that.
But in the opposite end of the particular CLA's competitive set, we're going to put the 2014 Mazda 3. It is just a compelling piece of style, for starters, and its handling is well approximately snuff, actually more relaxed compared to the CLA's--for about $5, 000 less fully equipped compared to the base CLA. Badge-conscious status-ticians may perhaps sneer, but the Mazda 3 offers much to endorse, in on the same footprint as the stream-lined Mercedes
.