Mercedes CLA saloon (2013-2019) - Interior & comfort
Mercedes CLA interior and equipment levels are slightly disappointing
Mercedes CLA dashboard
Based on the same platform as the Mercedes A-Class, the CLA gets a similar interior finish, along with the large seven-inch tablet-style screen mounted on the dashboard to control functions such as the stereo and even apps from your smartphone.
The air vents are stylish and a textured leather multifunction steering wheel adds to the upmarket feel. The only problem comes when you examine the interior a bit more closely, as there are a few hard plastics dotted around, meaning the overall quality of the finish isn't quite up the high standard you get in the Audi A3 Saloon. Nevertheless, the interior of the CLA is still very smart and the cabin is well insulated from road and wind noise.
Mercedes offers an ‘Exclusive Package’ that costs around £2,000 and adds luxurious features such as heated seats, leather trim with contrasting stitching and aluminium embellishments to the interior of Sport models. This pack and/or some of the other options do make the inside of the car very comfortable and stylish, but they can also result in a very expensive CLA.
Equipment
Prices for the CLA start at just over £26,000, although this will only get you the entry-level CLA 180 model and the most basic specification. Equipment is a little sparse in this version given the expectations attached to cars with the Mercedes badge, so it’s likely you’ll want to add a few items from the options list.
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There are two trim levels for the range, called Sport and AMG Line, with the AMG CLA 45 effectively sitting on its own in terms of standard equipment.
Standard kit on Sport models includes 18-inch alloy wheels, parking assistance, fuel-saving stop-start technology, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, sports seats, a seven-inch screen, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, cruise control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ambient interior lighting and man-made Artico leather upholstery.
Moving up to the AMG Line trim adds AMG alloy wheels, bright LED headlights, LED rear lights, tinted windows, sports suspension, upgraded upholstery and a more aggressive bodykit.
The Exclusive Package is available on Sport models and adds a selection of luxurious kit, while the AMG Exclusive Package is available on AMG Line models and adds the heated seats from the Exclusive Package, plus sporty touches such as black leather upholstery with contrasting red detailing.
The AMG CLA 45 comes with all the equipment on the AMG Line, plus lots of sporty AMG extras, including a bodykit, sports seats, AMG instrument cluster and model-specific alloy wheels.
Options
Optional equipment includes a panoramic sunroof, a reversing camera, a surround-sound stereo, blind-spot and lane-keeping assistance, metallic paint, alternative alloy wheel designs, sat-nav, DAB digital radio and a larger eight-inch dashboard screen.
Mercedes offers a lot of its options as part of combined packages, including a Lane Tracking package and Driving Assistance package which comprise extra safety equipment such as blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance and a system that keeps a safe distance to the car in front and will stop you if it senses a potential problem up ahead.
