Video: 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

But it's surprisingly practical and gets great mileage. But it doesn't mean the con side of the ledger is completely empty. Let's talk about those looks. This thumb nose front end and a drooping rear make the CLA look like a short car. But in reality, it's an inch and a half longer than Mercedes C class. Interior room is pretty similar too. And believe it or not, the trunk is even bigger in the CLA. But those are just numbers on the spec sheet. How do people really fit inside this coop-like sedan? Let's check it out. Up front most people have plenty of room to be comfortable. None of our editors, even those taller than me complained about space up here. Now there's something unusual about the front passenger seats position. Namely that your feet rest against the firewall. So it's a little strange. Just getting into the back seat of the CLA is a bit of an adventure. You don't want to hit your head there, that's for sure. But you can see here, I have plenty of knee room and this has the driver's seat exactly where I had it when I was driving. Now, I'm five foot ten. So if you're much taller than that it might be a little more cramped back here. And you can see too, there's not a ton of headroom for me right now. But this car is equipped with a panoramic sunroof, which looks great, but it takes away a whopping 1.4 inches of headroom back here. And I tested one without the panoramic sunroof. And I can tell you it's much roomier. But this is a backseat of a small sedan. It just needs to be big enough. And the CLA does a job. 208 horsepower might not sound powerful enough either. That's another number that can be deceiving. This is an all new engine for Mercedes. It's a 2 liter turbocharged, 4 cylinder. And that 4 cylinder puts out 258 pound feet of torque, which is more than competitive for the class. And around town driving, you're not going to notice any lack of power. But it certainly isn't for speed freaks. But Mercedes isn't forgetting performance fans either. There's a hot rod version of the CLA called the CLA 45 AMG. It actually takes the same 2.0 liter engine and transforms it, million dollar man style, into a 335 horsepower, 332 pound feet of torque, all wheel drive performance machine. The CLA 250 we have here is standard with front wheel drive. All wheel drive will be an option on it, but it won't be out until 2014. But it does have a stunning performance number of its own. It gets 38 miles per gallon on the highway, and that is far beyond the competition, like Audi's A4, Acura's ILX or the Cadillac ATS. Those mileage numbers are thanks to the 7 speed, automatic transmission, some weight saving technology, and an automatic start/stop function. In my own testing, it returned excellent results. However, you're going to need some excellent gas. Premium is required. And you better be happy about those mileage numbers because the CLS ride is really firm. You can tell this car was developed for European tastes, not American ones. If you've heard anything about the CLA, it's probably the price. Mercedes has spent a ton of money, funny enough, advertising a starting price under $30,000 before destination. And that includes some decent standard features like Bluetooth, and powered front seats, for both front seats. But most shoppers they're going to want expected convenience features like navigation, and upgraded stereo, and iPod integration. All those things cost extra, which brings the price tag around $35,000. Which when you look at it, it's still pretty competitive versus the rest of the class. And tier quality is another question mark people might have about a cheap Mercedes And while the interior isn't as opulent as an S-Class, it is right in line with the class that it competes in at this price. There are also some clever touches inside. Like these circular air vents that are styled after Mercedes SLS AMG supercar. They look great. The plastics and stitching inside are also really well done. You could come up with the most comprehensive pro and con list possible, and it's still not going to help you make up your mind about the CLA, because while that ride might be really firm it's price, and these looks, they're going to sway a lot of people