Video: 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

om and this slick little sedan behind me is Mercedes latest attempt at an entry-level car, the CLA class. You're already staring at its biggest pro. It looks great, 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's 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. Upfront, most people have plenty of room to be comfortable. None of our editors, even those taller than me, complained about the 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 wanna 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 10, so if you're much taller than that you might be a little more cramped back here. And you can see too, there's not a ton of head room 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 head room 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 the job. 208 horsepower might not sound powerful enough either, but that's another number that can be deceiving. This is an all new engine for Mercedes. It's a two liter turbocharged, four cylinder, and that four cylinder puts out 258 pound feet of torque, which is more than competitive for the class. And around town driving, you're not gonna 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 seven speed, automatic transmission, some weight saving technology and an automatic start, stop function. In my own testing, it returned excellent results. However, you're gonna need some excellent gas, premium is required. And you better be happy about those mileage numbers because the CLA's 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 gonna 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, is still pretty competitive versus the rest of the class. Interior 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. They're styled after Mercedes SLS AMG super car. 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 gonna 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 gonna sway a lot of people. (engine revving)