Mercedes CLA on sale now priced from £45,615
UK order books have opened for the all-new Mercedes CLA, with prices for the sleek EV starting at £45,615.
The new all-electric model is on sale now, with first customer deliveries expected in the autumn. A 48V petrol/electric hybrid will join the range later in the year.
From launch, the Mercedes CLA is available in three trim levels – Sport Edition, AMG Line Edition and AMG Line Premium Edition.
Every version gets high-end kit including a panoramic sunroof, adaptive LED headlights, heated seats, privacy glass, adaptive cruise control and a 14-inch touchscreen running the fourth generation of Mercedes’ MBUX operating system. An illuminated grille featuring 142 individually animated LED chrome-effect stars is also standard.
The £49,375 AMG Line Edition adds an AMG body kit, flush-fitting door handles and animated surround lighting. It also brings keyless entry and start with digital key compatibility, a Nappa leather finish for the steering wheel, ambient lighting and wireless phone charging. The AMG Line Premium Edition starts at £51,770 and replaces the standard 18-inch alloy wheels with 19-inch designs, adds more advanced adaptive lighting and a ‘Night Package’.
Only one powertrain is currently available, with additional battery and motor options due to join the line-up in future. For now, the CLA 250+ comes with a 268bhp motor driving the rear wheels and delivering a 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds. An 85kWh battery provides up to 484 miles of range and blisteringly fast 320kW charging. However, a lack of DC-to-DC converter means the new CLA will only work with the latest and fastest public EV chargers and is incompatible with most of the UK’s public devices.
That is due to the advanced 800V architecture which underpins the new car. The CLA is the first car built on Mercedes new MMA platform, which can support pure-EV and hybrid powertrains, and will underpin three further models in the coming years. These will include a shooting brake and two SUVs including an expected replacement for the current EQA.
Alongside cars built on the the EV/hybrid MMA platform, Mercedes is developing a range of vehicles built on dedicated EV architecture. New passenger models such as the GLC will be based on the MB.EA platform, while performance EVs such as the upcoming Porsche Taycan rival from AMG will use a heavily modified version of this, dubbed AMG.EA. Simultaneously, a new range of electric vans with use the VAN.EA platform showcased with the recent Vision V.
