Mercedes-Benz CLA - long-term report

My neighbours are used to my cars coming and going like Prime Ministers, but may have wondered what I was doing sat inside this new Mercedes CLA for so long, apparently high as a kite on new-Benz-smell.

I was deep in the set-up process, prodding and scrolling, signing in here and downloading there. Such is the ‘connectedness’ of a modern EV, the idea of simply climbing in, pushing the chair back to where I like it and driving off is quaintly ridiculous.

The CLA is made of screens inside. It doesn’t have a dashboard as such – instead there’s a towering cliff face, a Mount Rushmore of Screen Overlords. The 10.25in display for the driver showing speed, range and trip data, is joined by a main 14in infotainment screen, and in this AMG Premium Plus version, a second identically massive screen for the passenger to completely ignore while they concentrate on their smartphone.

Off I ventured into the submenus to accomplish day-one tasks like saving my seat position, favouriting radio stations and curating the Vegas strip-shaming ambient lighting.

Then, the screens beamed out the QR code to link the car to my phone’s shiny new Mercedes-Benz app, which on first impression appears more stable and useful than similar companion apps from the likes of Mini, Toyota and MG I’ve all lived with recently.

This is what interests me about the CLA, and why I’ll be spending around the summer in this Sapphire Blue (£795) example. Can we learn to get along?

This is an electric car where range isn’t part of the conversation – Mercedes claims 452 miles, and real-world, in summer, it’s good for over 350. I shouldn’t have to bother with the hit and miss public charging network which spoiled life with other EVs. And if I’m caught short, the Merc has an app for that. Sniffing out rapid chargers, filtering by how many are available in real time, automatically factoring their location into my journey routing. Effort from me? Zero.

But it is a hugely tech-first car. It has touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons and a prominent driver-spying camera atop the dash. It offers downloadable subscriptions, widescreen video streaming and games galore. It tells me it wants to minutely adjust my carefully positioned seat as I drive along to stave off aches and fatigue. I’m only 34 for God’s sake.

And all that’s… not really me. I like more buttons than a Nineties Japanese stereo. I loathe touchscreen-dominated cars. My mirth at Volkswagen having to put the old Golf’s steering wheel back in the new Golf because its haptic controls were so flawed was limitless.

So I’ve already switched off the CLA’s horrid illuminated front grille, because it’s more vulgar than a plastic chandelier and the scowls from pedestrians were embarrassing. I’ve disabled the automatic re-gen braking which decelerates like a learner driver with a wooden leg, and I’ve gone back to stopping the old-fashioned way. A rare case of a human wrestling back a job from AI for you there.

So let’s see what happens when a reluctant-adopter of tech and a screen sceptic and lives with what is very possibly the single most technology-filled four-door saloon car you can buy for less than £50,000.

Other first impressions? I’m immediately knocking on the door of 4 miles per kWh, which is excellent efficiency. I like that the front boot – where the charging cable lives to avoid clogging up the actual boot – doesn’t need a second fumblesome latch to unlock the bonnet. All cars should do this.

And although the CLA’s multiplex interior looks horrendously plasticky in photographs, it’s of a higher quality than expected. Mercedes has cleverly stolen in where Audi cheaped out, and used metal where you touch often – the door handles, the window switches, the volume roller, even the button which unlocked the armrest cubby. That goes a long way to making this entry-level Merc feel like a premium object. Much more than stacks of screens do, at any rate…