2026 Mercedes CLA.
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Mercedes finally unveiled the production version of the 2023 CLA concept. And of course, when compared to the concept, the production model is missing a few things. Especially, something called “personality”.
No matter how many little “Mercedes Star” logos you add everywhere, it never makes up for a total lack of personality in the design. The CLA concept was very modern and quite refreshing. A very dynamic take on the small modern Mercedes sedan idea. Instead, the production car does not look like a 4 door version of the CLE coupe we saw last year. A 4 door CLE with a really weird front end.
Which is really too bad.
The 2026 Mercedes CLA interior seems to have survived the translation to production a little bit better. The main design theme of the concept is still there. However, the dash is not very “thick” in order to fit even larger screens. Which again looks pretty heavy-handed when compared to the concept. However, none of the buyers will ever remember that concept car anyway.
And, while the door panel designs are very nice and modern, that gold console in the tan interior is just ghastly.
The CLA is now longer than ever, and even longer than the previous Mercedes C-Class. And for some reason, the rear seat is even less roomy than the current model. And the small trunk is also smaller than before! Which is just ridiculous, especially in a car available as an EV.
Those who complain about a small 4-cylinder engine in an expensive Mercedes should stay away from the new CLA. As the base model is powered by a really small 1.5 Liter Turbo engine
The EV trim starts with an RWD version with 268 HP and an impressive 492-mile range in the local European test cycle. The AWD trim with 349HP gets a 479-mile range.
While the sedan will come to the US later this year, the sleek upcoming wagon will not. The gas model with its 1.5 Liter engine will come over here next year.
No one knows how much the new CLA will cost yet, of course. the current model started at around $45,000 in the US, and the new one will probably not be cheaper. Especially the EV.
This was described a while ago as a Tesla Model 3 killer, of course. But it seems the CLA will end up being at least $15,000 more than the Model 3. It seems Mercedes, despite claims to the opposite, just didn’t re-invent the CLA, and they should have. The new one looks worse than the current car in my uninformed and non-professional opinion.
It’s just a clumsier-looking version of the current CLA with an EV option. Adding an electric powertrain to an unpopular car doesn’t really seem like a huge step forward…
What a complete mess. What the hell were they thinking??
How incredibly disappointing. After all the hype, we basically get a refreshed EQ, which everyone hates. It wasn’t just the silhouette of the EQs that were bad, it was everything. And this takes 75% of the EQ design language. They just made it worse with all the tacky light logos.
And WTF is that interior. It looks like a pickup truck from the 90s, having the dash just flat in your face at a 90 degree angle. Even the rectangle air vents look like it’s from the 90s
SO MAD. I was planning on buying this when it came out, but definitely crossing it off my list now. Think I’m going for the Genesis GV70 EV instead
You have to be a special kind of stupid to buy a German electric vehicle, they have some of the worst electronic systems in industry not to mention zero supercharging infrastructure like Tesla