Mercedes CLA engines, driving and performance

That kind of depends on how you drive. If you drive in a relaxed way and rarely push the limits of the car’s handling, the Mercedes CLA drives really nicely. It has a 'Mercedes'-like feel when you drive this way, with a hushed engine and a comfortable ride.

But, if you try to hustle the CLA in its sporty driving mode, you get the impression the car hasn’t been designed for this. The Sport mode pipes in some augmented engine noise that’s a bit too loud and that sounds thrashy. The seven-speed automatic gearbox in the CLA 200 petrol also hunts for gears in this drive mode, and seems to downshift a lot when you might stay in gear in a manual car.

Depending on where you drive, you might also need to watch out for the CLA’s low ground clearance – it can scrape the Tarmac at times when crossing steep kerbs.

The CLA is mostly comfortable, but it could be better. At lower speeds, the AMG Line suspension feels a bit firm, and potholes can jolt into the cabin. There’s also a surprising amount of vibration through the floor from the engine and drivetrain.

It’s more comfortable once you’re up to a steady speed, and at a cruise it’s better at ironing out the bumps.

Most buyers will be perfectly happy with either of the two petrol engines, badged CLA 180 and CLA 200. Both are versions of a 1.3-litre engine, with 136hp and 163hp respectively. They offer the same 46mpg fuel economy but the CLA 200 is slightly quicker off-the-line, and this engine does feel fairly quick. If that’s not enough, there’s also a CLA 250 petrol that hits 0-62mph in a hot hatch-rivalling 6.3 seconds.

If you’re planning to rack up lots of miles in your CLA – perhaps more than 10,000 a year – then you may save money by choosing the CLA 220d diesel. It’s capable of 56mpg, yet is quicker than the CLA 200 petrol, so its on-paper figures are strong. You’ll just need to do semi-regular long journeys to avoid DPF issues and you may need to fill up with AdBlue from time to time.

A plug-in hybrid engine, badged CLA 250e, is available alongside the conventional petrol and diesel engines. This packs in a 10.6kWh battery alongside the 1.3-litre petrol engine, enabling you to switch between the power sources at a whim. With a full battery, the 250e can travel up to 40 miles without using a drop of fuel, and you can choose to save the battery power for later in the journey.

There isn’t a slow CLA in the lineup – even the 180 petrol offers very respectable acceleration. The 0-62mph run takes nine seconds in this model. The extra power of the CLA 200 reduces this to 8.2 seconds, before you get to the rare (and now discontinued) CLA 250 petrol, which knocks another two seconds off the time. The diesel and hybrid engines achieve the same benchmark in around seven seconds.

But, if performance is a key priority, you need to find one of the AMG versions. The Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 and CLA 45 S come with a powerful 2.0-litre petrol engine, boosted to 306hp and 421hp respectively, and both get four-wheel drive for surefooted grip. You’ll hit 62mph from a standstill in just 4.9 seconds in the CLA 35, and in a scant four seconds dead for the fire-breathing CLA 45 S.