A-Class Sedan too boring? You’ll have to step up to the CLA.
In Mercedes’ dictionary, there’s no such thing as cannibalization. The A-Class Sedan / CLA and E-Class Sedan / CLS pairs go to show these days some automakers believe in the saying “the more, the better.” There’s also the confusingly called GT 4-Door Coupe, essentially a hardcore and more practical E63 to fight the Porsche Panamera.
In this spy video shot during an extremely foggy day we get to see a future member of Mercedes’ compact car lineup, the second-generation CLA-Class. The baby CLS catering those in need of a more stylish A-Class Sedan has less camouflage than ever before and appears to be carrying the full production body. With full-LED headlights, sunroof, and sports seats with integrated headrests, we’re probably dealing with a fancier version of the coupe-ified four-door sedan.
As it’s the case with these niche models, the sloped roofline will definitely eat into the rear headroom and we have a feeling the trunk’s cargo capacity will also have to suffer for the sake of style. Should you want to carry more stuff but the C-Class Estate is out of your price range, you’ll be happy to hear Mercedes will come out with a CLA Shooting Brake part deux.
It goes without saying virtually all of the oily bits will be taken from the A-Class Sedan, including the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine powering the A35 hot hatch with 302 hp (225 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) on tap. As a matter of fact, the CLA35 was spotted earlier this month testing as a fully disguised prototype with the same oval exhaust tips as the A35.
Eventually, there’s going to be a new CLA45 with more than 400 horsepower, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a drift-happy 4Matic all-wheel-drive system inherited from the A45 due to be unveiled in 2019.
Video: walkoARTvideos / YouTube
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