2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited September 2014 in Mercedes-Benz

image2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Long-Term Road Test

We ask the readers if they think the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS250 is handsome?

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Comments

  • jeepsrtjeepsrt Member Posts: 88
    I'm wouldn't buy white, but I do like the look of the CLA.
  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    Its not a bad looking car, but not great. There's some bulges in the front fascia, and the rear (look at the trunk lid area) isn't exactly the most gracious execution of the sloping roof line. Its almost like they tried to stick some good looking elements on the car, instead of the car being overall well-proportioned with good lines.
  • jps429jps429 Member Posts: 8
    It can be a handsome car when optioned correctly.... In my opinion, the color & wheel combination you chose looks horrible.

    Add that to the lack of Bi-Xenon Headlights and you have one of the cheapest looking CLA's in LA even though it is close to loaded inside!
  • glossgloss Member Posts: 150
    I think the car looks great in person.
  • duck87duck87 Member Posts: 649
    The car in general looks great. Front especially, but the rear is a bit too busy/melted looking. It's just not "conservatively handsome" in the traditional MB sense with their larger sedans. The main thing that kills this car for me is the pedestrian chassis and powertrain.
  • bvc500bvc500 Member Posts: 0
    I thought the concept (in hatchback form) was better looking, especially the headlights. They are just too big on the production car. While its not a bad design, I don't really like it.
  • mercedesfanmercedesfan Member Posts: 365
    I HATED the look of the CLA when I first saw pictures of it. However, as I've started to see them around on the road my opinion has almost done a 180. I still think the rear could be better executed, but overall I think it looks pretty good. If nothing else, it looks a lot more expensive than it really is.
  • vvkvvk Member Posts: 196
    This car looks better in other colors. Black and red come to mind.
  • charizard1charizard1 Member Posts: 4
    Most cars look better in person than in pics or commercials. This car was the opposite for me. When I saw pics of it, I thought it looked pretty cool until I saw it at my local Mercedes dealer. It looks way too small and stubby. It also looks really narrow and tall when looking at it straight from the front. I was disappointed when I first saw it and test drove it.

    I agree with others in that you guys picked a horrible combo for your car. Yours looks cheap and ugly. It might have been a little better with bi-xenon headlights, sport package, and darker color.
  • ahightowerahightower Member Posts: 539
    The white is boring as heck, and the overall styling is awkward and strange.
  • tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    I don't mind the color, but again, the car is too dull for my tastes without the sports package. I'm with charizard1, I was unimpressed when I saw it in person. He point about it appearing too narrow is spot on. It doesn't look agressive enough for my tastes.
  • gslippygslippy Member Posts: 514
    It's nice-looking. I just don't like the poor integration of the nav system. I drive a white car now (my 5th over time), so I like the color.
  • bc1960bc1960 Member Posts: 171
    I like it in the blue-grey and dark purple, provided it doesn't have the optional lip spoiler which alters the smooth curve of the deck lid.
  • stovt001_stovt001_ Member Posts: 799
    I think it looks good, better than the stubby A3 and 1/2 Series. But I might just be bitter that we don't get the far superior hatchback versions of those cars.
  • boff_boff_ Member Posts: 51
    Looks good in pix but I have yet to see one on the street. I generally dislike cars in white (except for old 911's) so...
  • arcticbluetsxarcticbluetsx Member Posts: 79
    Oh no!! We forgot to put a screen in the interior! Oh well, we'll just stick it here. Sure, that looks fine, I suppose...
  • agentorangeagentorange Member Posts: 893
    Who would know what the car looks like from such a low angle shot with half of it blurry. This is the view a cockroach with cataracts would get. In general I like white cars but the squashed coupe shape of the CLS did not work for me when I saw one at a dealership. It looked like a beached whale bleaching in the Sun. I'll have to see the CLA in person before I decide if it is similarly afflicted.
  • noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    looks like an albino baby piglet
  • noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    looks like an albino baby piglet
  • cx7lovercx7lover Member Posts: 90
    You all forgot to check off the most important option. The upgraded 18" wheels and the Bi-Xenon headlights!

    The CLA how I want it is roughly 36K and these two options are only about $2,000 total.
  • ruckusriderruckusrider Member Posts: 9
    Handsome, but white is one of the last colors I would choose for the CLA.
  • thedream32thedream32 Member Posts: 5
    Nope, not handsome to me. It's not Pontiac Aztec awful mind you, but it's certainly not even as pretty as a Mazda 6. For some reason, the look just SCREAMS front-wheel drive. White isn't bad, though I'm not sure there's a color that would improve the looks for me.

    No complaints on the interior design though :) I like that a lot!

    The forthcoming S3 is far far a better looking car.
  • bassrockerxbassrockerx Member Posts: 24
    i think it looks great you won't find much love for mercedes (especially the "run of the mill" models) on enthusiast websites because most gearheads are so brand biased to bmw or audi. compared to 30k sedans it looks better than the closest competitor i can think of the VW CC and it looks modern without also looking bulky a rare combination.
  • birdsmellfunnybirdsmellfunny Member Posts: 0
    I know I'm probably alone on this (styling is subjective) but I like it without giant wheels or the sports package. It's not a particularly sporty car so I think making it look like one is kind of poseur-ish. That said, I think it would look better in a metallic paint color and the front overhang seems pretty bulbous from some angles.
  • creddcredd Member Posts: 6
    Striking similar to the Passat Coupe. I can't wait to see how this car under delivers and overcharges for what is just another FWD sedan.
  • shepskishepski Member Posts: 45
    I can't stand the styling direction that Mercedes has been taking, and believe the CLA to be the worst example thereof yet (LOL at "albino baby piglet"). Before I'd ever seen a pic, I passed one on the highway and had a near gag-inducing "WTF?!" moment (the "melted"/squashed rear just looked all wrong). I subsequently did a search and found it to look quite appealing in pics (and so agree with the earlier post about it being the rare car that looks better in pics than in person). Since my first encounter, I've seen plenty and now don't mind it as much. Meanwhile, I actually really dig the interior (at least from the pics I've seen), tack-on NAV screen notwithstanding.
  • hybrishybris Member Posts: 365
    The front end looks "Mopey" to me with the front end that narrows down a bit too sharply and the over size MB logo grill. Remove the grill and give it a different design that's more lower key and put a proper MB hood ornament on it and you will be going on the right direction.
  • iodeiode Member Posts: 5
    The options you chose seem to not do the car justice. My takeaway price was similar to yours, I have Pano roof, Bixenons, cirrus white, premium/multimedia pkg. Honestly, white is one of the best looking colors for the car, especially with the black/white color contrast with the panoramic roof. Also, tsk for not getting the bixenon light package.
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