2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds conducts a long-term test of a 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 and discovers some electronic quirks pertaining to its drivetrain.

Read the full story here

zimtheinvader

I still say it is funny that now that you rarely have to ever do a ctr-alt-del reboot on a PC cars are starting to require it.

blueprint1

FGC!

mercedesfan

@zimtheinvader, Yes, but ctrl-alt-delete worked because the freezes/glitches were simply operating system errors. This kind of issue is likely not software related. This is electrical. I was ready to forgive the COMAND error as the fluke it normally is, b

reminder

My old Gremlin never had these kind of issues. No software required.
Had to pop the hood to turn a valve to get the hot water to enter the heater core though.

allthingshonda

In another post someone said that you can't expect a Mercedes to have the reliability of a Camcord. Why? Lexus does it everyday. Before the Lexus LS400 hit the market Mercedes was the symbol of a well built car. A Teutonic Tank was a term used to describe a Benz. Lexus destroyed all of that. They proved that you can have an ultra luxury car with Toyota reliability.

cx7lover

The CLA250 has lots of issues, it's not specific to this CLA. That sucks because it's such a beautiful, but filled with bugs and not enough R&D. Definitely going to hamper sales after 2 years or so.

cx7lover

Apparently however, it's related to the throttle.

natt_

Thanks God my CLA still has none of these issues except interior squeaks here and there.

fordson1

I'm thinking the wiring harness repair the dealer did earlier on maybe was not done exactly right...and allthingshonda, I spent half the day yesterday replacing struts on my 2007 Sienna with 93k on it, and finding BOTH front springs broken. All four original wheels are perfect, no suspension damage to indicate impact. I have had many German cars and never had a broken spring before.

mercedesfan

@allthinshonda, Benzes are still very much Teutonic tanks and Lexus only wishes they could build cars as structurally sound as Audi, BMW, & MB do. However, Lexus has far more reliable electrical systems because they practice trailing-edge engineering.

banhugh

Just take it to the dealer. I'm sure they have plenty of tape from last time to fix this issue too!

nagant

"However, Lexus has far more reliable electrical systems because they practice trailing-edge engineering. The Germans push the envelope and innovate, but the trade off is less development time and more issues. Lexus is content to take things the Germans have already created and perfect them."

Complete BS. Nice try. German engineering making things over complicated is the problem. Making a reliable electrical circuit is not "trailing edge"....its good engineering. TRUE superior engineering is making something simple and easy to repair while giving the same or better service as something more complicated, period. That is the fall back position of a German apologist and its getting really stale. This is not a modern thing either.....many ignorant people have equated complexity with "superior" engineering. Of course internet "journalism" has helped keep this stereotype alive.

German engineering is different, not better.

mercedesfan

@nagant, You are arguing against a position I never made. I never said German engineering was superior. I said German engineering was more cutting edge. Things are always over-complicated before the design gets iterated, simplified, and standardized. You

banhugh

@mercedesfan: How is that relevant to the cruise control issue? Don't tell me that Germans are so focused in "advanced" engineering that they still haven't sorted out the cruise control...

mercedesfan

@banhugh, Firstly, this isn't a "cruise control issue". This is a wiring issue. This CLA uses a completely traditional form of cruise control. It isn't even a system manufactured by MB, but rather comes from Bosch and has been in use for more th

allthingshonda

German engineering is not cutting edge. Lexus introduced the first hybrid luxury car the LS 400H in 2006. I don't think the Germans have done anything that complicated and cutting edge in decades. And BTW, they made it as reliable as a Prius. Oh yea the Prius, introduced in 1997 as the world's first gasoline electric hybrid. The excuse that the Germans have reliability problems because they use cutting edge technology is tired and old. In 1997 Toyota introduced a propulsion system that never existed before and made it as reliable as the old internal combustion engine. 2014 and Mercedes still can get basic electrical wiring right.

allthingshonda

And BTW, in 1995 Mitsubishi was first with adaptive cruise control on the Japanese market Diamante.

duck87

I said that I don't expect a German car to be as reliable as a typical camcord, because they're more complex. Even your typical Lexus ES isn't on the level of a BMW 335i (turbocharged 4-banger with valvetronic and associated emissions and water cooling systems). A V6 in comparison is a proven, reliable mechanism. And for Germans, unreliability seems to be endemic and therefore I don't have many expectations.

But I do have a threshold for tolerance. If something repeatedly crops up after multiple attempts to fix, or even worse, a "strand" situation, then the issues are unacceptable. These electrical issues is now starting to reach that level.

I'm still waiting for an apology from the poster who thinks commenters here are simply unintelligent bashers.

mercedesfan

@allthingshonda, The LS600h is probably the most overrated car of the last 15 years. Its hybrid system employed no complexity that wasn't already available on a Prius. That is no advancement, it is simply applying a proven technology to a new vehicle (tha

mercedesfan

@allthingshonda, Also, the Mitsubishi Diamante's "adaptive" cruise control was extremely primitive and only wins the crown of first to market. Daimler and its partners first began working on adaptive cruise control in the early 1990s. It didn't

nagant

So in other words, German car makers only care about being first to the market with something and not caring about quality. I can accept that. What I cant accept is people defending them for doing it. You do know that the Germans are first in everything automotive right? in 71 Ford built an experimental airbag fleet, in 73 GM built them for Government cars, then the Toronado got them in 73 (the first car avail to the public) then in mid 70s buicks as well. And in 1970 Continentals had rear anti lock brakes and 71 Imperials had them. So lets not pretend that Germans make breakthroughs on everything. The auto industry is so inter-connected now there are few true "breakthroughs".

mercedesfan

@nagant, Again, never made the argument that the German's make breakthroughs in everything. I never even made the argument that they make the most significant breakthroughs (I actually think the American and Japanese auto industries are far more influenti