2026 Mercedes CLA review: 143 reasons to want one

[SINGAPORE] Job One for any new Mercedes-Benz is to encourage condo security guards to glower less balefully at you, and I daresay the CLA 200 AMG Line Sport nailed it. As the barrier lifted, the man in the booth gave me a look suggesting he’d decided that I wasn’t there to cart off a 65-inch TV and some diamond earrings, after all.

Like it or not, the three-pointed star is as much social flex as car badge, and the new CLA wears it like it’s going out of style. I counted 130 stars on the grille, with the large central emblem presiding over the lot like a chairman at a board meeting. There’s another on the top edge of the nose, plus two more worked into the headlight elements for good measure.

You almost suspect the CLA of feeling insecure about being the brand’s cheapest four-door, except that every new Mercedes is similarly festooned with the emblem these days.

Mind you, cheapness is relative. The new CLA comes with either hybrid or pure electric power and, for now, the range kicks off at S$273,888 with a Category A Certificate Of Entitlement (COE) for the most basic CLA 180 Progressive. I can remember when CLAs cost half as much.

The hybrids all pair a 1.5-litre turbo engine with a small electric motor, and the priciest, most powerful one here is currently the CLA 200 AMG Line Sport you see on this page, which costs S$297,888 with a Category B COE.

The hybrid system deserves a proper mention, because it’s not there for window dressing. The air-con compressor runs on electricity, meaning cold air keeps flowing when the engine cuts out at a red light, something you can’t say of mild hybrids.

You can also run on electric power alone at speeds up to 100 kmh, which gives you a fighting chance of achieving the claimed fuel consumption figure of 5.1 litres per 100 km (the nearest I came on a given drive was 5.4 L/100 km, which is probably the most respectable thing I’ve done all year).

It’s worth mentioning, too, that you don’t plug the Mercedes in, for the small battery tops itself up through braking.

Despite the tiny engine, the CLA 200 is decently quick. You can chivvy it to 100 kmh in 8 seconds flat, and there’s a noticeable surge of electric assistance from low speeds. The engine isn’t as smooth as you might hope and the gearbox clunks occasionally, so the electric CLAs are the ones to go for if refinement is a priority.

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I’d call the handling well-balanced and composed, but the CLA has grown too large to feel agile (it’s now the size of the previous C-Class) and it offers little steering feel to speak of. The ride, however, is much improved. It’s still firm, but it’s compliant enough for daily use and, while it’s still no Maybach limo in the back, you have noticeably more room than before and perch less upright.

A glass roof lets light pour in, which adds a sense of airy spaciousness. There’s no sunshade, but the glass has a coating that keeps out heat. Every brand says that, but Mercedes actually meant it, so my scalp didn’t feel like it was in a toaster even on the most sweltering day.

The AMG Line Sport trim adds some racing bucket-style seats and a sporty steering wheel wrapped in perforated leather, but the cabin’s headline act is the MBUX Superscreen, a sweep of glass housing three displays – 10.25 inches for the driver, 14 inches for the central touchscreen, and a 14-inch screen for the front passenger (which the test car didn’t have, but customer cars will).

The system runs on Mercedes’ new MB.OS software, which is gorgeous and smartphone-like, and integrates ChatGPT, Google and Microsoft Bing into a voice assistant that you might actually want to use. It gave me decent restaurant suggestions, for example, and satisfied my curiosity about various random thoughts, such as whether mathematics was invented or discovered.

I found the cabin materials less impressive. Hard plastics, a glovebox that flops open inelegantly, cheap toggle switches for the rear windows and an absence of Jesus handles all suggest some serious penny-pinching at Mercedes HQ.

There’s a price to pay for the CLA’s sleek, cigar-shaped silhouette, too. The boot, at 405 litres, is 55 litres smaller than before, and it has a high sill that turns unloading the car into a mini workout.

But usefulness obviously isn’t the point of a CLA, since cars far more practical can be bought for far less money. Even in humble CLA 180 guise, this is an object of desire that lets the world know you could afford to blow a big sum on a small car. People want one for at least 134 reasons, all on the front of the car.

Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 AMG Line Sport Engine 1,499 cc, in-line four turbocharged Engine power 163 hp at 5,500 rpm Engine torque 250 Nm at 1,750 to 4,000 rpm Motor power 27 hp System power 163 hp Gearbox 8-speed twin-clutch automatic Top speed 232 kmh 0-100 kmh 8 seconds Fuel efficiency 5.1 L/100 km Agent Cycle & Carriage Singapore Price S$297,888 with COE Available Now