BSO

So took my Merc SUV in for a recall and picked up a 2020 AMG CLA35 loaner.

The engine/trans combo has good pep off the line, however, the gas pedal is numb for the first inch of travel, then the power comes on abruptly. For a sedan, the ride is worse than the 911, could be a function of the tire pressure @41/33. Lower pressure than recommended would probably help.

The body shape is OK, some weird protrusions on the rear bumper ruin the look in the back.

The interior and controls are way overdone, shiny piano black/chrome everywhere which gets grimy easily, plainly shows dirt, dust and smudges. The instrument panel and controls are located on large screen controlled by three touch pads, it's overly complex and too layered.

Materials aren't great, flimsy plastic door panels easily flex, resulting in interior buzzes and rattles. Just 3500 miles on the odometer.

At 55k miles my '13 Merc is quieter, has better interior fit/finish and a more solid feel.

When you can drive cars back to back, you really see/feel the differences, Porsche build quality is plain to see.

I'll be glad to see the back of this loaner and jump back into the 911.

snake eyes

When I bring my 911 in I always get a Cayman S... so it’s not that bad.
surprised they didn’t give you a porsche.

Guards_Red_991

Interesting review, thank you. I felt the same way when I was given a 2021 Cayenne S as a loaner, it felt very Volkswagen Atlas except for the massive power. Sticker price was $92K, no thanks.

Quadcammer

You must be joking. A cla is like a 35k car. Are you really comparing that to a $90k 911. Go look at a mercedes gts and you might change your mind about how superior porsche is

Rudyr

Not a MB expert, but isn't the C-class pretty low-tier in terms of material grades used vs. E/S classes? Every MB owner I know has told me to always get the E as the vest "value" and to avoid the C at all costs.

Quadcammer

Not even a c, but the even lower cla model. Its one step above the total pos a class

Pmorritt

Disagree. All the MBZ have a numb initial feel first inch of gas peddle, been like that forever. Then, my wife recently got a 2020 C300 cab. Fit and finish is classy, bells and whistles galore and the rear seat (2 place with center console) has as much room as as the newer E class. Its no 991 but certainly for 60k a nice car.

Guards_Red_991

I believe all manufacturers are going the same way in order to save costs. The amount of VW parts in a Cayenne is ridiculous, and I'm not referring to hidden parts, I'm referring to clearly visible parts.

The same could be said about our beloved 911s, just look at the cheaper Boxter/Cayman/718 siblings.

BSO

Don’t kill the messenger.

My thoughts and impressions were of the CLA, whatever its price is, it’s not well put together.

That MB makes more expensive and maybe better models is no excuse for the CLAs faults.

Not knocking MB, my diesel ‘13 ML 350 SUV mentioned in my opening post is rock solid and very well built, and its cost was close to the CLA's MSRP. Quality vehicle I’ll keep for more than the eight years I’ve owned it.

Also own a Sprinter-based RV that runs great and built sturdily. No complaints.

Bottom line, driving the CLA did make me miss the 911.

ducktails

Situation today is not quite as 'bad' as the 986/996 generation -- I prefer to think that the 718 has 911 parts vs. the 911 has 718 parts
I'm sure both have a lot of VW stuff hidden away in them...

Re: the OP it's sad to say, but the CLA appears to have been a huge sales success with the unfortunate side effect of lowering the bar for Mercedes quality, and BMW has to a large extent been following suit. This is all while brands like Genesis are smashing it in terms of refinement and quality.

darylbowden

I haven't driven the CLA35, but years ago I had the first-gen CLA45 (the true AMG engine). That car, which I think stickered at 50k with a full leather interior, sport exhaust, etc (so about half of a similar-year 911) was incredibly fun. That engine was a marvel. It was a 2.0l turbo 4 that put out 300hp to all 4 wheels. You could 4 wheel drift it quite easily and it freely revved like few cars I've driven.

Now, I would never compare it to a 911 as they are completely different cars, but that car was super fun, especially at that price point. I did at one point get a CLA (non-AMG) loaner and that car was pretty sad and anemic (plasticky interior, no pep) but it was also like a 32k car.

dd356

My favorite MB to drive is hands down the 2006 Cls55 with the supercharger. I've tucked it away for many years as i cannot bring myself to sell it. Much different car than my GTS, but for a sedan it's simply a wonderful performing car for a 4 door.. MB has long since ruined the body styling on the new models, but that car overall is MB at it's best.

Speed2k

I've also gotten a chance to drive a CLA45, I thought it was a lot of fun to drive as well.