Apart from the grille, the hybrid looks the same as the electric versions.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
Delayed gratification takes on a new dimension if you fancy yourself in the latest baby Benz. The automotive media first saw the new CLA in June, drove the electric version back in July and now we’ve also experienced the hybrid. Yet this new generation of the marque’s smallest sedan still isn’t expected to land in Canada until late 2026.
We won’t go deep here on the CLA’s previously described full-width dashboard screen that is powered by a new Operating System and User Experience that variously consult Google and Microsoft AI, as well as ChatGPT4o and Microsoft Bing, to establish a productive and harmonious working relationship between the car, its occupants and the outside world.
Let’s focus instead on the details and our driving impressions of other versions of the CLA that previously we only hinted at – the hybrids. Given the anticipated price of the CLA EVs, and the headwinds currently facing EVs in general, the hybrids will likely represent the meat of the new CLA’s sales.
The massive screen is the big feature on the interior and it now handles basic audio and climate control functions.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
Like the current mild-hybrid CLA, the new gas-electric CLA has a 48-volt battery, but it moves further along the spectrum to proper hybrid.
While the current CLA’s 10-kilowatt electric motor/starter/generator only assists the gas engine and cannot propel the car on its own, the 2027 model’s electric motor can “go solo” at up to 100 kilometres an hour in any driving situation that doesn’t need more than 22 kilowatts (about 30 horsepower).
Enablers of this include battery capacity upped to 1.3 kilowatt-hours, while a 22-kilowat electric motor is now integrated into the eight-speed DCT transmission. A third clutch disconnects the gas engine to facilitate electric-only driving when conditions allow. Of course, the electric motor still acts as a generator and starter motor and boosts the gas engine with up to 147 lb-ft of torque when required.
With a less swoopy shape, Mercedes no longer calls the CLA a coupe.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The M252 gas engine is also all new, taking many technical concepts from the existing two-litre four-cylinder engine but melding them into a more compact piece of hardware that’s suitable for transverse installation. It currently displaces 1.5 litres and comes in various power outputs, of which 188- or 228-horsepower versions will come to Canada.
That’s for the engines alone: with both featuring the same 22-kilowatt electric motor, the combined system outputs are 208 horsepower and 280 lb-ft for the lesser engine while combined numbers for the other engine are to be determined.
The transmission offers a wide spread of ratios with an especially long-striding to gear – at 130 km/h on the autobahn, the tachometer was showing barely 2,000 rpm (at which speed, wind and tire noise were also notably hushed).
The hybrid will come to Canada in two versions: front-wheel drive 2027 CLA 220 with the 188-horsepower gas engine in late 2026 and all-wheel-drive 2028 CLA 250 4Matic with 228 horsepower in early 2027.
The current 250 4Matic Mild Hybrid lists from $48,700, but with Canadian deliveries of the new models still so far off, it’s too soon for pricing. Suffice to say that while several premium brands make compact sedans in the same space, most are larger and more expensive than the new CLA is likely to be, and none offer a full-hybrid powertrain
Looks
Apart from the grille, the hybrid looks the same as the electric versions – a shape that strikes us as an obvious evolution of the previous model, but subtler, less swoopy (Mercedes no longer calls it a coupe, incidentally). Pop-out door handles may help the aero, but could be a headache as the car ages.
Interior
Many compact sedans are roomier, but even so, my 6-foot-6 co-driver was comfy enough at the wheel and could even “sit behind himself.” The standard fixed glass panoramic roof no doubt helps in that regard – for example, no space is stolen by a headliner and sliding-roof structure – as does a 61-millimetre-longer wheelbase. There were no comfort issues for my more average frame, though sight-lines could be better – the rear windscreen in particular is very shallow.
Another section of massive glass is the vast acreage of screen, and all the functional, communication and entertainment possibilities that lurk within. Inevitably, the screen now handles basic audio and climate control functions for which most Luddites would prefer actual switches.
Like most other modern Benzes, the CLA assigns P-R-N-D duty to a steering-column stalk, but with a difference – the stalk now also embraces the engine stop/start button. Mercifully, however, the CLA retreats from M-B’s recent romance with myriad, tiny, poke-and-stroke capacitive switches on the steering-wheel spokes; on the CLA, those that remain are larger and they share space with reintroduced physical rocker and roller switches for cruise and volume respectively.
The stalk for selecting the gear now also embraces the engine stop/start button.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
Performance
Mercedes claims zero to 100 kilometres-an-hour acceleration in 7.2 seconds for the CLA 220 (to be announced for the 250), which is hardly sport-sedan material, but peppy enough for a frugal hybrid. The gas engine is smooth, if a little shrill in timbre when forced to exert itself; transitions in and out of EV mode under power are seamless, though in default Comfort drive mode we found them slow when transitioning from deceleration to acceleration.
A test route that went from less than 575 metres of elevation to 2,150 and back was hardly a realistic test for fuel consumption, but for the record we saw 10.1 litres per 100 kilometres going up and 4.1 coming down.
Chassis-wise, our test cars (on 18-inch snow tires) delivered a nicely cushioned ride and confident go-where-you-point it handling, albeit without much communication from the light steering. A brief outing on the notorious 2,500-metre snow-swathed Timmelsjoch pass between Austria and Italy confirmed that this AWD sedan will drift its tail nicely on demand in Sport mode, though a frozen lake and sunshine would have been a more confidence-inspiring venue for such explorations.
Technology
Suffice to say that if the tech exists, the CLA will probably have it, either standard or optional, the latter including a passenger-side infotainment screen. Standard ADAS tech will include adaptive cruise plus active blind-spot and lane-keep assist. Options will include Parking Assist, PARKTRONIC, and MB.DRIVE Assist, which is an SAE Level 2 semi-autonomous drive assist system.
Cargo
By European measurement methods, the trunk has shrunk to 405 litres from 440 on the previous model. It’s still a useful space and there’s a good-size pass-through when the 40/20/40-split seatback is folded, though it doesn’t go flat.
The trunk on the new CLA Hybrid has shrunk, but only slightly and the 40/20/40-split seatback is quite functional.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The verdict
A unique combination of hybrid fuel economy in a refined, tech-rich, compact luxury sedan.
Tech specs
- Price: To be announced
- Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder / 22-kilowatt electric motor
- Horsepower / torque (lb.-ft.): CLA 220 - 208 / 280; CLA 250 - to be announced
- Transmission / drive: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic / front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): To be announced
- Alternatives: Acura Integra, Audi A3, BMW 3 Series, Cadillac CT4, Genesis G70, Lexus IS
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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