Moses Akaigwe
Mercedes-Benz is poised to continue its dominance in the compact car class with the introduction of the all-new CLA which has already earned the credit of being the most intelligent and emotive car among its peers.
Building on the success of the first generation which sold over 750,000 units worldwide, the all-new CLA represents an improvement in an already dominant automobile, in addition to giving another foretaste of the future with its superior technology, luxurious materials and performance output.
Commenting on the arrival of the car, the Chief Executive Officer, Weststar Associates Limited, Mr. Mirko Plath, predicted that it would surpass the performance of its predecessor in the Nigerian market where the company is the authorised general distributor of the three-pointed star brand.
The all-new CLA shows off striking features that are intended to make an already great car even better;, not forgetting the new dynamic design which underlines the coupé character with the stretched form and design elements such as the bonnet with powerdomes or the rear number plate which has been moved down.
It comes with more space at many spots in the interior: For example, at the front, the headroom has increased by 17 mm, and elbow room by 35 mm; and thanks to a wider opening (+262 mm), the boot compartment is now more convenient to load than the predecessor model.
The Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) has been updated with an interior assistant that recognises operating requests from movements. This makes various comfort and MBUX functions even simpler and more intuitive. Lastly, the all-new CLA relies on four-cylinder petrol engines which in comparison to the previous generation, are characterised by significantly increased power and improved efficiency.
The exterior of the all-new CLA gives it the potential to become a modern design icon. As a four-door coupé, the new CLA impresses with its purist and seductive design; the flat headlamps with the striking daytime running lamps together with the low slung bonnet and the diamond radiator grille with central star create the vehicle’s sporty face.
The two-piece, narrow tail lamps and the number plate housed in the bumper on the rear emphasise the width of the CLA. The car thus appears flatter and sportier and has an especially good presence on the road.
The interior exudes themes of ‘high tech’ and ‘youthful avant-garde’. The all-new CLA reveals a technologically and digitally enhanced interior with the Widescreen display standing out as a major highlight, while the dashboard comes with more width, creating a generous sense of space.
The colours and materials of the interior of the all-new CLA vary from the different equipment lines, however, customers are spoilt for choice with the black, macchiato beige, bahia brown or two-tone combinations between these colors or black and red or black and grey; while the trim elements on the dashboard and doors are either in dinamica, carbon optic, aluminum or open-wood high-quality wooden trim. Space and comfort is highly guaranteed with the standard seat with straight stitching, and comfort seat with double topstitching (available with the Progressive equipment line), thebackrest of the rear seats is 40:20:40 foldable providing even more space for the trunk whenever the need arises.
The multimedia infotainment system has been updated with two striking new features in the MBUX Interior Assistant and the newly improved “Hey Mercedes” voice control. The MBUX comes with two 7-inch displays for the instrument cluster and media display with touchscreen, a multifunction sport steering wheel with touch control buttons on the left and right, a USB interface (Type C), a Bluetooth connection for telephony and audio sources as standard.
By recognising movement, the all-new MBUX interior assistant imparts additional intelligence to the interior and makes operating various comfort and MBUX functions even simpler and more intuitive for the passengers. The “Hey Mercedes”voice assistant can recognise and respond to considerably more complex queries in a growing number of domains including sports, the stock exchange, calculations or general knowledge.
The all-new CLA will be available in Nigeria with the more powerful and efficient engines in comparism to its predecessor. For the Nigerian market, the all-new CLA comes in 4-cylinder petrol engines. The M282 version works in tandem with the 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission, and represents the point of entry for engines in the CLA 180 and CLA 200. The M260 is mated to the 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission, powers the CLA 220 and CLA 250 (4MATIC included).