Mercedes-Benz CLA review

The 250+ manages 0-62mph in a rapid-ish 6.7 seconds but doesn’t feel that fast. The 350+ with a 0-62mph time of under five seconds is appreciably faster, and yet not actually more thrilling. Both run to 130mph at the top end.

Both have accurate but numb steering no matter the drive mode, both ride with the kind of bullish fluency you expect from Mercedes. Brake recuperation comes in various stages of strength, as well as an intelligent mode that does the best it can with the information available, and there’s nothing scary about the one-pedal mode at all – you soon get used to it. 

It's close to sublime for a long, motorway cruise, actively de-stressing you with its eminent quiet and clever seat massage and kinetic functions. They discreetly nudge elements of the driver's seat around to keep you comfy and alert. Bentleys do that too - but largely for their rear passengers, and at four or five times the price.

It’s also very quiet, capable and flat through corners, and very calm. Driven in isolation it might feel determinedly studious, and spectacularly safe. But the rear-mounted motor of the CLA 250+ makes it feel decidedly rear-driven - not always a given in this class - and it has some extra swagger over front-driven rivals which are more sensible yet. It borders on genuine fun on a greasy UK road.

Is it not heavy?

It weighs almost two tonnes - as is the EV way - but feels several hundred kilos lighter than similarly hefty rivals. There's a litheness and agility here that they lack; decent enough for those who like driving, but good news too for the car feeling wieldy in normal, everyday driving. It's not an outright thriller - but it's easy to imagine a bit of AMG attention lifting it closer to that status. Even if it won't make proper AMG noise...

This isn’t yet a performance car – even with dual motors – and doesn’t pretend to be. And once you set up all the tech to your satisfaction, it becomes more charming. It’ll be a killer daily if you’ve got to do lots of miles on boring roads and you want to do so cheaply and in comfort. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but that’s what a lot of people want, and Mercedes is eminently wise to that fact.