All-New Mercedes-Benz CLA Electric Sedan Debuts With 792km Range

• Radical EV gains new architecture, battery pack and up to 792km range
• Debuts new in-house infotainment system with a supercomputer
• Hybrid version to follow later with a new petrol engine

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA is here, and don’t dismiss it as yet another swoopy luxury electric vehicle from the German carmaker as it’s touted as their most ‘intelligent’ car yet. Packed with loads of smart tech, the new CLA will first come in electric guise to the Australian market in 2026 before a hybrid version armed with the new 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine arrives at a later date.

The folks at Mercedes-Benz have also clearly thrown the gauntlet in terms of deploying all of its clever in-house technology as it debuts the fourth-gen MBUX infotainment system called Mercedes‑Benz Operating System (MB.OS). This new system comes with (you guessed it) AI. The MBUX superscreen now has more third-party app content integrated and has high-performance chips and real-time graphics from the Unity Game Engine. This new display is tailored to individual customer preferences. Hence, the zero layer on the central display will also show recently used apps with more customisation. Even the navigation is now based on Google Maps.

There’s clever stuff strewn everywhere including an 800V architecture that enables fast DC charging with up to 320 kW plus a new NMC battery with a usable energy content of 85 kWh.

Two models will be available from launch, although Australian market specifications have yet to be confirmed:

CLA 250+ with EQ Technology:

• Power (Peak): 200 kW
• Torque (Peak): 335 Nm
• Battery Cell Chemistry: Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt
• Battery Usable Energy Content: 85 kW
• Max AC Charging Power: 11 kW
• Max DC Charging Power: 320 kW
• DC Charging: Range After 10 min (WLTP): 285-325 km
• Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 6.7 s
• Top Speed: 210 km/h
• Combined Energy Consumption (WLTP): 14.1-12.2 kWh/100 km
• Range (WLTP): 694-792 km

CLA 350 4MATIC with EQ Technology:

• Power (Peak): 260 kW
• Torque (Peak): 515 Nm
• Battery Cell Chemistry: Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt
• Battery Usable Energy Content: 85 kW
• Max AC Charging Power: 11 kW
• Max DC Charging Power: 320 kW
• DC Charging: Range After 10 min (WLTP): 275-315 km
• Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 4.9 s
• Top Speed: 210 km/h
• Combined Energy Consumption (WLTP): 14.7-12.5 kWh/100 km
• Range (WLTP): 672-771 km

Crucially, amongst all this, the biggest highlight could be the new two-speed gearbox where the first gear is for urban driving at lower speeds while the second has been primed for the highway. The car also has an air-to-air heat pump and drivers can select through four levels of regenerative braking.

Design-wise, the swoopy shape is a toned-down version of the radical CLA concept but does draw some inspiration while the grille is festooned with no less than 142 LED-lined stars.

The aerodynamics-inspired shape also results in a low 0.21Cd drag coefficient as well (the Tesla Model 3 has a 0.22). Having grown significantly in size over the previous generation, the new CLA now has a length of 4,723mm and a longer wheelbase of 2,790mm. The car maintains the shorter overhangs but the lines are a bit more muscular when compared to the previous generation.

Take a look inside and the design and the overall cockpit ambience are a big step forward along with the usual smatterings of sustainability added in. The look and feel have the usual Mercedes-Benz theatrical flourish with stars embedded into the dash along with tons of ambient lighting. Speaking of which, like the larger EQ models, the entire dashboard is now bathed in glass with a main 14-inch centre-mounted infotainment touchscreen combined with a 10.25-inch digital display for the river and another 14-inch screen for the passenger to fiddle around with.

Sadly, it appears as though physical buttons have been deleted, including for the climate control so you’ll have to use the screen or the new voice assistant (which uses ChatGPT and Google Gemini) to find things while driving.

The standard fit is a large one-piece panoramic sunroof that has a special coating to stop sunlight from coming in. However, like the Zeekr X we tested recently, there’s no physical shade, which could be a problem for our market.

The options, while unconfirmed for Australia, include different upholstery choices plus there is also a 16-speaker Burmester 3D surround sound audio system, autonomous driving technology and a centre airbag amongst a plethora of other safety equipment. Finally, the CLA is also the first Mercedes-Benz to feature a 101-litre frunk since the W130. Mercedes from the 1930s!

We will get to know the pricing closer to its launch date but expect to pay significantly more than the current generation CLA, which is priced from AUD$73,200 plus on-road costs.