Mercedes-Benz C-Class vs Mercedes-Benz CLA250

What's the difference?

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 is such a stylish sedan and I would totally have one. The driving performance, luxurious features and practical size made it a winning combo for my family. The price point is definitely up there but you do get a high-end build for the cash. I've seen bigger boots in other sedans and not being able to fit a third child seat will limit some families, but this still easily earns an 8.5/10 from me.

My son really loved this one. The ambient lighting was the highlight for him and he thought it looked like a "space car" inside. He gave it a 9/10.

The CLA 250 Sport is really only let down by the rugged ride and some hard plastics and interior detailing. The ride is a matter of choice but some of the half-hearted plastics, especially on the seat controls, mar an otherwise excellent car.

If you want to stand out from the crowd in the looks department, the CLA is the most dramatic and not at all displeasing to the eye. The drive is certainly no let-down, but the BMW will eat it for breakfast and the Audi is faster while being $5000 cheaper.

But above all, the CLA is a Mercedes so is topped by that very desirable three-pointed star.

The C200 is a sleek and elegant steed.

Initially, you may think this is just a standard Merc showcase. There's the nice big badge on the pronounced nose. Beautiful sleek lines in the body... but it's the attention to detail that make this feel special.

There's a repeated badge motif in the grille and a cute cursive Mercedes logo tucked into the corner of the windscreen. The puddle lights on the doors project the badge at night time and you can often spot a badge etched into the LED lights.

However, it's the interior that's the highlight for me and I feel like it's a big step up from previous models I've been in.

Our model has the grey 'Artico' synthetic leather trim (says grey but it's really white) and a lovely mix of piano black and shiny chrome inserts that are set against soft touchpoints throughout.

The quality of the build oozes through every stitch and join. Don't even get me started on the cool customisable ambient lighting system inside, which makes this feel like you're on the set of Tron and really elevates the interior.

It's quite fun to build one of these in Mercedes' online configurator. You can customise your trims to make it feel like your own and their blue paintwork options are great (I do love a blue car).

The CLA looks terrific – short, squat and pulled low down over the 18-inch alloys, it looks ready to rumble. The detailing in the head and tail lights, most obvious at night, gives the car a strong presence and unmistakeable Mercedes air, something buyers at this level probably appreciate – a base model CLA-Class almost feels like biggest-brother S-Class.

Inside are rich materials, with leather (some real, some not) covering the dashboard, doors, seats and the steering wheel. But, once the centre stack meets the console however, the plastics suddenly go decidedly grainy and low-rent. The fit is typically excellent but the feel is at odds with the rest of the cabin.

The darkness of the materials is offset by the gigantic sunroof (and the perforated, rather than solid blind) letting in a ton of light to really set off the bright red seat-belts.

Front seat passengers will find it easy to get comfortable but if that requires putting the seat back, rear passengers will fare badly – there isn't a lot of leg room and that diving roofline robs much of the A Class' headroom. Three small kids across the back will work, but otherwise two shortish adults.

The boot is huge, with some extra space beneath the floor where you will also find the goo pump for tyre mishaps. There's a reasonable amount of storage around the cabin, too.

The CLA 250 Sport is the last stop before the bonkers, $88,400 CLA 45 AMG, the booted version of the all-wheel drive A45.

In its basic form, the price kicks off at the same point as the six-cylinder BMW M135i, $64,900 and almost $5000 more than an Audi S3. It's also $14,000 more than the CLA 200 base model.

Standard on the 250 Sport are (deep breath): 18-inch alloy wheels, six-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, nine airbags, alarm with motion and tow-away sensors, forward collision warning, blind spot sensor, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, cruise control, drilled front brakes with red calipers, electric memory sports front seats, fatigue detection, dark tinted windows, sat-nav, bi-xenon headlights, auto headlights and wipers, leather seats and steering wheel, auto park assist, power windows and mirrors and a massive glass sunroof.

Added to our car was $1173 metallic paint, the $2264 COMAND package and the similarly-priced Driving Assistance package.

The COMAND upgrade ups the speaker count to 12, adds DAB+ digital radio, a hard drive and voice control. Driving Assistance adds adaptive cruise and lane departure warning.

All up, we were driving around in a $70,601 car.

The COMAND system is more useable in the CLA Class than in the larger C and E, doing without the silly scratchpad. The upgraded sound in our car was excellent, with simple phone integration and streaming, along with a USB.

The twelve speakers fill the cabin with a clear sound, with good bass and mid-range in particular. The satnav had traffic warning and was easy to use. The screen was bright and clear and had a good resolution in the menus and on the reversing camera.

The C200 has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with an integrated starter-generator. 

What's that, you ask? So, glad you did. It's basically an electric battery that also acts as your starter... or alternator.

It smooths out vibrations from the engine and generates some power from braking. Making this a very mild hybrid. Note the 'mild'.

Is it powerful? Surprisingly, yeah. It has a maximum output of 165kW and 300Nm of torque. Combine that with the starter-generator and we have a powerful little engine that can push the C200 from 0-100km in 7.3 seconds, while still feeling like there's power in reserve.

The nine-speed auto transmission is damn smooth and there's no clunky gear changing at any speed. It's got great pick-up, too, for when you need to overtake or zip across traffic.

An eye-opening 6.6 second dash to 100km/h comes courtesy of a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder developing 155kW and 350Nm of torque. All four wheels are driven by a seven-speed twin-clutch transmission with paddle shifters.

Mercedes claims a combined cycle figure of 6.0L/100km, but given the willingness of the 2.0-litre to rev and the sweet-shifting transmission, you're unlikely to see less than 11.0L/100km. We certainly didn't, but it spent most of its time in Sport mode for the engine and transmission, which meant the stop-start was off. The weather was also disgustingly humid so we kept the engine running to keep the air-con pumping.

The steering feels solid and concise. The tyres seem like they're glued to the road, making winding roads downright fun to tackle. Oh, and the sharp 11 metre turning circle is wonderful.

The handling makes this your best friend in a car park. The lower ground clearance did elicit some unladylike grunts when I parked on a hill, but otherwise the wide door apertures makes it easy to get in and out of.

The only thing I would note is the low-profile ground clearance. Just be aware of your speed and angle when you handle car park ramps or road bumps in this. They are not your friends.

The 250 is basically a hot hatch with a boot – its power figures are well below the (cheaper) all-wheel drive Audi S3 and rear wheel drive M135i. The numbers are much closer to VW's Golf GTi.

That aside, the CLA is an excellent car – quiet and for the most part very refined, it's a real urban warrior. The wheel feels positive in the hand and you can sling it in and out of corners with great confidence - the all-wheel drive grip is tenacious and drama-free.

While the engine isn't a high revving unit, it does rev willingly and smoothly, with the transmission shifting like the ticking of a clock. In Sport mode the ticking is accompanied by an exuberant crackle from the exhaust.

A downside is the ride – with the sport suspension of the Sport designation, it is one rocky rider. Naturally on a good surface it will behave much better, but when the rains come and the roads fall to pieces, potholes become a mortal enemy, particularly for rear seat passengers.

The ride does mean that it is less liveable than you might otherwise imagine. You'd be mad to upgrade to the 19-inch wheels unless you had excellent chiropractic cover.

When you fire up the Merc CLA, you're always in the most economical mode. It takes two separate buttons to get to maximum attack and those buttons are in a place you might not expect. When you've sussed it out there the steering adds weight and reduces its lock to lock, giving you a heavy but responsive feel.

The brakes are excellent and resisted the pounding we gave them, while the engine's light theatrics on the up and downshift kept us giggling.

Nine airbags, ABS, brake assists, forward collision detection, fatigue detection, crash avoidance with braking, traction and stability control.

This lengthy list, plus a crash test, adds up to five stars from ANCAP.