Mercedes rethinks electric cars with game-changing 492-mile CLA

The CLA EV’s new rear-mounted permanent magnet motor is also significant to its efficiency. It uses a new silicon-carbide inverter that brings greater output in a smaller package, reducing weight, while the engineers claim its torque density is boosted by the magnets being inserted in a double-V formation, concentrating their field.

The motor also gets a Porsche Taycan-style two-speed gearbox, rather than the usual single-speed reduction gearing. This has a short (11:1) first ratio for improved off-the-mark acceleration and better efficiency at town speeds and a significantly longer (5:1) second ratio for less consumption at a cruise.

The powertrain puts out 268bhp, which allows the CLA 250+ to complete the 0-62mph dash in 6.7sec.

The four-wheel-drive CLA 350 4Matic with EQ Technology gets an additional 107bhp motor with a single-speed gearbox on its front axle, giving a combined output of 349bhp. This cuts its 0-62mph sprint time down to 4.9sec, making it quicker in a straight line than the V8-engined C55 AMG of 20 years ago.

This additional motor is decoupled from the front axle when it isn’t needed, reducing energy losses to friction by 90%. This means the four-wheel-drive CLA EV can still manage 478 miles per charge – a smaller disparity compared with the rear-driven version than is typical of most other EVs.

Braking primarily relies on the motors’ regenerative effect (which can provide up to 200kW of stopping power), helping to keep the battery topped up.

The CLA EV can be rapid-charged at rates of up to 320kW, thanks to its 800V electrical architecture, allowing for a 186-mile top-up in just 10 minutes.

In addition to the 85kWh battery, a 58kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) pack will be added to the line- up shortly after launch.

This will almost certainly bring a significant price cut but also reduce the CLA EV’s range to around 300 miles.

Autocar can reveal that a hot AMG CLA 45 EV is inbound, too, with a pair of Yasa-developed axial flux motors providing more than 500bhp and a raft of extensive modifications aimed at bolstering its performance and dynamics. 

ADVANCES IN COMBUSTION TOO

The new CLA will also be offered in hybrid form. Specifically designed to fit in the same space as the EV’s front motor, its powertrain pairs a new 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a small, 1.3kWh battery and a 27bhp electric motor. These combine to send either 134bhp or 161bhp through the front wheels or, in the range-topping 4Matic model, 188bhp to all four wheels.

According to Mercedes, the engine achieves “diesel levels of fuel efficiency”, suggesting an MPG figure comfortably north of 50.

As part of a push for parity from Mercedes, the hybrid CLA will be priced on a par with the CLA EV, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius recently announced. This is thanks to cost savings of some 30% in battery production bringing the EV’s overall price down by around 15%.

To that end, pricing is expected to start in the low-to-mid £40,000 range. The EV will go on sale first, around October, with the hybrid following a few months later.

Joining the saloon will be a new CLA Shooting Brake. This estate car is earmarked to arrive in the UK early next year with both powertrain options, so its unveiling will most likely take place at September’s Munichmotor show.

STAR-SPANGLED

In a first for Mercedes, the CLA hybrid and CLA EV will look almost identical inside and out, as well as sharing a model name. This marks an end to Mercedes’ strategy of entirely bespoke EVs being developed to sit alongside their combustion-engined equivalents, such as with the E-Class and EQE.

The CLA also ushers in a dramatic new look for future Mercedes models, emphasising the brand’s three-pointed star logo.

The motif features in the CLA’s headlights and rear brake lights, and the EV also gets a flush front grille with no fewer than 142 backlit stars. They surround the main front badge, which is also backlit. In the US, the outer ring of the badge itself is lit, but EU legislation prevents this.

The CLA hybrid is differentiated by a traditional open grille, needed to provide cooling airflow to the engine.

NEW-LOOK INTERIOR

Inside, the new CLA takes on a sportier character than its more luxurious stablemates. The front seats have chunky side bolsters, for example, and there are more exuberant material choices, such as a combination of black and white Alcantara and faux leather with red stitching.

The dashboard is designed around the latest iteration of Mercedes’ Superscreen, whose three digital displays (a 10.25in one for the instruments in front of the driver; a 14.6in infotainment one centrally; and, optionally, a 14in one for the front passenger) span its entire width.

Thanks to Mercedes’ latest MB.OS operating system, the screens can be used to play video games such as Fortnite while on the move or stream shows and films via Netflix and other such services.

The system also features the latest iteration of Mercedes’ virtual assistant, which blends various artificial intelligence functions (ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Bing) to provide more accurate answers to questions.

In cars without the Superscreen, the passenger screen will be replaced with a glass panel with LED-backlit star logos, which match the interior’s ambient lighting.

Boot space is rated at 405 litres, which is 55 litres down in the old CLA’s but, in a first for a modern Mercedes, the EV gets a frunk that adds another 101 litres of storage space.