The CLA 250 e models come in two body styles: a sleek four-door Coupé and a Shooting Brake. Taking the Coupé first, the aerodynamic, sleek coupé-like profile boasts a 350-litre boot and four-door practicality. Alternatively, the Shooting Brake offers similar interior space for passengers along with 440 litres of luggage space (with the rear seats up) and a generous 1,310 litres with them down. Both designs are handsome, sleek, and well resolved from every angle, while the interior is a tactile and visual delight, dominated by a large multimedia touchscreen display and dramatic turbine air vents.
TECHNOLOGY
Whether you choose a Coupé or Shooting Brake, your CLA 250 e will have the same Plug-in Hybrid powertrain. This consists of a 1.33-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an integral electric motor, which together produce 215bhp and 450Nm of torque and drive the front wheels via an 8-speed DGT automatic transmission. Performance is impressively sporty; the Coupé can sprint to 62mph from rest in 6.8 seconds, while the Shooting Brake estate is just a tenth slower, at 6.9 seconds. Fuel consumption depends on how much of your journey is EV-assisted; the official WLTP figure is between 235-282mpg depending on the specification. A 10.6 kW/h lithium-ion battery delivers up to 43 miles of EV-only motoring and an innovative exhaust system ensures that the bulky battery encroaches as little as possible into boot space when compared with conventionally powered CLA models. There are five selectable levels of regenerative braking, and the drivetrain can calculate the best use of its electric power when you programme a destination on the sat nav.
SAFETY
Standard safety systems include Active Brake Assist, which as the name implies can autonomously brake if it detects an imminent collision. Other features are Attention Assist for monitoring the driver’s alertness and Active Lane Keeping Assist that will warn you if you stray across lane markings. Traffic sign assist comes as standard with the AMG Line Premium Plus trim level.
FEATURES
The CLA 250 e Plug-in Hybrids are available in two trim levels; AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus. The former comes with Keyless Entry, a 10.25-inch digital instrument display, MBUX augmented reality for navigation via a camera in the windscreen, a 225W sound system and 64-colour ambient interior lighting. AMG Line Premium Plus adds Multibeam LED headlamps with Adaptive Highbeam Assist, a panoramic sunroof and electrically adjustable front memory seats with adjustable lumbar support.
