[JHOOPS2]

Originally Posted by Anodite10

The CLA45 AMG does 0-60 in 4.5s, not 4.6s..

4.2 seconds, per Car and Driver for the US spec version.

[OerdingE93]

both great looking cars! would love to have some behind the wheel time with them

[DieGrüneHölle]

Originally Posted by buumer

The leather ones are 3450, the non leather ones are a grand cheaper. A fully loaded cla45 is pretty silly unless you don't care about price, we are talking about a 4k package to simply add carbon styling bits. You can get the amg exhaust, the night styling pack, and the amg drivers pack with 19 rims for 4k all in all. Will anyone cross shopping these two cars really need the Arabian dark walnut inlays with African elephant trim for 6k?

I can't build one for less than $61k. That is leaving out some options I would like. Like the sport package and leather.

[PopsnBurbles]

Red is the worst color one can give for the CLA's rear.

I would take a CLA 45 in Violet

[JHOOPS2]

A much better shot of the rear in the exact color combo I ordered...

[Greenkirby21]

Originally Posted by JHOOPS2

A much better shot of the rear in the exact color combo I ordered...

The night package is a must IMO

[starbai]

no rwd no care.

[24601]

Hate to admit this but the Benz looks better.

[Vervain]

Originally Posted by JHOOPS2

4.2 seconds, per Car and Driver for the US spec version.

Damn that's quick. But I meant official figures from MB is 4.5. It does 0-62 in 4.6

[E90.V8]

not a huge fan of the CLA...it looks like a crushed S class

[JHOOPS2]

Originally Posted by akcheng

not a huge fan of the CLA...it looks like a crushed S class

I'm having trouble figuring out why that is a bad thing...And I assume you mean the CLS, not the S class.

[BwoodBMW]

I don't hate the m235's interior but I do think the CLA's is nicer looking. Same with the upcoming C-class vs the F30. Exterior wise I think the CLA is a bit awkward looking but in the flesh looks pretty good. By pics I much prefer the style of the BMW, I'm excited to see it in real life.

[bradleyland]

I do think the CLA looks better in person than it does in photos. The overhangs look horrible in profile shots, but the car has a very classic appeal to it. It reminds me of a late 30s Delahaye 135 (a French design). If you think that's an ugly car, then you should turn in your enthusiast badge The M235i design is far more of an aggressive coupe design.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by JHOOPS2

I'm having trouble figuring out why that is a bad thing...And I assume you mean the CLS, not the S class.

That remains one of the ugliest cars on the road, at least to my eyes. The A7 and Panamera aren't far behind though. I love hatches, but nothing could save those ugly things.

The CLS always makes me think of a British car as a German would design it, impractical for the sake of impracticality, not design driven.

[JHOOPS2]

From several overseas for the the US that have driven the CLA45 and the A45, they are saying that when driven to the limits that it is very much a driver's car and that unlike the A45 the CLA45 can kick the back end out enough to make you mistake it for a RWD biased car, while still making the turn nice and tidy.

[ybbiz34]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

That remains one of the ugliest cars on the road, at least to my eyes. The A7 and Panamera aren't far behind though. I love hatches, but nothing could save those ugly things.

At least you qualified it!

Have you seen one in person?

I've seen and sat in a new CLA45.

Build quality/fit and finish is typical MB (outstanding).

The CLA is a lot roomier on the inside than you'd think. The rear end also looks much better in person.

Cannot wait to see the M235i in person! Love everything about it except the side profile. Not digging the upswept, boat-like rocker panels. Kind of feminine and too reminiscent of the 1er.

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by BwoodBMW

I don't hate the m235's interior but I do think the CLA's is nicer looking. Same with the upcoming C-class vs the F30. Exterior wise I think the CLA is a bit awkward looking but in the flesh looks pretty good. By pics I much prefer the style of the BMW, I'm excited to see it in real life.

Have you been in an entry level (C-class and friends) Mercedes? Every time BMW has a drive event, I take advantage of the opportunity to drive a comparable Mercedes without having to go to a Mercedes dealer and put up with the sales people. I absolutely hate the interior in every Mercedes I've been in below the E-class. I hate everything about the way Mercedes designs their interiors with the exception of materials quality, which is still questionable in places.

• The number of buttons is just ridiculous.
• The layout of the buttons is horrible industrial design (bad grouping, bad layout, bad distinction between functions)
• The infotainment system looks like it's running on a Commodore64.
• The infotainment system is cumbersome to navigate.
• The control knob for the infotainment system has horrible haptics.
• The dash layout and integration (if you can call it that) of the nav screen is horrible.
• The miniature seat on the door for seat adjustment is gaudy.

Now maybe the new QNX system is going to rectify a lot of my complaints about the infotainment system, but I really question Mercedes' commitment and understanding of what's important in that regard. When you look at their offering just 1 year ago and compare it to iDrive, it's clear that they have a LOT of catching up to do.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by ybbiz34

At least you qualified it!

Have you seen one in person?

I've seen and sat in a new CLA45.

Build quality/fit and finish is typical MB (outstanding).

The CLA is a lot roomier on the inside than you'd think. The rear end also looks much better in person.

Cannot wait to see the M235i in person! Love everything about it except the side profile. Not digging the upswept, boat-like rocker panels. Kind of feminine and too reminiscent of the 1er.

I've only seen the base CLA, again, it doesn't do much for my eyes. I grew up with Mercedes, my dad owns seven right now and I also worked in Germany for many years (where they do make a fine taxi). They're nice, well built cars, but I honestly haven't driven one that's much fun. The AMG cars (the V8 ones) are amusing, but sort of a cudgel. I guess I like my cars to be more precise. The big torque game is fun, but not really where I find my personal enjoyment. Perhaps this is a good place to point out that I'm also a three pedal person, I have a beard and just grunt at my wife, I'm behind the times...

Of course the CLA is roomy, it's the size of the current C Class and F30 and ten inches larger than the 2er. Aside from magazine numbers, this remains a weird comparison to me. Sort of like arguing a Cayman S against an E9x M3. Sure, they put up similar numbers and cost roughly the same thing, but they're more dissimilar than alike.

[ybbiz34]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

I've only seen the base CLA, again, it doesn't do much for my eyes. I grew up with Mercedes, my dad owns seven right now and I also worked in Germany for many years (where they do make a fine taxi). They're nice, well built cars, but I honestly haven't driven one that's much fun. The AMG cars (the V8 ones) are amusing, but sort of a cudgel. I guess I like my cars to be more precise. The big torque game is fun, but not really where I find my personal enjoyment. Perhaps this is a good place to point out that I'm also a three pedal person, I have a beard and just grunt at my wife, I'm behind the times...

Of course the CLA is roomy, it's the size of the current C Class and F30 and ten inches larger than the 2er. Aside from magazine numbers, this remains a weird comparison to me. Sort of like arguing a Cayman S against an E9x M3. Sure, they put up similar numbers and cost roughly the same thing, but they're more dissimilar than alike.

Haha that's one of the most entertaining and thoughtful posts I've read in a while. I respect your opinion.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by ybbiz34

Haha that's one of the most entertaining and thoughtful posts I've read in a while. I respect your opinion.

Ha, I don't know that that's deserved!

Don't get me wrong, I'd be more than happy to run a set of PSS's down to the cords in your car, or any C63 for that matter, they're great machines with a truly fantastic engine and noise.

They may not match my personal desires for my next car, but I wouldn't begrudge anyone choosing one over the dumb sort of thing I tend to pick.

[Pinz]

Any one else think the front of the CLA45 is ugly compared to the M235i? The rear is not bad, kind of like an Accord/Audi mix?

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by Pinz

Any one else think the front of the CLA45 is ugly compared to the M235i? The rear is not bad, kind of like an Accord/Audi mix?

Not me.
From what I've seen the CLA45, the //M235i and the Audi S3 are all really good looking vehicles and I consider myself really fortunate for having such a selection to choose from when I replace my 1er ragtop next year.
That said, I do prefer the //M235i's "get the f*ck outa-my-way" front end design when compared to either the CLA45 or S3.