Mercedes Benz CLA Urban Sport luxury sedan launched in India

Mercedes Benz India has just introduced new variants of the CLA luxury sedan, called the Urban Sport. The Mercedes Benz CLA is an entry-level model from the German luxury car maker. The CLA Urban Sport will be available with both petrol and diesel engine options. Prices of the Mercedes Benz CLA Urban Sport petrol start from Rs. 35.99 lakhs  while that of the diesel model start from Rs. 36.99 lakhs, ex-showroom India.

The Mercedes Benz CLA Urban Sport gets the following additional features when compared to the regular variants of the luxury sedan:

1. THERMOTRONIC automatic climate control with 2-climate zones offers individual climate comfort for driver and front passenger. Temperature, airflow and air distribution are controlled automatically.
2. Rear centre vents for improved climate comfort in the rear
3. New exterior paint – Cosmos Black
4. “Sport” floor mats
5. “Sport” illuminated door sills
6. “Sport” badge
7. Rear spoiler carbon style

Essentially, the new variants of the CLA get cosmetic changes and a few additional features in order to make the car more appealing to buyers. Both the petrol and diesel engines of the Mercedes Benz CLA luxury sedan are turbocharged.  The petrol motor is a 2-litre 4-cylinder unit with 184 Bhp-300 Nm outputs, while the diesel engine is larger, displacing 2.2 litres.

However, the power output on the diesel motor is only 136 Bhp, with torque rating similar to that of the petrol with 300 Nm. The petrol-engined car can accelerate to 100 Kph from standstill in just 7.1 seconds, while the diesel-engined variant takes 9 seconds. Top speeds for the petrol and diesel variants stand at 240 Kph and 220 Kph respectively. Clearly, the Mercedes Benz CLA is a very fast car.

As for competition, the Audi A3 is the chief competitor of the Mercedes Benz CLA in India. The CLA is Mercedes Benz’s first front-wheel driven sedan, and shares its platform with other entry-level Mercedes cars, such as the A-Class and B-Class. It was introduced in India as a high-performance car – the CLA 45AMG – in 2014, followed by the regular variants in 2015.