SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.

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This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a preselected course. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get a test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.

More connected: 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 and 220d (C118 series) launched

All you want it to be

Pics by Motorpress
Posted: October 13, 2019

The numbers
CLA 200
Priced from R570 500
Engine: M282 DE14, 1332 cc, DOHC inline four-cylinder, single turbocharger
Power: 120 kW at 5500 rpm
Torque: 250 Nm at 1620-4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 8.2 seconds
Maximum speed: 229 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 5.3 to 5.6 l/100 km
CLA 220d
Priced from: R612 800
Engine: OM654 DE20, 1950 cc, DOHC 16-valve inline four-cylinder, single turbocharger
Power: 140 kW at 4000 rpm
Torque: 400 Nm at 1400-3200 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 7.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 244 km/h
Claimed average fuel consumption: 6.5 to 6.7 l/100 km
Common specs
Tank: 43 litres
Boot: 460 litres
Turning circle: 11.1 metres
Basic warranty: 5 years / 100 000 km maintenance contract (optional extensions available)

The nitty-gritty: Mild facelift, slight body stretch, bigger boot, seven-speed DCT for 200 petrol and eight-speed for 220 diesel, enhanced user interface with gesture control and more voice options.
 
What remains the same: Existing A- and C-Class engines; basic specification needs to be optioned-up for greatest enjoyment.

Noticeable up front are a bolder grille badge and horizontal bar, narrower headlamps and new DRLs. The side view features toned down side creases and slightly reshaped wing mirrors with single, rather than twin, indicator repeater strips
.
Most altered is the rear end where wider tail lamps extend across into the new, squared-off, boot lid; the Mercedes-Benz star dropped down to between the lights; the reshaped lower panel’s narrower black valance and relocated fog lamps, and the number plate moved from its old position on the boot lid to just above the valance.

This second generation CLA-Class was unveiled at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in January 2019 and is based on the same Modular Front Architecture (MFA2) platform as the outgoing range.

It has an almost completely flat underbody resulting in drag coefficient as low as 0.24. Front MacPherson struts are paired with multi-links at the rear and adaptive dampers are optional. Compared to its predecessor, the C118 is 48 mm longer, 53 mm wider and loses 2 mm in height, while its wheelbase was extended by 30 mm. Will these increases address the rear seat space problem? Let’s wait for a test unit and see.

Both models feature the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system that includes a "Hey Mercedes" voice-controlled assistant and new Interior Assist gesture controls that react as your hand approaches the screen. Just be aware that “talking with your hands” could result in Magdalen (my name for “her”) chipping in with unsolicited offers to help – been there, done that. Standard models feature two 7-inch displays for the instrument cluster and MBUX screen but can be upgraded to 10.25-inch.
 
Safety kit includes seven airbags, emergency call, tyre pressure monitoring and active brake assist. Standard items are cruise control, rain sensing wipers, shift paddles, automatic climate control, halogen headlamps, manually adjustable front seats, MBUX with CarPlay and Android Auto, Dynamic Select (Eco, Comfort and Sport), anti-theft protection and Tirefit puncture repair kit. Upgrades include full-colour head-up display, adaptive cruise control, active steering assist and active brake assist.
 
Exterior colours: Standard are Polar White, Jupiter Red, Night Black and Sun Yellow. Optional metallics at R5500 are Digital White, Cosmos Black, Denim Blue and Iridium Silver while designo® paint colours costing R31 450 include Mountain Grey, Mojave Silver and Mountain Grey Magno.

Optional Line Kits - Progressive, AMG and Edition 1 – range in price from R25 000 to       R98 600 and provide wider choices in wheels, upholstery, trim items and suspension while various packages and add-ons allow buyers to finesse their vehicles with seating, lighting, safety kit, parking assistance, entertainment and mirror upgrades.
 
As I said: “Option it up,” because certain items that one usually takes for granted need to be added in order to make your CLA all that you want it to be.

Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored launch event

We drove a CLA 180 in 2014. Read about it here


This is the interior of the optional Edition 1

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.