2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Review

Name: 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Review
Brand: Mercedes-Benz
Rating: 3.4 (13 reviews)

Price Range: $25,990 - $45,998

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class AMG CLA 35 Sedan Exterior

+242

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Price & Payment

24 cars

$31,423 avg. price

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2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Minor revisions to standard and optional feature availability
Part of the second CLA generation introduced for 2020

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.86 per gallon for premium unleaded in Virginia.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia

$164/mo

$157/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

4/5Above Average

#7 out of 26 among Luxury Compact Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class from 2008-2022.}

$574/yr

vs. $554/yr
for Average Luxury Compact Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

1.08x/yr

vs. 1.57x/yr
for Average Luxury Compact Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

6.7%

vs. 11.1%
for Average Luxury Compact Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Reviews

Owner Reviews

3.4

13 reviews

5(46%)

4(15%)

3(0%)

2(8%)

1(31%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Styling, Hi-Tech Sold Me

Pete G, 07/16/2021

2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)

I picked this particular Mercedes because it is a beautiful design and offers the same driver assistance features as the high end MB models: standard brake assist, lane keeping, front and rear cameras and sensors, blind spot and rear side warning. I added the optional full assist package with 360 “cameras” road sign reading and speed adjust, etc. On a well marked highway the car will … drive itself indefinitely with just a finger on the wheel. A tap on the turn signal stalk gets an automatic lane change when it’s clear ….. very convenient and I use the feature often. But styling alone would sell me on the car. The CLA looks especially good from the rear quarter where the curved roofline joins the simple curves of the lower body. The interior is years ahead of mid range MB models and competitors with a continuous multipart screen that covers most of the dash. The infotainment controls are doubly or even triply redundant with touch screen, steering wheel, and a pad controls for most functions. It is so much easier to use while driving than the iDrive system in my BMW that I actually use most of its features. There is a voice activated assist that gets simple commands right, but copes poorly with anything beyond that. For example trying to get the odometer reading bu asking (to avoid changing any of the driver’s three info screens to see the odometer), proved impossible. The promised computer learning curve so far, in over a year, is close to flat. The standard powered front seats are comfortable and roomy for average height people. Good leg room with thigh support extensions, but sexy styling provides minimal head room. Rear seat suffers more and space is very limited but we don’t use the CLA if we have more than two adults in the car. Engine performance is good. Turbo boost comes in smoothly, but the dual clutch 7 speed transmission is often jerky and hesitant while driving in traffic. It has three performance settings with comfort setting the default. I drive in sport setting in traffic because low gears are held longer and there are fewer shifts made. Any good manual driver will shift more smoothly than than this transmission. The CLA comes with more standard features than comparable BMW offerings but doesn’t offer equal performance. It is the “luxury” alternative and has an interior that beats most, if not all of its competitors as well as higher line models. Give this car a traditional torque converter transmission and I would give it 5 Stars.

Great Car

this is a great car, 07/07/2020

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4MATIC 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)

easy driving, comfortable, good pick up, looks great

A COMPLETELY NEW CLA

TOM, 05/20/2020

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)

I recently traded my old 2016 CLA 250 for a new 2020 CLA 250. Although I was happy with my 2016 the new model is totally different and substantially better. The previous negative review must have been out of the USA (and was a 2019 model) since MB doesn't even sell the 220 model in the US. I have had mine for 6 months and love it. It is significantly quieter and quicker and has a …

Awesome Car

Pharoah 2020, 02/07/2020

2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)

This car is really great so far. Swift acceleration, loaded with technology, and beautiful looking body

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, so we've included reviews for other years of the CLA-Class since its last redesign.

See all 13 reviews of the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

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2021 CLA-Class Highlights

Type:

Sedan

Trim:

CLA 250

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$37,850
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	29 MPG
Cost to Drive	$164/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	11.6 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the CLA-Class models:

Active Brake Assist: Warns of an impending front collision and applies the brakes if you don't react.
Blind-Spot Assist: Displays a warning triangle in the mirror if a car is in your blind spot and beeps if you activate a turn signal.
Attention Assist: Uses many sensors and other data to tell if you're getting fatigued and suggests a rest stop.

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2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Review

Price & Payment

2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.86 per gallon for premium unleaded in Virginia.}

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Styling, Hi-Tech Sold Me

Great Car

A COMPLETELY NEW CLA

Awesome Car

2021 CLA-Class Highlights

Safety

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2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Review

Price & Payment

2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.86 per gallon for premium unleaded in Virginia.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Styling, Hi-Tech Sold Me

Great Car

A COMPLETELY NEW CLA

Awesome Car

2021 CLA-Class Highlights

Safety

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Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.86 per gallon for premium unleaded in Virginia.}