since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
Mercedes-Benz CLA electric is launched some seven months after its January preview during Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s celebration of the German marque’s 140th year since making its first automobile. On the local front, Mercedes-Benz also noted that its entry to the Malaysian market occurred more than 70 years ago.
As to the launch of the CLA electric, the four-door sporty sedan in red that was unveiled looked somewhat similar to the model that was presented at the January preview; or maybe Mercedes-Benz Malaysia prefers a red car to usher in prosperity and good fortune. Though currently imported, the CLA electric comes at an attractive price of RM274,888 on the road without insurance. This includes a four-year manufacturer’s warranty and an extended fifth-year limited warranty as well as four Compact Service packages.
To celebrate the return of Formula One to Malaysia, albeit as a stand-in venue for the Bahrain round due to the US-Iran standoff, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is capitalising on this new turn of events. The first 100 customers who pre-book the electric CLA, or the new electric GLC that is expected to be introduced soon, would receive passes to the upcoming Mercedes-AMG F1 party.
That’s an interesting distraction from what the new CLA 250+ electric is all about. Rather than come up with completely new EV (electric vehicle) models, Mercedes-Benz has chosen to develop EV models from the existing range. Nevertheless, the platform architecture would still need to be developed from the bottom up as it is totally different from that for an ICE (internal combustion engine) model.
The platform needs to accommodate the big battery that supplies electricity to the drive electric motor/s. It has to be sturdy to protect the battery in an accident, which is crucial in preventing a possible fire outbreak. The body could then be designed on that platform and keeping to models that are already known to Mercedes customers retain an air of familiarity and recognition.
It has an electric motor driving the rear wheels that is rated at 200kW (272hp) and 335Nm. An interesting note is the two-speed transmission; one is a low-ratio gear (11:1) that is good for initial acceleration and urban driving while the other is a high-ratio (5:1) gear that is like an overdrive for highway driving. Mercedes says the 250+ electric accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds and has a modest top speed (by Mercedes standards) of 210km/h. It has a good battery range of 792 kilometres (WTLP – Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure).
The other highlight is the 800-volt electrical architecture that is said to maximise efficiency and performance while significantly reducing charging time for the new generation battery. With this system, the CLA 250+ could be recharged up to 325 kilometres of range in just 10 minutes while fast DC charging is possible up to 320kW.
In this respect, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has introduced its MB.Charge Public with the CLA 250+ electric. Authentication is via the Mercedes‑Benz App and each charging process is automatically billed through MB.Charge Public. This App allows the owner to locate the nearest charging point in real time. When he arrives at the charge point, he could simply charge his Mercedes right away as he has already paid for it.
This service is arranged with all the companies operating the charging stations in Malaysia, which are some 3000 charge points in 1000 locations at the moment. At the same time, for Mercedes customers driving to Singapore, arrangements are also made with companies operating charge points there too, for a grand total of 10,000 charge stations.
According to Nadia Trimmel, Chief Operating Officer, Mercedes-Benz Car Malaysia, some 60 per cent of the charge points in Malaysia could charge the 800-volt electric system of the CLA 250+. She added that the Malaysian operators were also upgrading their charge systems to handle the higher charge needs of high voltage electric vehicles.
The CLA 250+ electric is said to be the ‘cleverest Mercedes-Benz ever’ as it is the first vehicle to operate entirely on the in-house developed Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS). As the ‘brain’ of the car, it controls three areas – infotainment, body and comfort, and driving and charging. MB.OS is said to help decouple hardware and software, making software development faster and more adaptable.
Furthermore, the vehicle is equipped with supercomputers connected to the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Cloud. Mercedes says this enables over-the-air updates of the entire vehicle software, including driving assistance systems, for the first time. This keeps the new CLA electric up-to-date for years, somewhat akin to a smartphone that regularly receives new apps and extended functions.
Yet another note here is that the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) Virtual Assistant now runs on the new MB.OS. Mercedes says this marks the start of the fourth-generation MBUX, which is the world’s first in-car infotainment system to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) from Microsoft and Google, combining multiple AI agents in one system for the first time.
That’s a lot of firsts but our attention is more on the three-display screen that runs from the left to the right of the dashboard. This is not exactly a new dashboard design as we had come across a similar one in the flagship EQS 580 that we drove to Penang in late 2023. The full dashboard screen in the CLA electric comprises a 10.25-inch driver display and two 14-inch central and passenger display, all with LCD (liquid crystal display) technology.
In body styling, the fastback sporty four-door sits on a long wheelbase of 2790mm with short overhangs, a shark-nose front and a distinctive GT rear. There is also greater use of the Mercedes star avatar on the front grille and rear light cluster, which seems a bit gimmicky although some Mercedes owner might relate well to that.
The new nose panel with the illuminated Mercedes-Benz pattern is said to interpret the ‘classic’ chrome grille. Accompanying the large iconic Mercedes-Benz star are 142 chrome-effect stars to portray a distinctive brand signature. This illuminated grille is even more special in that it greets and bids farewell to the driver with various animations.
Dimensionally, the new electric CLA is about 40 millimetres longer than its predecessor at 4,723 millimetres. The wheelbase is increased by more than 60 millimetres to 2,790 millimetres. Mercedes says the driver and front passenger have slightly more legroom (plus 11mm). Passengers in both seat rows also have more headroom: an increase of 16 and 28 millimetres (front/rear). This is due to the higher roofline and panoramic roof.
Another interesting note is that the new electric CLA is the first modern Mercedes-Benz with a frunk (front trunk). It offers 101 litres of additional load space that is seen as ideal for a luggage trolley, a crate of 0.33-litre bottles or the charging cable. This makes it bigger and more useful than in the Mercedes-Benz 130 (W 23) from the 1930s, which was the brand’s first vehicle with a frunk. At the rear, the luggage compartment offers 405 litres of space.
The CLA electric comes with a steel-sprung comfort suspension featuring a newly developed three-link front axle. The lower control arm comprises the transverse and thrust arms, both made of forged aluminium. As with a McPherson configuration, the strut guides the wheel and is directly connected to the steering knuckle.
The third link, the tie rod, is part of the rack-and-pinion steering. The transverse steering gear is positioned in front of the wheel centre, leading to the desired self-steering behaviour and precise steering response. The steering knuckle, connecting the lower control arm with the strut and supporting the wheel and brake system, is made of cast aluminium. In addition to lightweight construction, Mercedes says high camber stiffness was prioritised for this component, creating the best conditions for good steering response and low noise.
At the rear is a newly developed multi-link axle. This high-quality suspension concept is well known from Mercedes-Benz vehicles from the mid- and full-size classes, and now also available in this segment. Also standard to the CLA electric are the familiar 19-inch AMG 5-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels that are aerodynamically refined to complement the car’s good body aerodynamics.
In all respect, the latest CLA 250+ electric is everything a Mercedes-Benz is designed to be; from its wide array of features, dynamic and passive safety systems, comfort and accommodation, head-turning styling details, good performance for an EV, to name some. And if you are the first 100 to pre-book it, welcome to the Mercedes-AMG F1 party at Sepang International Circuit in October.
