Used 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2016 CLA-Class, so we've included reviews for other years of the CLA-Class since its last redesign.
Fun, beautiful, unreliable, overpriced car
coder, 03/31/2017
updated 10/05/2021
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
17 of 20 people found this review helpful
The 2014 Cla-250 is beautiful, great road handling, effective brakes. Lots of low end torque, surprisingly great hwy mileage. I get 35-42 MPG depending on how I drive. The interior and controls are well laid out. The car is fun to drive and behaves in an intuitive way. E.g.: if you open the door while the transmission is not in "park" the car will warn you and put the shifter in "park". Rather nice Harmann Kardon stereo (but no flac or hi-res content support), useless factory Gps (some off-brand German "Becker"). Small, (non touch operated) awkward looking display, no backup camera. Overall, the car interior is not nearly as nice as a higher end Benz model e.g. a c300. Dislikes: 1) Incessant premature front rotor wear and warping. I had mine replaced 2x under warranty because of pulsating brake pedal. The 3rd time they wanted a ton of money, I swapped it out myself to Brembo rotors and ceramic pads, Total out of pocket for parts: $250, then again and again... Over 100K miles on the car, and rotors are a definite trouble spot. I found this the most annoying problem with the car. I get only 10 to 20K miles out of a set of rotors, and I have to replace them because of excessive brake pedal pulsation. More of a problem in the front. It was manageable because I did the brake work myself, but if I had to take it the dealer, this alone woudl have been a budget buster. 2) Water pump failure, engine overheat. Covered under warranty. I have a strange rattle ever since the water pump was replaced. Sounds like they failed to put some engine mount bolt back, but refuse to deal with it. " What ? We cant hear nuthing". 3) Radar sensor failures (multiple) (Covered under warranty) 4) Speaker failure (Bose,rear left) Covered under warranty, but seriously? 5) Run flat tire sidewall bubble. Not covered under warranty, Swapped out the tires to non-run flats. 6) Recent bizarre window behavior: the one-touch window up feature stopped working. I have to hold the button to make the window go all the way up. Once it does, it rolls down about 1/4" all by itself. I have to make it go up again, and then it stays up. Oh btw, it was doing this for a couple of days, and now it is working again as it is supposed to: one touch take it all the way up, no roll down. 7) Strange auto-transmission behavior: every now and then I experience jerky shifting at low speeds. It does this a few times, then it works fine for months. 8) Soft paint, and OEM glass. Within the past year (exactly 1 year apart) I had to replace my windshield 2x. First time a small pebble caused a palm size spiderweb crack. Replaced w genuine MB branded windshield. A year later I was replacing a wiper blade and the arm slipped out of my hands and hit the windshield, causing a huge 12 inch crack. The autoglass place installed Pilkington glass this time which seems to be holding up. Exterior paint scratches super easy. 9) Annoying sqeaks and rattles, e.g.: the cup holder insert makes a sort of squeegee-ish noise. 10) The warranty is meh, and non-warranty dealer service is robbery-expensive. 11) The car likes high-octane fuel and runs noticeably worse with "regular" gasoline. Parts are on the expensive side. E.g.: a new (AGM) battery is $300. I finally killed the car, hit a tree head on. The car was totaled but I walked away from it, so the crash safety features are apparently good. Frontal collision at 40mph, and the front airbag did not deploy, it should have. Overall impression: For the money you spend, you buy a lot more car and less trouble, if you went with different Luxury brand, e.g. a Genesys. Lexus, or Infinity. I see no rational reason to get one of these, if you care about saving money at all... You pay a premium up front, and you pay a premium on maintenance. The clever marketing promises you will be perceived as more successful, and envied by everybody because you are driving a Benz. In reality you will likely not bask in the warm glow of the admiration of your peers, more likely you will see negative feelings from your fellow motorists. If you are well-off enough to not care about the poor price/value proposition and high maintenance cost, go for it, but then you may consider one of the higher end Benz models. like the C class. The "entry level Benz" concept does not make much sense to me. I did not replace my CLA with another Benz, although in 2020 the new A class seems like a better built car. The MB dealers seem to assume you are either rich, or want to appear rich, and you are willing top pay for that appearance. I ended up getting a Hyundai Kona Limited EV (Fully electric) , which is not nearly as much fun to drive but, so far trouble free (and mostly maintenance free).
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Worst Mecedes - Kept for less than a year
jinoc, 04/03/2015
updated 10/06/2017
2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
23 of 28 people found this review helpful
This is not going to try to explain that the least expensive Mercedes Benz is comparable to better cars I've owned. I think the reasons why you'd pick this car over it's competition (A3, 228i) are mostly a matter of personal taste and priorities. In this case, attractive lines and styling and a terrific stereo. Their Premium package adds a lot of the must-have features in my opinion, so that's probably something to consider. Driving the car is a disappointment- the transmission shifts are rough, seat comfort is poor, and it picks up a lot of road noise. This is a car for someone that does not enjoy driving as much as how they look driving. Back seats are useless, no coat hook, no headroom and no legroom. Fit and finish are not up to par - you know you are in a cheap car after diving it around for a while. The hope perhaps is that you would be so distracted with the odd and obnoxiously large info-screen that seems to be a design afterthought, and admittedly a great stereo. If I were 19, this is a good car. Can you get a loaded VW TDI or Mustang for the less money? Yes of course. Is a 228 or an A3 more fun to drive - yes.
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2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class for sale near you
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- CLA 250 SedanMSRP: $3,700111 mi away
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The AMG working people can afford
abndoc73, 07/06/2014
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA45 AMG 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
This car is great to drive and brings a smile to my face every time I start it up. Yes, the ride is firm and with 355 hp you need to feel that. But, driving on the autobahn at 140mph you have no issues taking turns.
First time lease
Christin, 07/05/2016
2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
Let me begin by saying this is my first new car, ever. This is my first Mercedes & luxury vehicle. I am accustomed to the Mazda3 & GMC work truck...that being said, anything new is a significant step up so take this review with a grain of salt. For a "basic" CLA250 model I am impressed with the gorgeous bodylines & technology. The keyless entry has become common, but for me this is new & so convenient. There are 4 or maybe 5 different driving settings. I'm not a huge car person but I was so impressed by the significant changes I could feel by switching mode from comfort to sport or ECO. This car is very polished inside & out. I scored a great lease special, be sure to look out for them online. I assumed this was not doable & I would get a new Mazda3 or something practical...so happy I "splurged" (mind you, my payments are LESS then my USED Mazda3). I got a really amazing car, to me at least. Even my grandparents who have been frequent Mercedes customers, loved my new "beginner model" CLA 250 inside & out. Side note, I am a petite girl...this vehicle suits me perfectly! My boyfriend is 6'2 & he says he fits comfortably in the passenger seat however when the sea is that far back it is difficult to have ample visibility when backing up. lol.
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Awesome
pothmer, 06/17/2014
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA45 AMG 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
Happiness is AMG. Love this car. Never had an AMG before, so can't compare it to other AMG's. Had a BMW M3 (sweet car) and this is better. (RWD super cars are undriveable in snow. Unless you get high-performance snow tires--then they are tanks...except that one time when you hit throttle on a wintry turn, rear wheels slide out, plant themselves into a curb and the axle breaks). But Mercedes has 4matic (which is a technical term 4magic; or "hand of God" if you don't believe in magic). The CLA45 has 4matic, 4 doors, 355hp and 332 lb ft. Torque.
I love everything about driving this car!!!
Angellette, 02/06/2016
2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
I got this car fully loaded as a birthday gift from my husband August 2015. I love driving it and it will go. Its excellent on gas we've made two trips to thr south part of Georgia so far. It took hardly no gas. It's hard for me to drive my CTS now. Not because of the comfort, because the CTS is definitely comfortable. But the CTS feel heavy after you drive the CLA all the time. I have no complaints. The only thing I would change is the material that the storage compartments are made from. But overall I love this car!!!
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Fantastic Car
0815, 05/07/2014
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA250 4MATIC 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Just got the CLA a couple of weeks ago - sticker price of 42K for the 4matic, premium package, multimedia package, driver assist, moon roof, light package, ..., jupiter red. Lots of features for that price. Car feels very luxurious and is fantastic to drive. Very fast and smooth, feels very secure to drive. Just love everything about it. Also is the first car where when I park it, I often get comments like "wow, awesome care". Definitely a head turner Definitely not a family care (or for people over 6 ft) - but still big enough to pickup the kids from time to time from school - for other family events we still have an SUV. Trunk in the CLA is surprisingly big and gas milage is great
Great Car
ericjohnsoncpa, 07/15/2014
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Fun to drive, love the car. The tires make the ride a little bit bumpy, but the rest of the car is great. Handles great and I love the power. It is a sports sedan so don't expect a roomy back seat even though at 6'1 I can sit in the back seat just fine. The gas mileage is better than the govt. ratings. I get 39 on the why and 33 in combined driving. I highly recommend this car.
Beautiful on the outside, junk on the inside!
Arthur Vandalay, 07/17/2015
2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA250 4MATIC 4dr Sedan AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
30 of 40 people found this review helpful
We sold our beloved 2010 Toyota Camry SE V6 ( Awesome Car!) to purchase the CLA because of the design and what we thought was an upgrade and entry in to the luxury market. We received lots of compliments at stop lights and parking lots and such (felt good). Having owned the car for approximately 1.5 years, we started to get the not so good feeling of multiple trips to the dealer. It began with the rattles in the interior, the console, the driver side visor, airbag lights, electrical shortages etc. It was embarrassing to have my co-workers in the car with rattles coming from all parts of the interior. I would recommend purchasing the maintenance package, which we found to be a good value if you so decide to purchase this lawnmower of a car. The CLA is a poor performing car, sluggish acceleration and extremely noisy. Mercedes attempt to enter the Eco friendly engine world is less than refined in this farm tractor sounding engine. The CLA lacks character on the inside unless you upgrade to a higher package for a lot more money. Compared to less expensive compact brands ( Corolla, Honda Civic) the CLA's interior seems that it was made out of plastic milk jugs and lacks basic standard amenities such as back up camera. Why pay 30K to drive a Mercedes emblem? the annoyance with the car as well as the dealership experience became vile hate, where no one wanted to drive the car, instead opting to drive our other non luxury cars. Finally, we gave up and broke the lease took the 3K hit and leased a Lexus GS350 oh what a difference, even the ES 250 was a better driving car and you get luxury and finesse. In closing the CLA is a genuine junk and the Mercedes product manager who decided to enter this category, with this poor quality of a product should be taken out to pasture and put to sleep. Good riddance Mercedes CLA never again anything Mercedes.. Don't do it!
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MBZ Girl Loves This Car!
MBZ Girl, 08/28/2020
2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class CLA 250 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Do your due diligence, of course, before buying any vehicle-we all know that. I really enjoy this car. I’ve had both a Porsche convertible and a Mercedes sedan prior to Purchasing this CLA250. With the CLA, I enjoy the easy drive and the fact that it’s sporty. It’s a 4-door car with a two-door feel. It has plenty of power, trunk space, and the rear seats fold down. Maintenance is as expected with MB. I love this car!