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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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.