Launched in 2013 from Kecskemet, Hungary, the C 117 brought coupe styling to the compact class on the MFA architecture, with a 0.22 drag coefficient in its most efficient version.
Built only at Kecskemet in Hungary from January 2013, the Mercedes-Benz CLA C117 came with four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, manual or dual-clutch gearboxes, and Urban, AMG Line and Sport trim lines. Its Shooting Brake estate followed in March 2015.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA, internally known as the 117, is a four-door saloon that Mercedes-Benz presented as a four-door coupe in January 2013. It was built only at Kecskemet in Hungary, and it sold 59,200 units worldwide in its first sales year. Its basic lines follow the larger CLS, and it sits on the MFA front-wheel-drive architecture.
Where did the CLA come from?
The design started with the Concept Style Coupe, shown at the Beijing Motor Show in April 2012. The C 117 was the third model built on the MFA architecture. Its basic lines and proportions followed the larger, higher-positioned CLS, which had set the four-door coupe concept in the upper class in 2004.
Mercedes-Benz presented the C 117 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin on 15 January 2013. Production began on 25 January 2013 at Kecskemet, the only production site, and the car went on sale across Europe on 13 April 2013.
The manufacturer describes the four-door saloon as a four-door coupe. The concept was meant to be realised in the compact class as well.
A four-door coupe for the compact class, built at one Hungarian plant and rated at 0.22 for drag in its most efficient version.
How did the CLA's drivetrain differ from the C-Class?
The C-Class, of similar size, uses rear-wheel drive, while the CLA is front-wheel drive. For reasons of space, the CLA was offered only with four-cylinder engines.
The front axle is a MacPherson design. The rear is a newly developed four-link axle, which improved handling and allowed the all-wheel-drive 4MATIC system to be added later. At first only front-wheel-drive variants were offered, and the chassis came with several suspension settings.
Steering is a dual-pinion electromechanical system, with the electric motor mounted directly on the steering gear. The optional sport suspension, which comes with direct steering, drops the front by 15 mm and the rear by 10 mm.
What made the CLA aerodynamic?
According to the manufacturer, the CLA is one of the most slippery production cars in the world. The CLA 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition, tuned for aerodynamics and fuel efficiency, has an official drag coefficient of 0.22. A long bonnet, a narrow window graphic and frameless side windows give the body its coupe profile.
The front resembles that of the A-Class, although the headlamps and the side air intakes in the apron differ. The radiator mask with the Mercedes-Benz star is designed separately rather than blended into the bonnet, and the frameless side windows are a distinguishing feature in this class.
In side view, the creases on the flanks run towards each other at the rear. The roof is flattened in the manner of a coupe, and the arched tail ends in a slightly sloping, indicated tail. Almond-shaped tail lamps wrap widely around the rear. The fuel filler sits on the left, which is unusual for Mercedes-Benz.
What is inside the CLA?
The interior borrows its layout from the A- and B-Class. Basic cars have a three-spoke wheel with an aluminium double spoke taken from the CLS, two analogue round dials framing a multifunction display, and a central screen that measures 14.7 cm, growing to 17.8 cm when navigation is chosen.
The electric parking brake replaces the handbrake and releases automatically when the car pulls away, which freed the space for two storage compartments. Dual-clutch cars have no gear lever, and the radio and navigation are operated by a rotary-push knob in front of the centre armrest.
The basic car came with ASR, ABS, BAS and ESP, a six-speed manual with Eco start-stop and a gear-shift indicator, and power-assisted parameter steering. Air conditioning, heat-insulating green glass, four electric windows, the Audio 20 CD radio with a CD and DVD player, Bluetooth and six loudspeakers were also included, along with heated electric mirrors and a heated rear window.
Which engines and gearboxes were offered?
At market launch five engines were offered, all with four cylinders. The petrol options started with a 1.6-litre (97.6 cu in) turbo direct-injection unit in 90 kW (122 PS; 120 hp) form, and the CLA 250 used a two-litre turbocharged engine with 155 kW (211 PS; 208 hp). The CLA 45 AMG, offered from June 2013, reached 265 kW (360 PS; 355 hp).
The diesel line-up began with the strongest variant of the OM 651 engine, the CLA 220 CDI. Its 2.1-litre (128.2 cu in) unit produced 125 kW (170 PS; 168 hp). From September 2014 the CLA 200 CDI grew from 1.8 litres (109.8 cu in) to 2.1 litres (128.2 cu in) and was also offered with all-wheel drive as the CLA 200 CDI 4MATIC.
The two less powerful petrol engines used a newly developed six-speed manual. The F-SG 310 gearbox is 345 mm (13.6 in) long and weighs 46 kg (101 lb) dry. Its upper shaft runs outside the oil bath, which cuts drag torque and keeps the shift smooth in cold running.
The automatic is the seven-speed 7G-DCT, developed by Daimler itself. It is split into two halves, each with its own multi-plate clutch running in oil, so a gear change happens without a break in traction. The unit measures 367 mm (14.5 in) in length and tips the scales at 86 kg (190 lb). Its gear spread of 7.99 was chosen to give strong low-gear torque.
The driver can choose Economy, Sport, or manual shifting with paddles behind the wheel. In the automatic programmes, automatic mode returns after 10 seconds without further manual shifts, and that time is extended on a downhill or a winding road.
How safe and assisted was the CLA?
The CLA came with Collision Prevention Assist as standard. It is a radar-based collision warning with an adaptive brake assistant, and it works from 7 km/h (4 mph) upwards. The car also had seven airbags and the Attention Assist drowsiness warner, and the brake hold and hill start assist were standard too.
Buyers could add Pre-Safe, the Distronic Plus cruise control with distance regulation, a high-beam assistant that adapts to traffic, a blind-spot warning with lane keeping, sign recognition, a parking aid, voice control and a rear camera.
When Collision Prevention Assist and Distronic Plus are both fitted, an independent braking action can be started at speeds of up to about 200 km/h (124 mph) if a collision threatens and the driver does not reduce speed.
Which trim lines and special models were offered?
Two trim lines sat above the base car, Urban and AMG Line, and the CLA 250 Sport was developed in collaboration with Mercedes-AMG GmbH. Special models included the Night package, the Exclusive package, the Edition 1 and the PEAK Edition.
The Urban line added twin-flow exhaust tailpipes with square stainless-steel trims, a silver rear diffuser, a black diamond grille with a chrome slat and 18-inch five-spoke light-alloy wheels. Its sport suspension sits 20 mm lower at the nose and 15 mm lower at the tail, and the comfort suspension can be chosen instead.
The AMG Line added AMG front, side and rear skirts, 18-inch AMG wheels with five double spokes, perforated brake discs and a sport pedal set. Its integral sport seats have red contrast stitching, and the multifunction sport steering wheel is flattened at the bottom.
From December 2013 the CLA 250 Sport was offered as a special sport model, further developed by AMG itself. It has a diamond grille with a single slat, red brake calipers on both axles and sport badges on the wings. The engine, gearbox and ESP tuning were all reworked in a sportier direction.
The Night package, which cannot be combined with the basic equipment, adds black-painted 18-inch wheels and dark-tinted windows from the B-pillar back. The Exclusive package brings heated front leather seats and leather-trimmed panels.
What did the CLA cost, and what could buyers add?
The petrol CLA 180 started at 28,976.50 euros, and the diesel entry model cost 31,178.00 euros. Buyers could add the 7G-DCT dual-clutch gearbox, a cruise control with a variable speed limiter, two-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, and heated seats for the driver and front passenger.
Lighting and navigation were on the list too: bi-xenon headlamps, the Intelligent Light System, and fog lamps, which were available only with standard reflector headlamps. The integrated navigation system drew two-dimensional maps and, in some cases, three-dimensional graphics on the standard screen.
The multimedia system could show its graphics in 3D and carried the Linguatronic voice control, while the surround system used twelve loudspeakers with an output of 450 watts. Rear side airbags, the Pre-Safe occupant protection system, an active parking assistant with Parktronic and a reversing camera rounded out the options.
Special editions and their extras
At market launch the Edition 1 was available for one year on request. It bundled the AMG Line, the Night package and bi-xenon headlamps, with a black slat in the radiator grille, a rear diffuser in body colour and microfibre seats with yellow stitching throughout the cabin.
The PEAK Edition, from 9 January 2017, was built on the AMG Line for the A-Class, B-Class, CLA and GLA. It added an exclusive 18-inch or 19-inch wheel and LED headlamps, the Light and Sight package, an 8-inch display and seat heating, together with embroidered EDITION floor mats and an exclusive film finish that could be deselected.
The CLA's engines met the Euro 6 emissions standard at market launch. From November 2014 the CLA 220 CDI (4MATIC) produced an extra 5 kW (7 PS) on vehicles delivered from early November 2014 onwards.
Specifications at a glance
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Presented | 15 January 2013, Berlin |
| Production start | 25 January 2013, Kecskemet, Hungary |
| European launch | 13 April 2013 |
| Drag coefficient | 0.22 (CLA 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition) |
| Entry petrol | CLA 180, 90 kW (122 PS; 120 hp) |
| CLA 250 petrol | 155 kW (211 PS; 208 hp) |
| Diesel at launch | CLA 220 CDI, 2.1-litre (128.2 cu in), 125 kW (170 PS; 168 hp) |
| Performance model | CLA 45 AMG, 265 kW (360 PS; 355 hp) |
| Manual gearbox | F-SG 310, 345 mm (13.6 in), 46 kg (101 lb) |
| Dual-clutch gearbox | 7G-DCT, 367 mm (14.5 in), 86 kg (190 lb) |
| Entry price | 28,976.50 euros (CLA 180) |
| Diesel entry price | 31,178.00 euros |
| First sales year | 59,200 units worldwide |
| Whole 117 series | About 750,000 units, both body variants |
Why did the CLA matter?
The CLA reached buyers from outside the brand. In its first sales year around half of its customers had not previously driven a Mercedes-Benz model.
The Shooting Brake, a station-wagon version, was presented at the end of 2014 and launched on 28 March 2015. It keeps the frameless side windows and the coupe-like detailing while adding the versatility of an estate. A revised version arrived in 2016, and the successor 118 series was shown in January 2019.
The C 117 has also been a canvas for outside artists. In May 2015 the German musician Cro used spray cans, paint pens and paint to design the exterior of one example, and since April 2017 that car has been on display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
