ELECTRIC DREAM (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The Mercedes CLA 250+ with EQ Technology can reset your expectations for compact EVs. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 40

Mercedes re-imagines what a compact electric car can be with this EV version of the aspirational third generation CLA. This CLA 250+ with EQ Technology model sets a new standard for EV range in this segment that embarrasses the opposition.

Backgroundword count: 162

It seems like it's taken the motor industry an age to deliver a compact electric car with a similar driving range to a combustion-powered one, but at last it seems to be happening. That at least is what seems to be suggested by the subject of this review, the Mercedes CLA 250+ with EQ Technology. This car is saddled with a clumsy naming convention but the engineering behind it is anything but. With the result that Mercedes is claiming to have topped the magic 5.0mpkWh efficiency figure with this car. Let's translate that into real world terms for you; a predicted range of up to 492 miles between charges. That's just one of the things that marks out this very different third generation CLA, a model line that never previously offered an EV option. It never previously offered a self charging Hybrid either; that's the alternative to this EV. But Mercedes hopes you will want a full-electric CLA - and here's why.

Driving Experienceword count: 200

The technology on offer with the CLA 250+ with EQ Technology model is based around an 85kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery said to be capable of taking the car up to 492 miles between charges. Lots of clever engineering lies behind that attention-grabbing stat, a 268bhp front-mounted motor working with a Porsche Taycan-like two-speed gearbox, rather than the usual single-speed EV transmission. The idea is that this provides a short first ratio for quick launches and extra efficiency at town speeds; and a much longer second ratio to improve consumption at a cruise. 0-62mph takes 6.7s on the way to 130mph. As you'd expect, the brand also offers a twin motor EV model, the 'CLA 350 4MATIC with EQ Technology'. This gets an extra 107bhp motor with a single-speed gearbox on its front axle, giving a combined output of 349bhp, which cuts the 0-62mph sprint time to just 4.9s. Range remains impressive at 478 miles. For the future, there'll be an entry-level 58kWh CLA EV with a lower price but less advanced LFP lithium-ion-phosphate cells and a shorter range (expect about 300 miles). And a flagship Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4MATIC+ EV with a pair of Yasa-developed axial flux motors developing over 500bhp.

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