The Mercedes CLA first came to Indiain 2014 in the form of the CLA45 AMG. The CLA facelift has now been launched globally and if we take a cue from the Mercedes A200 update last year, we can expect the CLA facelift to be here within this calendar year. The CLA facelift gets a few upgrades inside and a few nips and tucks on the outside.
The diamond grille in black is now standard across the trims and the mesh grilles on the air dam have been reworked for a bit more aggression. The Mercedes CLA continues to get its evocative lines that blend in with the Mercedes family face. The multi-spoke alloys are the only change to the side profile. The tail looks almost the same again with a few changes to the rear bumper.
In terms of luxury, the premium sedan continues with its list of leather upholstery, power adjustable seats, adjustable steering for rake and reach, sunroof et al. It also gets driving modes now where the engine and transmission characteristics change to optimise power delivery instead of the standard economy function. On the inside, the display for the infotainment system has been tweaked in terms of its appearance and also gets latest software like Android Auto and Apple Car Play for seamless integration of your smartphones.
The India-bound car will continue to get CLA 200 petrol and the CLA 200d diesel engine options – the ones offered in India. The 2143cc four pot turbo-diesel produces 136bhp of power and 300Nm of torque while the 1.6-litre four cylinder petrol mill produces 156bhp of power and 200Nm of torque. Both the engines are mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission with steering mounted paddle shifters and power the front wheels of the sedan.
For us in India, the CLA facelift will be on the cards for the German manufacturer as a part of its schedule of 12 launches in 2016. The updated Mercedes CLA coupe and the CLA shooting brake are also expected to be launched in the next week and mid-April respectively.
