Mercedes-Benz, the German luxury car manufacturer, has finally lunched its much-awaited entry-level sedan- the CLA Class in the Indian car market. Based on the MFA (Mercedes-Benz Front-Wheel Architecture) that also underpins the range of affordable Mercedes cars in India including A-Class, B-Class and GLA-Class, the CLA sedan will rival against the recently introduced- Audi A3 sedan. Here is a specification-based comparison between the CLA and A3 sedans.
Dimensions
Dimensionally, the Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan is 4691mm in length, 2032mm in width (Including External Mirrors) or 1700mm and 1416mm in height. On the other hand, its arch rival- the A3 sedan is 4,456mm long, 1,796mm wide and 1,416mm high. While the CLA sedan has a wheelbase of 2600mm, the Audi A3 sedan wheelbase stands at 2,637mm. Both models offer the same ground clearance of 160mm, which is pretty decent for Indian roads.
Engine Specifications
Both models are available in petrol as well as diesel fuel options. The petrol version of the Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan is powered by a 2.0-litre, in-line 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that churns out a maximum power output of 181bhp at 5500rpm and a peak torque of 300Nm between 1200-1400rpm. The oil burner is a 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged unit that is good for 134bhp between 3600-4400rpm and a peak torque of 300Nm between 1600-3000rpm. Both engines are coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox which sends the power to front wheels.
The Audi A3 petrol version is propelled by a 1.8-litre TFSI engine that also powers the Skoda Octavia. This engine is capable of producing 180bhp of power between 5100-6200rpm and a peak torque of 250Nm between 1250rpm to 5000rpm. This engine is clubbed to a seven-speed S-tronic transmission. The oil burner is the 2.0-litre 4-cylinder unit that produces 143bhp between 3500-4000rpm and a peak torque of 320Nm at 1750-3000rpm. This engine is mated to a six-speed S-tronic gearbox.
Mileage
The 2.0L TDI powered Audi A3 sedan is claimed to return an excellent ARAI certified fuel economy of 20.38kmpl, while the petrol version of the saloon delivers a good mileage of 16.6kmpl. The diesel version of the Mercedes CLA is claimed to return a decent mileage of 17.9kmpl, while the petrol version returns an ARAI certified fuel economy of 15.04kmpl. Here, Audi A3 sedan outsmarts the CLA sedan.
Price
The entry-level variant of the Audi A3 is priced at Rs. 22.95 lakh, while the top-spec model costs Rs. 32.66 lakh. The petrol version of the sedan is tagged at Rs. 28.95 lakh, ex-showroom New Delhi. The diesel variant of the CLA sedan is priced at Rs. 31.5 lakh, while the petrol version is tagged at Rs. 35 lakh, ex-showroom New Delhi.
