It has certainly been a busy week for Mercedes-Benz Malaysia – the company first launched the W222 S-Class last Tuesday, and on Saturday night at the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 party officially introduced the CLA-Class in the country, after showcasing the car throughout the week in Suria KLCC.
UPDATE: We’ve driven the Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 – read our full review here.
As previously intimated, both CLA 200 and CLA 45 AMG are the variants that will be sold here. Unlike the W176 A-Class, there’s no 250 version for the C117, so you’ll have to make do with one of these two if you’re into the sedan. The CLA 200 rolls in at RM235,888, which is a RM37k premium over its A-Class hatch sibling.
Pricing for the CLA 45 AMG hasn’t yet been confirmed – it was announced that the estimated price for the car is RM400,000 at this point (like the A 45 AMG was when it was introduced and before its eventual RM348,888 pricing was officially confirmed), but expect it to be lower when the final rate comes about.
The powertrains on both cars are familiar units – the CLA 200 is equipped with the same Camtronic-equipped M 270 DE 16 AL 1.6 litre mill as found on the A 200, with 154 hp at 5,000 rpm and 250 Nm at 1,250 to 4,000 rpm for output numbers.
The lump is mated to a seven-speed 7G-DCT transmission, and performance figures for the 1,430 kg vehicle include a 0-100 km/h time of 8.5 seconds and a 230 km/h top speed. Standard kit includes Attention Assist drowsiness detection, Active Parking Assist and radar-based Collision Prevention Assist with adaptive Brake Assist, which is now active from seven km/h on (previously, it was above 30 km/h). Also on, a Direct Steer electromechanical power steering system.
As seen in previous spyshot sets, the CLA 200 comes dressed in an Urban equipment line, complete with a two-pipe exhaust system, a chrome rear diffuser cutout and interior decorative trim done in silver chrome, as well as a Night Package, identifiable by the black wing mirror caps and high-gloss waistline trim strip.
Wheels are 18-inch two-tone, twin-spoke units, shod with 225/40 rubbers. As for the interior scheme, the launch car had a full black interior, as opposed to the crystal grey/black combination seen in the initial spyshot set.
The CLA 45 AMG, meanwhile, made its debut showing in the country in its Edition 1 form. It of course has the same hand-built 2.0 litre turbocharged engine – offering 360 hp and 450 Nm – as seen on the A 45 AMG, and like the hatch, there’s an AMG Speedshift DCT 7-speed sports transmission and AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive on this one. Wheels are 19-inch units, wrapped with 235/35 series rubbers.
We hear that, like in the case of the A-Class when it arrived, response for the CLA-Class has been brisk – the first batch of the CBU offering has been snapped up, and at the going rate, potential customers can expect a bit of a wait, especially in the case of the CLA 45 AMG.
