papromike

I honestly cannot believe that MBZ put their badge on the CLA and GLA line of cars.

They are in no way , shape or form a True Mercedes, (especially when compared to an E-Class)

Here are few observations

1. Engine is Buzzy with tons of vibrations might as well be a Hyundai or Kia
2. Interior Fit and Finish is substandard
Cheap Plastic Materials
Seats are Hard and lack Support
Door panel has rattles and just doesnt feel "Solid" like the E
(IMHO, the Audi A3 and A4 are WAAY better built at this price range)
The Radio Nav Screen looks like an aftermarket piece glued to the Dash.
3. Ride is terrible (bucks and shakes over bumps)

The only upside is the back up camera has the lines that follows the wheels turning with distance markers.


If it were me and that is the price range of the MBZ I could afford and had to have new, I would move on.... ITs really a POS...

Dissapointed in MBZ for building this junk...

Airmousam

What else would you get if you had a 33k budget and shopping for a small cross over? The A3/4 would be shopped against the CLA and C300/400.

papromike

this thing has a dealer tag on it of $39,500!

for that kind of Coin, I would buy a CPO E350, but if I was looking at a small SUV

IT would be the Audi Q3.... Much better and it feels like and AUDI..

You can drive a Q3, Q5 or Q7 and they all feel pretty similar

Im just surprised that Mercedes went this cheap on the thing.... it just feels like a cheap car

homeofstone

Actually the V8 engine in my Hyundai Genesis is quieter and smoother than my Mercedes engines and has 385hp. What you said about Hyundai/Kia may have been true 15 years ago but not now. That being said, I agree that the CLA is not up to the standard of what a Mercedes should be.

Mud

I agree with the above observations with the exception of the H/K reference. The Genesis is a very nice car, friend has one and it's quite impressive. Kids had an Optima that was quiet and smooth, lots of features, and no problems.
I've had 3 C-class loaners, one 2014 and two 2015. In all cases and my entirely subjective opinion they were a big step down from my "old" E-350. One key thing I noticed on all 3 was the engines were a clattering mess, on 2 of them I actually pulled the dipstick to check the oil level. I park in covered parking and it was embarrassing to hear the echoes in there. If you want a C-Class go test drive an Accord first or buy a used E-Class for what you were going to spend.

DoberdadinMD

These observations match my experience last week with a loaner GLA so closely my wife asked if I had written the original post!

CarolinaBluetec

As I said in a similar thread, Mercedes is not good at building "cheap" cars.

Newzchspy

Seems the Consumer Reports (strictly from a reliability standpoint) is also echoing your ^ ^ ^ sentiments as well!! The ratings on the cars is just horrible.

Foozini

I had a GLK for a couple of days as a loaner while my E550 was in the shop (bad starter... common problem apparently) and had the same sort of experience. It was so nice to get my E-Class back from them!

The ride wasn't as nice, the power wasn't there (well... I do have the V8), and don't get me started on my new-found hatred for "Eco" mode!

PeterUbers

Don't insult Hyundai by comparing it to the gla/cla... They've taken years to get economical vehicles buttoned up and well built for their class. These new Benz' leave a lot to be desired!

equetefue

I agree with some of your comments but not those about Hyundai/Kia. Is ignorant to say they are bad cars. They have come a long way and their latest offering are quite nice.

Years ago my gf had a Santa fe and that thing was freakin bulletproof.

K-A

I'm convinced that the GLA/CLA are bad jokes by M-B. Namely the GLA with its probably worst and most goofily immature design I've come across. AMG makes them riotous fun, but hardly livable insanely high strung 4 bangers, but that's about it (and the regular models drive like crap). The suspension on the CLA is so bad it's said to be volatile. CR said it was so bad that it rates "150% worse than the average car". These are not good things for a prestigious brand like M-B. Nevermind the garbage interiors and rides.

They've also contributed to dragging M-B's quality rankings through the mud last year. Didn't M-B already learn about what happens when you let marketers and bean counters run the company? They came so far and as soon as they started regaining quality of their glory days, it's like they release a new car a week, and they seem to get successively uglier.

At their price points, they're grossly overpriced from cars that do everything as well, or maybe even better, due to the badge premium. Problem is, they risk dragging said brand down to affect the premium employed on the higher margin big boy models. Which starts with quality ratings. I said this elsewhere, but typical high market buyers don't care about JD/CR results, rightfully so, that is a different consumer base. But with the GLA/CLA, M-B is now pandering to the very consumer base who does care.

alsyli

A Mazda CX-5? I'd save $5000 and probably have something that drives much better. Or maybe wait for the replacement for the Tiguan.

The GLA looks like a lifted Golf. I think I'd rather have the Golf.

Airmousam

Funny you say that, saw a Cx-5 commercial last night, and I'd agree, my son and daughter both have Mazda 3's and they have been very reliable:

looney100

When I dropped off the E250 this week, they were going to give me a CLA. Fortunately I noticed it on the key tag, and asked for something bigger. He then walked me out too GLA, which I also asked for a pass on. Ended up in a new C300.
I didn't realize how much smaller the C300 was vs. The E Class until I parked it in the garage and saw all the extra space around it.

El Cid

My choice was the Nissan Rogue with everything except AWD for less than $30K. Course, you could debate crossover vs. SUV, but to me not a significant difference.
Hyundai and Kia make very good cars - and back them with a 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty and a regular warranty longer than M-B's. Why can't "The Best or Nothing" do that? Oh, and I know from experience Hyundai makes great cars that cost a lot less to maintain.
The CR rating for GLA was 70 vs. 64 for the CLA. CLA very bad and GLA not too good. Actually CR does not have a reliability rating for the GLA yet, but CLA is rated much worse than average.

alsyli

Heh. I wouldn't actually mind something like a Mazda 3, but it's a bit TOO small and the styling is TOO swoopy (compromised visibility and headroom for someone like me who has short arms, long torso).

Airmousam

I had one for 3 years as a winter car. Hatchback with a stick, 60k trouble free miles, replaced brake pads all around for 60 bucks in under an hour before I sold it. Was a very good car!

Streamliner

And one thing nobody thinks about: These new entry level cars MB is marketing, will mostly be sold to younger people. These are most likely up and coming future executives and potentially prosperous individuals. If they have a bad experience with these low end MB cars, that could turn them OFF on the brand forever. The next car they get might be a nice Hyundai or even a Lexus and with the experience of one of those brands, they may NEVER even consider the three pointed star ever again. The bean counters in Stuttgart should stay awake nights worrying about that.

El Cid

Good Point. Lexus achieved its success mostly because it offered MB luxury with Toyota reliability.
However, I wonder how many of the CLA/GLA purchasers will actually be "up and coming?" Many may have already plateaued. What will be the effect on MB image when these "cheaper" cars become used cars and are worn fairly badly?
I still think it will be interesting to see how CLA/GLA purchasers react to the maintenance costs, especially at 4+ years. Of course, they will probably dump them then.
Hey, maybe that is the marketing strategy. Get them into the Silver Star badge and then when they start complaining, switch them to a "C" or "E."

PaulE550

I agree. These cars are clearly aimed at entry level buyers who probably already had one of the Japanese counterparts. These are aspirational buyers who were previously locked out of buying or leasing a new MB and now looking to "move up" to a brand they've always thought of as high quality. What they are getting is unfortunately anything but, so they will likely be moving back to one of their Japanese counterparts when either the lease is up or they're near the expiration of their warranty.

ats-1

Funny as i have one as a loaner that i got yesterday due to my 14 E350 being a POS. (read my post tonight Lemon Law Relax or Be Patient..i would love feedback/advise)

Anway, GLA is just laughable!! i dont mind the "entry level" marketing thing. I understand it.. but its really really bad. I dont even know where to begin. I did get a hearty laugh on the "hill descent" option. I would imagine ZERO percent of GLA owners are using this feature.. hahahahaha!! I was also shocked to see no auto-climate button. Heat is either on or off depending on fan speed and temp.

Germancar1

Supposedly Mercedes has been in panic mode over the GLA/CLA and there is huge update coming for 2016. Engine, transmission NVH, interior updates, and most importantly better ride/handling compromise. We'll see if this is true.

M

PaulE550

The thing I would suspect most of these aspiration MB buyers of the GLA/CLA want and expect, coming from one of the Japanese brands, is that the cars will be just as reliable as what they're used to driving. That the build quality of the vehicle is at least equal to what they already have is something they expect on day one. To the degree that MB doesn't meet that expectation level in the GLA/CLA, that will likely result in turning these people off towards making a repeat lease / purchase of a MB in the future.

I don't think a lot of these folks have any illusion that what they're buying at the GLA/CLA price point is on par with an S class. Most of these people are probably quite realistic. They know it's the entry level model. However, they do probably expect a bit more luxury than what they're used to, while maintaining the almost the same build quality and overall reliability. Unfortunately, that's not what the GLA/CLA delivers today.

What it looks like is someone at MB corporate decided to merely slap a cheaply built car together, that met a specific price point that someone in Marketing said would be attractive to a certain set of aspiration buyers, and that's about it. Quality and reliability probably weren't high on the list of priorities. I mean if you just look at a CLA next to any other MB at a dealership, you can see right off the bat that it doesn't quite look like the other Mercedes and not in a good way. Then when you get inside and start poking around a little, it becomes even more obvious. For the GLA/CLA to be the stepping stone towards moving these first time MB buyers up the ladder of vehicles, it will have to do a lot of re-work.

instantfob

Aren't we over thinking this GLA?

At the end of the day, Mercedes simply gave their A-class hatchback a pair of hiking boots and tell the hatchback-phobic Americans that this is an SUV.