Starts at $44,400
Rank
What's New for 2025?
There are no changes for the CLA this year. Even the pricing stays the same, with the exception of the souped-up AMG CLA 45, which now starts about $1,500 higher.
2025 CLA Selector
2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA
FAST FACTS
"The CLA is barely an inch shorter than a BMW 3 Series, which technically qualifies it to compete in the bigger leagues with compact luxury sedans. It's decidedly subcompact inside, however, especially in the cramped rear quarters, so we're satisfied that it belongs here with the subcompacts. Beyond its unexpectedly significant length, the thing that jumps about about the CLA is its steep price — the 3 Series is only about a grand more to start, making the CLA a tough sell indeed."—Ranked #4 out of 4 Subcompact Luxury Sedans
MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.
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The CLA is surprisingly long, measuring just 1.3 inches shorter than a BMW 3 Series. It's cramped inside, though, so it's functionally more of a subcompact sedan than a compact. The CLA 250's turbo four-cylinder provides smooth and peppy acceleration along with impressive fuel economy.
For an extra $2k, 4MATIC brings the security of all-wheel drive, but you do lose 2 mpg in the deal.
AMG was certainly up to the challenge of turning the somewhat milquetoast CLA into a speed demon. It's still cramped inside, but this version of the CLA lays down some righteous acceleration.
Find yourself wishing that the already quite fast AMG CLA 35 were faster? Enter the AMG CLA 45 S, which borrows its turbocharged and electrically assisted 2.0-liter inline-4 from its AMG C43 big brother. If you wanted to argue that 416 hp in a subcompact sedan is overkill, we wouldn't disagree, but people who buy this car will love that its engine output borders on the insane.
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008, personally driving most new cars on the market every year since. He also served as the project manager for Edmunds' expert vehicle rankings from their inception in 2018, building the product out from the back end to the front end. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has tested, compared and critiqued a ridiculous number of cars in his career.
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