Mercedes-Benz cars have always been an imposing sight—with the tall, rectangular headlights and the three-pointed star on the hood—mostly because in the late 1980s and early 90s it shared the road with the Maruti 800. Driving one of these or being driven in one (not by a friend or his driver) meant you were from an erstwhile princely state or you had solved the red-tape conundrum. It meant you were a somebody. But for Mercedes, the image that somewhat lingered all the way into this decade was one of a stodgy, old imposing car. The choice of industrialists. But in the last half-decade or so the scions of industrial empires, and those with big bank balances, have moved on to two other German brands—Audi and BMW. Two brands that are younger, smarter and that made, for a while, at least, better cars. Thankfully for Mercedes, things have changed over the past year or so. The entire line-up has been given a huge dose of adrenaline with one of those giant comic syringes that clowns use in circuses. Older models have been retired and newer ones launched, with the car maker entering segments it was not present in earlier. Thus, the portfolio of the world’s oldest car maker is now the youngest of the three German luxury behemoths—and it looks like it too. Take a look at the S-Class luxury sedan, launched a few months ago. Mercedes has sold its stock out for the next few months, even though the car is in a fairly competitive segment. This is its big gun. And the two newest weapons—the rapid-fire, semi-automatic infantry rifle of Merc’s portfolio if you please—are the CLA small sedan and the small sport utility GLA, both built on the same platform. The CLA The television advertisement for Mercedes’ new CLA 45 AMG goes “Ah my god” (not the best attempt at a pun, one must admit). When you see the car for the first time, it looks nice. Nothing spectacular. It shares Mercedes’ now standard design. It’s the AMG variant, which means it has the flared nostrils and the multiple exhaust pipes. Looking at it, you really don’t think that something of this size can do much. You would be very wrong indeed. This writer did not go “Ah my god” when he floored the accelerator on the CLA. What he did say was something quite unprintable. This is a remarkably small engine—only a 2L four-cylinder that produces 355 horsepower. But that’s a lot for a primarily front-wheel drive machine. While up to 50% of the power can go to the rear wheels when needed, when you accelerate in a straight line you can really feel the front wheels going. The car handled beautifully as it was put through its paces at the Buddh International Circuit, the rear wheels getting traction when they needed it, especially through the circuit’s parabolic Turns 10 and 11. That said, this is a car you would want to sit back in. The AMG version of the CLA has a bunch of features that aren’t there in the standard variant that will be launched in January. And for a performance car, it’s available for quite less than a crore—Rs.68 lakh (ex-showroom). The GLA What Mercedes has launched right now is the GLA SUV. Unlike the CLA, the German car maker has not brought in the “mad” version first. The GLA 200 and the 200 CDI are powered by normal engines—the former a petrol variant with 180-odd horsepower and the latter a diesel drinker with just over 130 horsepower. The GLA 200 CDI is not a car you’d want to take to the Buddh International Circuit, but it handles those city roads and highways fabulously well. The ride is a lot softer than what you’d experience in anything with an AMG badge. But not so soft that it feels like you’re driving through a tub of peanut butter. While going off-road is what most GLA owners like to do, the car manages to get down and dirty without ever feeling awkward. The 200 CDI—the version this writer test-drove—is likely to be the better-selling car. It balances adequate power and nice looks, particularly for a small SUV. From a front-seat point of view, there is a sameness as with all smaller Mercedes cars—the circular air-conditioning vents, the mounted screen and the car-computer interface are all well laid and easy to use. On this car, what you see is what you get—the two specification levels differ only in some trim details and have different alloy wheels. While it is based on the same platform as the CLA, the GLA, partially because of its shape and the standard panoramic sunroof, feels a lot more spacious than the sedan. Sitting in the back, even on a longish highway drive, is not uncomfortable and you don’t have to squeeze while getting in and out. Luggage space, however, is compromised as Mercedes fits the GLA with a spare wheel—just like in the A-Class and the B-Class—in the luggage compartment, to comply with Indian regulations. (If only you could get somebody to drive behind you in a Nano with spare wheels.) The auto maker will not be assembling the GLA in India right now, though the CLA, when launched, will be locally assembled. The GLA will start at Rs.32.8 lakh (ex-showroom), throwing up significant competition to all its rivals—the Audi Q3, the BMW X1 and Land Rover’s Freelander.
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