Marco Angelo D'Souza
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz had launched Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 in the Indian market early this year. Newly-launched and carving out a space for itself by bumping up the familiar, hitherto entry-level C-Class (which is now priced about Rs 10 lacs more than its previous models) The car is priced at Rs 35 lakh (ex-Delhi) for the base trim.
Here's a look at the features that the car has to offer.
Parking Assistance
First off, +1 for boasting rights straight off the bat. The car identifies possible parking spaces as you drive past them, prompts you to engage the mode, then actively takes control of the steering wheel as all you do is accelerate and brake as a concert of technologies guide the car perfectly into the vacant spot.
If you’ve never experienced a car that helps park itself, the feeling is quite surreal. A huge boon for weary city drivers mired with getting into parking spots, or for those who are chronically challenged with parallel parking. Here, now, is a feature that dared exist only in cars sitting within much higher price brackets. No more--guided parking is a feature that is making its way into the entry level as well, and should cause other manufacturers sit up and take notice when deciding feature loadouts in their upcoming models.
Dual-clutch transmission
Dual clutch is a neat bit of kit that makes gear changes in cars smoother while playing a pivotal role in upping fuel efficiency and performance. And while this tech been around for a while, it’s also a feature that was traditionally reserved for higher-end models of cars. Its 7-speed automatic gearbox with the three drive modes (Eco, Manual and Sport) is adequate evidence why, in a car like this, you can have your cake and eat it too.
Panoramic sunroof
Big-sky sunroofs are all the rage with cars these days, and even entry-level luxury sedans needn’t feel left out. Like its higher-end siblings, the CLA 200 sports a sunroof that stretches, lending equal importance to both front and rear passengers. And just like moving from a smaller to a larger screen phone, the effect of experiencing this sunroof (compared to those little roof openings that only seemed to veer providing the front passengers with all the fun) is quite stark.
Hit that roof-mounted button and you can engage the outdoor in various modes--from only letting in skylight to cracking the glass to let in air to opening up for an unprecedented view of the sky.
Comforts
From the electrically-controlled driver and front passenger seats, each with up to three user-definable memory presets to the split zone climate control to the Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system, it’s easy to consider this the best seat outside of your house. Your own little cocoon of tranquility or excitement. At this range, it’s all about the features really. Because realistically for our roads and in our traffic conditions, there really is very little to be gained from bigger engines and higher top speeds.
The real gains are increasingly when the car succeeds in offering an escape, an environment where the occupant can hear herself think, luxuriate, and feel at ease.
Today’s in-car technology are increasingly ticking these checkboxes: entertaining and enveloping, protecting and thrilling owners. No more is it about getting from point A to B. The real living happens in-between. When the journey becomes the reward. And the CLA 200 serves to deliver a very indicative peek into the kinds of features that should be standard in entry-level cars of the future.
Quick Specs
Fuel: Petrol
Displacement: 1,991cc
Power: 135kW (183Bhp)
Torque: 300Nm
Cylinders: 4
Acceleration (0-100Km/h): 7.8 sec
Approx top speed (Km/h): 235
Transmission: 7-speed automatic (7G-DCT)
