Category A COE electric Mercedes-Benz CLA packs more style than baggage

SINGAPORE – “George Russell’s car!” said my six-year-old excitedly, recognising the countless illuminated three-pointed stars on the front grille when I pulled up at her school in the silver Mercedes-Benz CLA200 Shooting Brake.

It is rather appropriate, given that we are but a few days away from the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, to reference the Mercedes Formula 1 team’s driver.

The test car’s metallic grey colour is perfect for the race team, also known as Silver Arrows.

This is the wagon version of the third-generation CLA saloon. A petrol-hybrid version will come later, but for now, it is available only as an electric vehicle (EV) in the rakish AMG Line trim level.

Keeping with tradition, the latest CLA Shooting Brake is really about style rather than serious load lugging. The boot is slightly wider than before, but the floor is now set a bit higher. So, while it will take larger objects, they cannot be too tall, or they will not clear the sloping rear windscreen.

The actual capacity, at 455 litres, is actually smaller than that of the BMW 3-series saloon by 25 litres. Being an EV with the motor in the back, the CLA does have a sizeable 101 litres of storage under the bonnet, something that the petrol-powered BMW does not have.

The “A” in AMG may stand for Aufrecht – Hans Werner Aufrecht, the co-founder of the company that became the Mercedes-Benz-owned performance arm – but Singapore drivers are probably thinking of “A” as in the certificate of entitlement (COE) category which caps the power of EVs at 110kW.

In case you missed the news, the car COE categorisation is being reviewed. The Land Transport Authority is proposing to do away with the current regime, along with the power output cap.

As it is, even though the car has the racy touches that come with being an AMG Line model, it is not particularly quick. It takes 10 seconds to get to 100kmh from rest – slightly quicker than some mass-market family saloons, but hardly the kind of pace that will set hearts racing. Yet, my drive turned out to be quite enjoyable, as the car is fun enough to drive even when one is in a hurry.

Looking the way it does helps. Maybe it is the lighted three-pointed stars, but this car gets noticed on the road. That arcing roofline stretching towards the rear hatch makes the Shooting Brake look sportier than the CLA saloon.

The test car has an upgraded lighting package. With that, the headlights dance when the car starts and the LEDs at the back run across the entire width of the bar instead of being cut off midway. It looks quite cool, but it also adds $2,400 to the bill.

Like with the saloon, the floor of the Shooting Brake is higher than one would expect for a car with such a low-slung profile, or at least the driver’s seat will not go down low enough. On the upside, you get good all-round visibility, with enough headroom under the panoramic glass roof.

Those seated in the back are supposed to have a bit more headroom than they would in the saloon, which was never lacking in it.

However, I am not completely convinced by the steering wheel’s touch-sensitive, fingerprint-prone buttons, even though the operating logic is easy to live with. The digital interface on the infotainment screen has enough permanently displayed shortcut virtual switches, which helps.

The car has the usual suite of active safety features, including lane keeping and adaptive cruise control, and they work as intended. Throughout the multi-day test drive, they step up just enough when needed and rarely get overly intrusive.

Having sampled the CLA as a petrol-hybrid saloon model earlier, I find that the electric version seems to be the superior choice.

In the cabin, the electric CLA makes the right sounds. Obviously synthesised, the low-frequency growl that synchronises with the accelerator pedal in pitch and volume enhances the driving experience. It is a more sophisticated experience than stretching a 1.5-litre engine towards its red line and multi-speed transmission scrambling for the right gear.

Rather unusually for an EV, which tends to have single-speed transmissions, the car has a two-speed gearbox. Flooring the accelerator in Sport mode induces a kick-down to boost performance.

With instantaneous electric torque, it leaps off the line effortlessly. But with just 110kW, acceleration does taper off quite swiftly, so there is little risk of getting in trouble. That said, a bit more oomph for quick overtaking on the expressway would be nice.

Like some other EVs, the CLA has shift paddles for adjusting the level of brake regeneration, toggling between full regeneration on one end and adaptive recuperation on the other.

What you end up doing is pulling the paddles as you would in an engine-powered car, downshifting with the left and upshifting with the right.

This works really well, but the thing with such systems is that the brake light activates when the regeneration crosses a certain threshold. The car behind may misinterpret it as you picking a fight or just being a poor driver, tapping on the brakes without reason.

Ride quality is surprisingly good and not just by EV standards. At lower speeds, it breezes over larger road humps like they are not there. On the highway, it has decent body control, even when encountering large undulations.

At 58.4kWh, the EV battery capacity is not particularly large when compared with some rivals. Yet, Mercedes-Benz is claiming that the car can cover more than 550km on a full charge, which is probably a tad optimistic.

Over a few days, the test car posted an average consumption rate of 14.7kWh/100km – better than claimed. The estimated operating range comes up to 442km, which is good enough, if not outstanding.

Driving the car after the announced review to the COE system got me thinking: If Category A COE and the cap on power output really does get scrapped, would the CLA200 be better if it was allowed to have the full 165kW as offered elsewhere?

I think Russell would approve.

Mercedes-Benz CLA200 electric AMG Line Shooting Brake

Price: $312,888 with COE before discounts
Motor: Permanent magnet synchronous with 58.4kWh battery
Transmission: Two-speed, rear-wheel drive
Power: 110kW
Torque: 335Nm
0-100kmh: 10 seconds
Top speed: 210kmh
Power consumption: 16.4kWh/200kWh
Charging capacity: 22kW AC; 320kW DC
Range: 551km
Agent: Cycle & Carriage
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Comparable considerations

Skoda Octavia Combi RS 2.0 TSI ($361,900 with COE before applicable discounts)

Skoda takes a conventional approach to the idea of a wagon, which is to carve out incredible amounts of space from not a very large car. In 2-litre turbocharged form, what it lacks in style compared with the CLA it compensates for with power: 261hp and a 0-100kmh time of 6.5 seconds.

Volvo V60 B4 Plus ($330,000 with COE before applicable discounts)

The V60 is supposedly the last Volvo wagon as the Swedish brand redirects its attention to sport utility vehicles. The car looks as good as when the model was launched in 2018. Inside and out, the Volvo is nowhere as expressive or loud as the CLA, making it a different proposition from the German model.