Mercedes-Benz CLA for young-at-heart

At the moment, the Stuttgart-headquartered based Mercdes-Benz in Germany is doing great and amazing things in the global automotive land scape. From generation to generation, the brand has remained a household name in every part of the world. The tree-pointed star which is the traditional trademark has continued to shine northwards in every market it enters.

One thing is common with the Mercedes-Benz, and that is, despite the premiumness of the brand, yet it has remained common sight in most family garages irrespective of status, gender or creed.  On the road, testimonials of its driving credentials and solid built and engine performance has remained very positive.

 For instance, the Mercedes-Benz CLA is a curious sheet metal and a compact sedan that shares the same underpinning as the revolutionary A-Class, which itself marked a transformation from the boring Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) version to hot hatch. Its sweeping design lines, almost a coupe-like are taken straight from its bigger sibling, the CLS.

Some say,ilook as hot as the A-Class, though depending on your viewing angle,  and is far from having the same panache as the CLS. On any road, the 45AMG which comes with an all-wheel drive system displays salient qualities of a playful car and occasionally lets out a roar when pedalled down.  In case you don’t know, it is propelled by the same two-litre, turbo-charged, four cylinder engine that one would find in the A45 model.

While it is larger than the C-Class, its receding coupe roofline does not do much for rear passengers’ head and legroom. In fact, the back seat is more suited to children than adults. Still, fashion-forward drivers would gladly sacrifice some functionality for flair.Not everyone will find it attractive, though.

Industry analysts say though it may not be described as the finest Mercedes ever seen, but it is gratifying to know that it is much more attainable than the generously proportioned CLS it mimics. The interior is virtually strking too, although more futuristic than other Mercedes-Benz offerings.

 The  metallic trimmed, retro-styled circulsr air vents comprising three in the middle and one on either side of the dashboard are the highlight of the design. They are reminiscent of thebrand’s flagship sports car, the SLS AMG. The sci-fi style’s enhanced by thetablet-like floating infortainment screen in the center of the dashboard; something that would excite the youngsters.

All the CLA models are packed with standard enticing features, inclusing the ECO start/stop functions, Attention Assist (which detects driver fatigue) and the radar-based Collision Prevention Assist, which works with the car’s adaptive braking system to avoid hitting other objects from speeds of 7km/h upwards.Pretty impressive, isn’t it.

 All Mercedes-Benz vehicles which cut across all segments of passenger cars, trucks, medium and high range luxury coaches and offered in different engine capacities are under the sole franchisee-ship of Weststar Associates Nigeria Limited and its acreditted dealers nationwide with Mirko Plath as the chief executive officer has its operational head office along the Lekki-Epe Expressway Lagos.

All Mercedes-Benz models which cuts across the passenger car segment, mini buses, luxury coaches and trucks in Nigeria are solely under the franchise holding rights  of Weststar Associates Limited with a  strong  nationwide dealership network and after sales services through all the brand’s accredited distributors.

MIKE OCHONMA