CLA-SS ACT

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA gets new styling, more tech on the inside and a completely new electric powertrain

- RAMESH SOMANI

There are cities that whisper luxury — Paris, Milan, Vienna. And then there's Copenhagen, the quiet overachiever. Understated, effortlessly cool, and scarily punctual. Much like the new 2025 Mercedes-Benz CLA I drove through its bike-laden streets and postcard-perfect canals. Because if you're going to drive a car that looks like it belongs on a runway, you might as well take it to Europe's most stylish living room. Not because the CLA is the most gorgeous car from the house of Mercedes — some of its siblings are way hotter and bolder. The G, I mean the "Grand"-pa, for instance.

Now, I know what you're thinking. The CLA? Isn't that the baby Benz with a coupe-ish silhouette trying to punch above its class? Well, not anymore. Because the 2025 update is not just cosmetic surgery — it's a full-blown personality transformation. It's an answer to Tesla, and to the cool Chinese electric cars with tons of features. And the real twist? It's not trying to be an A-Class with heels anymore. It's grown into its own, confidently claiming space between the A-Class saloon and the C-Class. The CLA is done being the middle child. It's matured and got its driving licence on full merits.

Styling, interior and features

Let's start with the design, because that's still the CLA's biggest flex. It wears a bolder, meaner face. The grille gets an AMG-lite treatment with a starlit pattern made up of 142 illuminated three-pointed stars, inspired by the Vision EQXX. The new LED DRLs and the reworked front bumper give it a sharper jawline. The profile still screams 'four-door coupé' — low, stretched, and sexy — but now the 19-inch alloys, flush door handles, and revised rear give it proper Euro flair. It's the kind of car that'll get you double takes outside Soho House, Mumbai, and polite nods from NIFT design students.