By Moses Ebosele, ebosele@hotmail.com —
Weststar Associates Limited, authorized General Distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Nigeria has announced the arrival of the all-new CLA.
Building on the success of the first generation CLA, which sold over 750,000 units worldwide, the all-new CLA “represents an improvement in an already dominant automobile”.
According to Weststar, the all-new CLA comes with striking features that emphasize making an already great car even better; “the new dynamic design underlines the coupé character in the all-new CLA with its stretched form and design elements such as the bonnet with powerdomes or the rear license plate which has been moved down”.
A statement issued by Weststar on Thursday, read: “The all-new CLA comes with more space at many spots in the interior; at the front, for example, headroom has increased by 17 mm and elbow room by 35 mm, and thanks to a wider opening (+262 mm), the boot compartment is now more convenient to load than the predecessor model.The Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX)has been updated with an interior assistant which recognizes operating requests from movements, this makes various comfort and MBUX functions even simpler and more intuitive.
“Lastly, the all-new CLA relies on four-cylinder petrol engines which in comparison to the previous generation, are characterized by significantly increased power and improved efficiency.
“The exterior of the all-new CLA gives it the potential to become a modern design icon. As a four-door coupé, the new CLA intrigues with its purist and seductive design; the flat headlamps with the striking daytime running lamps together with the low slung bonnet and the diamond radiator grille with central star create the vehicle’s sporty face, which has clear echoes of classic Mercedes-Benz sports cars. The two-piece, narrow tail lamps and the number plate housed in the bumper on the rear emphasize the width of the CLA. The car thus appears flatter and sportier and has an especially good presence on the road.
“The interior of the all-new CLA exudes themes of ‘high tech’ and ‘youthful avant-garde’. The all-new CLA reveals a technologically and digitally enhanced interior with the Widescreen display standing out as a major highlight, while the dashboard comes with more width, creating a generous sense of space.
“The colors and materials of the interior of the all-new CLA vary from the different equipment lines, however, customers are spoilt for choice with the black, macchiato beige, bahia brown or two-tone combinations between these colors or black and red or black and grey; while the trim elements on the dashboard and doors are either in dinamica, carbon optic, aluminum or open-wood high-quality wooden trim. Space and comfort is highly guaranteed with the standard seat with straight stitching, and comfort seat with double topstitching (available with the Progressive equipment line), thebackrest of the rear seats is 40:20:40 foldable providing even more space for the trunk whenever the need arises.
“The Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) continues its development in the all-new CLA. The multimedia infotainment system has been updated with two striking new features in the MBUX Interior Assistant and the newly improved “Hey Mercedes” voice control. In the all-new CLA the MBUX comes with two 7-inch displays for the instrument cluster and media display with touchscreen, a multifunction sport steering wheel with touch control buttons on the left and right, a USB interface (Type C), a Bluetooth connection for telephony and audio sources as standard.By recognizing movement, the all-new MBUX interior assistant imparts additional intelligence to the interior and makes operating various comfort and MBUX functions even simpler and more intuitive for the passengers. The “Hey Mercedes”voice assistant can recognize and respond to considerably more complex queries in a growing number of domains including sports, the stock exchange, calculations or general knowledge.
“The all-new CLA comes with more powerful and efficient engines in comparism to its predecessor. For the Nigerian market the all-new CLA comes in 4-cylinder gasoline engines. The M282 gasoline engine has an output of 100kw/136hp – 120kw/163hp and a peak torque of 200 – 250nm coupled with the 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission, this forms the point of entry for engines in the CLA 180 and CLA 200. While the M260 come with an output of 140kw/190hp – 165kw/224hpand a peak torque of 300 – 350nm coupled with the 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission, this engine is housed in the CLA 220 and CLA 250 (4MATIC included).
“The latest Driver Assistance Systems also stand out as another major highlight in the all-new CLA. Incorporating features from the luxury class have made the all-new CLA stand out as the best in the compact class when it comes to safety. Features like the enhanced Active Break Assist, PRE-SAFE PLUS and the MULTIBEAM LED headlamps ensure the all-new CLA is a watchdog for you at all times.
Mr. Mirko Plath, CEO, Weststar Associates Limited, commented on the arrival on the all-new CLA saying that the whole Weststar team is happy to bring the latest Mercedes-Benz compact car to Nigerian roads. He also stressed the importance of the CLA to the Mercedes-Benz portfolio mentioning that globally many people who purchased the first generation of the CLA bought another Mercedes-Benz as their next car. He is confident the success story of the CLA will continue especially in the Nigerian market.The all-new CLA gives another glimpse into the future with its superior technology, luxurious materials and performance output. For a compact car it clearly stands out as the best in its class, doing justice to an already established vehicle. The all-new CLA is now available at Weststar authorized Mercedes-Benz dealerships across Nigeria with the best aftersales service experience.
