• Impressive infotainment
• Simple design and layout
• Intuitive media controls

How is the quality and layout?

When the CLA was updated in 2023, the interior saw the biggest amount of changes – but it still echoes the A-Class hatchback in terms of design, technology and seating. For example, like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback, the CLA’s interior features the same sweeping, cowl-free dashboard with its twin-screen digital set-up. As of the 2023 update, every model benefits from two 10.25-inch displays arranged in a low, widescreen format.

Full-width trim pieces run from door to door and can be personalised with wood-like veneers or aluminium, and every CLA benefits from bright ambient lighting. The 2023 update also removed a touchpad display on the centre console that could be used as a trackpad – instead, your only method of using the screens is via touch.

Elsewhere, it also seems interior quality has been improved with the refreshed car, with materials feeling a little more solid and a little less creaky than the original car launched in 2019. That said, there are still some areas, such as the seat bases and seatbelt surrounds, which are made from surprisingly brittle-feeling plastics – a slight disappointment considering how nicely screwed together the rest is.

Infotainment and tech

As well as the main touchpad control and touchscreen media unit, you can also navigate the CLA’s various menus using two thumbpads on the wheel, in a design taken from the S-Class limo. Every model features a steering wheel that comes with touch-sensitive buttons that can be fiddly to operate.

You can also use the innovative ‘Hey Mercedes’ voice control to take care of various functions, such as setting up the sat-nav or climate control. It also works like a personal concierge, enabling users to ask the car to find a restaurant for the evening or check on the afternoon’s football scores. It works really well.

Another clever feature is the ability to control various functions with gestures, such as holding up two fingers to the screen to access the favourites menu, or waving your hand near the rear view mirror to operate the interior light. The system can also tell the difference between the driver and passenger, meaning the correct seat massage options are presented without the need to specify which seat you’re sitting in, for example.

Comfort

• Luxury levels befitting a mini-CLS
• Loads of tech to relax you
• Firm, supportive seats great for long distances

Given the styling similarities between this car and the larger Mercedes-Benz CLS, you’d expect the CLA to offer a more luxurious setting than the workaday A-Class hatch it is based upon.

There’s a clever Energizing system, which can pick an interior lighting scheme and seat kinetics to suit your mood, even scanning your music to find something with the optimum BPM to either relax or invigorate.

Even more space-age is the fact that you can pair your smart watch with the car, allowing the Energizing Coach to assess your stress levels or the amount of sleep you got last night, to set up the interior ambiance of the car for you. Sounds like a gimmick, but it really works.