How much is an hour worth to you? Specifically, an hour in a stuffy, 95°F airport rental car office with a dozen impatient customers and your two travel-weary children? My wife would gladly pay an extra €500 ($589) to escape this hour of hell.
Frankly, €500 is too much for me—double the cost of our rental reservation—but, under the threat of spousal wrath, I would, and did, pay Sixt for a luxury car upgrade to get a car right now. Hence, I’m reviewing the 2024 Mercedes CLA 180d Shooting Brake instead of a “Seat Leon ST station wagon or similar.” I hope you are more interested in Mercedes’ entry-level family hauler than a Seat Leon ST or Ford Focus station wagon, because the upgrade cost me €200 ($235)!
Regardless, sweaty and still irritated with the Lisbon Sixt staff, we take 10 minutes to get settled in our rental CLA wagon. Installing the kids’ booster seats takes half of the time, and I have to repack the trunk when it refuses to close because the power tailgate hits our suitcases. Laying our largest bag flat and pushing taller items to the back of the trunk resolves the conflict.
(We just came from Italy, where our Jeep Renegade rental couldn’t swallow our 25” checked bag, 21” rollaboard suitcase, and travel stroller without unlatching its privacy panel. The CLA wagon takes that load plus four backpacks and still closes its privacy cover.)
I spend another two minutes taking photos of the car’s bodywork—this precaution proves worthwhile, because the CLA has a dented rear fender that I won’t notice until I’m 100 miles away from Lisbon!
The last of our 10 minutes goes into mirror adjustments and into smartphone connectivity. Our phones’ Android Auto and Apple CarPlay pair painlessly with the Mercedes MBUX infotainment system, and in a moment, Google Maps is pointed at our farm-stay destination.
The CLA Shooting Brake is 184.5 inches long—18 inches longer than our recent Jeep Renegade—but its aggressive turning radius and 360-degree parking sensors help me exit the tight parking garage without additional scuffs or scrapes. In airport traffic, the low station wagon is harder to see out of than the subcompact SUV, as its cropped windscreen limits my view of overhead road signs and its low seating position prevents me from seeing over other cars.
Once I’m free of the thickest traffic, I’m noisily reminded of Europe’s recent nanny regulation: chimes and flashing warnings chide me for exceeding the speed limit. Thankfully, Mercedes has an easy shortcut to silence the bonging—a long press of the steering wheel’s mute button disables the aural alert for the rest of the drive. However, the instrument cluster’s flashing continues. (A setting deep in the MBUX safety menu can turn it off, but it also resets with each journey.)
As we exit Lisbon’s urban perimeter, the CLA 180d’s fat 205/55R17 Pirelli Cinturato P7 tires and cloth/MBTex seats keep us comfortable. The suspension is nicely compliant, and the seats are supportive and well-cushioned.
In the backseat, my kids have good leg and shoulder room. In fact, I could sit behind my driving position if needed, and the wagon has excellent rear headroom. (This is a benefit of the CLA Shooting Brake over the CLA sedan.) However, the foot space is tight for my large shoes, as I’ve lowered the driver’s seat to the floor.
We are all happy that the CLA’s air conditioning is keeping up with the summer heat and sizzling tarmac. (Though vents for the rear seats would be appreciated!) We are coolly comfortable in the hour it takes to clear evening traffic and reach the open highway.
The Portuguese toll-road highway is smooth, broad, and well posted with a 120 kph speed limit. In the CLA, however, I’m wishing for a derestricted autobahn as the little wagon seems happy to trot at higher velocities. The 8-speed DCT transmission keeps the 4-cylinder 2.0L turbo diesel engine running at 1800 rpm as I surf along on the engine’s torque. This smooth, quiet and refined engine makes 116 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.
I pass an older E Class diesel that is spewing smoke as it chugs up a hill. The dirty display prompts me to look in my own rearview mirror, but all I see is clean air. Long gone are the days of diesel clatter and tailpipe soot!
We exit the highway and discover that the country roads approaching our Grândola farm stay are bumpy and potholed. The CLA handles the rougher surfaces well, sopping up the hits on the straights while maintaining good body control in the corners. Our farm/hotel isn’t growing vegetables or livestock; rather, it is a cork orchard. The marvelous trees resemble partially shaved sheep to me: the farmers harvest the cork around the main trunk, so the trees’ bark is thinner at eye level than it is above head height.
The next day, we set out for the Algarve, Portugal’s southern coast. We take secondary highways instead of the toll road, thinking we’ll see more scenery. Initially, we drive through rolling plains dotted with cork trees and grazing animals. Here, Portugal is using the same color palette as California: golden grass is the carpet beneath green-leaved trees. The villages, though, look completely foreign with their white-washed concrete-construction buildings and tile roofs.
The country highways are posted at 90 kph (56 mph) and frequently have dashed center lines to allow passing. The CLA 180d is brisk, but still requires traffic-free horizons to execute passes. When the opposite lane is clear, I can confidently gallop past the long-haul trucks at full throttle. The station wagon is front-wheel drive, but it puts down its torque without steering twerking. There’s no torque steer in the CLA’s helm.
The further south we go, the more rumpled the landscape becomes. The highway begins climbing hills and winding through ravines. The CLA’s steering is precise and reasonably quick, letting me pick my apexes through the turns. (I disable the lane-keep assistant after the car bumps me back into the lane’s center for the tenth time.) The helm’s weight is light in Comfort mode and a bit heavier in Sport, but neither mode relays more than a tickle road texture or tire load; there is better road texture reverberating in the floor. Mercedes has tuned the CLA 180d’s electric power-assisted steering for comfort rather than feedback.
I am enjoying piloting the CLA, and I want to fly through the tightest canyons. Sadly for me, Portugal has cleverly erected average-speed cameras to cover the funnest—and, admittedly, most dangerous—curves. These cameras capture my license plate and calculate my average speed over a few kilometers of road, so my attention goes into holding the car steady at 70 kph (43 mph) rather than into enjoying the mountain squiggles.
When we arrive in Lagos, our beach-town destination, we fit a full grocery shop on top of our luggage and then check into our apartment. At dinner, I don’t bother taking the CLA into the historic walled city; though the CLA is slim enough to navigate the ancient streets, the station wagon is long enough to exclude me from many parking spots.
After a few days exploring Lagos on foot, we take a 70-mile trip down the coast to Tavira. The CLA 180d is happy to chase the faster cars on the A22 highway as we fly over the hilly landscape. I regularly pace cars at 140 kph (87 mph) and have brief sprints at higher velocities. The CLA flies with confidence and scrubs off speed with authority when needed. It feels capable of doing 100 mph for hours, as one might do in Germany, though a slightly firmer suspension tune could quell its mild bound over high-speed undulations.
The only nit in the CLA’s high-speed comfort is its elevated cabin din. On the A22’s coarse pavement, my ears are full of tire noise and wind rustling. (The engine noise is subdued.) The tire whir competes with the radio and our conversations, and is the main way a C class or E class would be more comfortable for this trip. Well, it would be nice to have Mercedes’ lane-following cruise control, too.
Tavira is a pretty riverside town with white cobblestone roads and a broad central square. The CLA stays tight—no squeaks or rattles—over the bumpy pavers. We park the car and walk through the old town, catching a fado musical performance in a historic church and climbing the hill to the old castle. In the summer’s heat, tourists and locals alike are moving slowly. We cool off with gelato and then eat a leisurely seafood dinner along the riverbank. There is no rush on Portugal’s summer-holiday coast.
After a few days exploring beach towns, I get curious about the CLA 180d’s cornering chops and take the wagon into the countryside to see what rural roads will reveal. The route I choose is poor, as the tarmac has frequent patching and potholes, and loose gravel at the apexes of the turns.
While dodging obstacles, the CLA impresses me with its blend of comfort and agility, but doesn’t reveal any new character traits. I’m glad the CLA can dance in supple shoes.
In Sport mode, the diesel engine runs above 3k rpm for alert response; it’s always in the meat of the torque and can’t be caught napping.
Yes, the CLA 180d’s suspension and engine are harmoniously tuned for smooth and efficient moves. I don’t wish for any more power with this supple suspension, nor do I want a tighter suspension with this level of power.
(The CLA 180d avoids the pitfall of the Mercedes C300 with the AMG sports package.)
While my quick trot through the hills convinces me that the CLA can hustle, its primary competency is hauling families in comfort, not thrilling drivers.
Our final day with the CLA 180d is a Duesey, taking us halfway across Portugal from Lagos to Lisbon.
First, we drive non-stop 320 km from Lagos to Sintra. I make great time by chasing a lead-footed Clio driver at 160 kph for more than an hour. The CLA is indeed autobahn-ready, and it astonishes me by burning less than half of its tank over the 200 miles.
With a load of luggage and people, the CLA’s urge to pull thins at 170 kph. The suspension is slightly under-damped for the speeds and load, and the CLA loses its perfect composure over high-speed undulations.
We’re on schedule for our noon reservation at Sintra’s fantastical Pena Palace, but the route to the visitor parking lot is poorly marked. My wife helps with the navigation, but the infotainment screen is harder to use from the passenger seat, as its key on-screen commands are closer to the driver.
Trusting, but not completely trusting Google Maps, we climb the twisting, cobblestone Estrada da Pena towards the ticket office. The carriage road had a high center and drooping edges, and the CLA’s front chin endures a few scuffs on the way to the parking lot.
The tight lot is an adventure of its own, as I have to parallel park between two gnarly trees. I struggle to get the CLA close enough to trunks because the Mercedes’ safety systems keep hitting the brakes when I’m within inches of obstructions. Eventually, I discover that I can tap the warning text on the parking camera screen to disable the auto-braking and get closer to the trees.
After touring the boldly colored and whimsical styled Pena Palace, we drive into central Lisbon to check into our new apartment. In Lisbon’s stop-and-go traffic, the fuel-saving start/stop system is jarring as the engine shakes the CLA as it wakes.
Once we have cleared the CLA of its baggage burden, I take it on a final trip back to the Lisbon airport and conclude our rental.
So was the CLA Shooting Brake worth the €200 premium? Probably not, as I would have been equally tickled by a Ford Focus wagon, which is now forbidden fruit in America.
I did discover, though, that the CLA 180d is an excellent family hauler. In some ways, the CLA felt more mainstream than luxury, as it had manual cloth seats and lacked keyless entry. Americans aren’t accustomed to those features being optional in €47,000 ($55,450) vehicles! These misses were offset by the modern safety systems and snappy MBUX infotainment. I also appreciate that this version of MBUX has physical climate control switches and a volume knob.
Yes, I think the CLA 180d Shooting Brake is worth its €47,000 purchase price. The CLA may be one of Mercedes’ smallest cars, but in wagon form, it feels more capable than compact.
That said, I can understand why Europeans might be turning their backs on wagons and opting for smaller SUVs instead. In ancient cities like Lagos and Lisbon, an upright SUV with a short wheelbase is easier to park and drive.
Mike's Steering Column 