Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class vs BMW 4 Series

What's the difference?

The broadening of the CLA’s scope in this third-gen version puts it a step ahead of key rivals and raises the compact sedan’s prominence in the three-pointed star’s local line-up. Its combination of quality design, performance and efficiency is compelling. And we’ll drive the battery-electric version as soon as it lands.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The BMW M440i xDrive Gran Coupe manages to combine sleek design with a fun-to-drive personality and surprising practicality. It’s a rapid premium, four-door, five-seater offering extra flair, and in this part of the market, good value. But more than anything else it’s got a cracking in-line six under the bonnet.

In an impressive feat of aero fine-tuning Mercedes-Benz design and engineering teams have managed to make an already slippery car even more efficient with this new CLA dropping the car’s drag-coefficient from 0.23 to an amazing 0.21.

The sloping, coupe-style profile remains as a CLA signature, complete with frameless doors, flush door handles and aero wheels. 

Hybrid variants sport a conventional radiator grille decorated with a Mercedes-Benz star pattern in chrome and illuminated around its perimeter, while the EVs feature a fully illuminated LED grille display.

And in a move perilously close to branding overkill, the three-pointed star motif is carried into the headlights and tail-lights.

For Latin buffs the interior treatment is minimus extremus, the multi-screen ‘MBUX’ array in the CLA220 we drove dominating the front part of the stripped-back cabin.

From an ergonomic point-of-view, there are no physical controls for ventilation and the only non-digital audio control is on the steering wheel.

But aesthetically, the cabin is clean and simple with touches like ‘floating’ door armrests and a gently rounded front centre console adding to an overall relaxed atmosphere.

So, how does this four-door 4 Series differ from a four-door 3 Series? The answer is as plain as the nose on this car’s face.

BMW’s head of design, Adrian van Hooydonk, has been expanding the brand’s signature ‘kidney grille’ in every conceivable direction, and this is the much talked about interpretation adorning all 4 Series models (petrol, hybrid and electric) as well as the M3 sedan.

The new Gran Coupe is longer, wider, and taller than the outgoing model, and the track is broader, front and rear. The wheelbase has also been extended, now a whole 5.0mm longer than the 3 Series.

The DRLs and headlight main beams are LED with laser high beams, immense gills square up the edges of the front clip, while a vent and the strake attached to it stand the car apart. Plus, of course, the doors are frameless. 

One niggle, though. I’m not in love with the slender door handles. It’s hard to get a good grip on them, especially in the wet. 

Standard 19-inch alloy rims are shod with Pirelli P Zero rubber 245/40 fr / 255/40 rr), the roofline slopes distinctly towards the rear, a lip spoiler on the trailing edge of the tailgate is classic BMW, darkened LED tail-lights wrap around the rear corner, and a diffuser-type panel is flanked by large exhaust apertures.

Our car’s ‘Aventurine Red’ finish is a $3850 option, but to my eyes anyway it looks superb.

Exterior trim including the grille frame, front air intake inserts, mirror upper housing, model designation badges, and tailpipe are finished in ‘Cerium Grey’, which I reckon 99.9 per cent of people will see as black. 

The interior will be familiar territory for any current BMW owner, the 12.3-inch digital instrument screen sitting in a compact, hooded binnacle, and partnering with a 10.25-inch multimedia display standing proud of the dash above the broad centre stack. 

The seats are trimmed in top-shelf leather with blue contrast stitching, plus the grippy sports wheel is also wrapped in genuine hide.

BMW calls the finish on the main buttons and controls ‘Galvanic’ which translates to a slick silver metallic look and feel. Configurable ambient interior lighting is a nice touch, and the broad console enhances the driver-focused feel, with a sprinkling of carbon-fibre around the centre console and dash lifting the sense of occasion.

Overall, the interior feels clean and classy with an obvious attention to detail.  

At just over 4.7 metres long the CLA isn’t a million miles away from full C-Class length and interior space is generous. In fact, there’s an extra 16mm in height and 12mm in width compared to the model this car replaces.

And in terms of storage there are generous bins in the doors with room for bottles and you can place them in one of the two cupholders in the centre console.

There’s the obligatory bin between the seats, a bay here for wireless device charging and a glove box, plus an extra storage bay under the flying buttress-style console.

In the back seat sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position and there’s plenty of footroom as well as acres of legroom and headroom. 

And part of that is the immense panoramic roof which is covered in all kinds of high-tech coatings to make sure all the light comes through but none of the heat.

Then for storage, again you’ve got bins in the doors with room for bottles as well as a pull-down armrest between the seats with three cupholders in it (one espresso-sized) and drive slot in front of them.

There are netted map pockets on the front seatbacks, individual vents which are always welcome and a couple of USB-C charging ports to keep devices charged.

Boot volume is rated at 405 litres (VDA) and the rear seatback folds 40/20/40 to liberate more storage space if required. And there’s a 101L front boot on electric models. 

There’s a hands-free tailgate on the 220 Hybrid. A 1.6- to 1.8-tonne braked trailer towing capacity is handy, but the fact there’s no physical spare tyre isn’t. Your only option in the case of a flat is an inflator and puncture sealant kit. Not good enough.

At close to 4.8m long the 4 Series Gran Coupe is a sizeable machine. Up front, the feeling is airy and comfortable, and the rear is surprisingly spacious, especially in light of the car's sloping roofline.

At 183cm I have to fold myself tightly to fit under the low roof, but once inside I have enough room to sit behind the driver’s seat set for my position with more than enough legroom and adequate headroom. Put three full-size adults across the back row, though, and there will be breathing difficulties.

Kids will be fine, however, and individual vents with adjustable temp in the rear was a big plus during a particularly hot test week.

For storage there are generous door bins in the front with room for large bottles, a decent glove box, dual cupholders in the centre console, a reasonable lidded bin (which doubles as a centre armrest), and the wireless device charging bay (forward of the gearshift) makes a handy oddments space when not in use.

In the rear, again the doors feature pockets with room for (medium-size) bottles, there’s a fold down centre armrest with two cupholders, but thanks to the one-piece shells on our test car’s optional M Sport front seats there are no map pockets.

Power and connectivity runs to a USB-A socket and a 12V outlet in the front centre console, as well a USB-C port in the front storage bin, a pair of USB-Cs in the rear, and a 12V outlet in the boot.

Speaking of which, lift the tailgate and with the rear seat upright we were able to fit all three of our suitcases or the beefy CarsGuide pram into the healthy 470-litre (VDA) boot space.

Lower the 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat down and 1290 litres of volume is at your disposal. Plus there are handy bag hooks and tie-down anchors to help secure loose loads.

You can also tow a braked trailer up to 1.8 tonnes (750kg unbraked), but don’t bother looking for a spare of any description, a repair/inflator kit is your only option.

We’re in a zone some way North of $100K here with cost-of-entry running to $115,900, before on-road costs. So, as well as the included powertrain, suspension, and safety tech you should rightfully be expecting a lengthy standard features list.

And the M440i Gran Coupe goes toe-to-toe with its heavyweight Euro competition, featuring three-zone climate control air, adaptive cruise control, ‘Laserlight’ headlights, that 12.3-inch ‘BMW Live cockpit Professional’ instrument display and 10.25-inch ‘Control Display’ multimedia touchscreen managing navigation, the 16-speaker/464W harmon/kardon Surround Sound audio system (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration) and a host of other on-board functions.

There’s also the ‘Vernasca’ Black leather trim, an electric glass sunroof, the leather-trimmed sports steering wheel, the electric sports front seats are heated and there’s wireless charging for compatible devices.

Hybrid CLAs combine a 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder internal-combustion engine (ICE) with a 48-volt electric motor integrated into a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission with drive going to the front wheels in the CLA180 and 200 and all four in the CLA 220 4Matic.

Mercedes-Benz quotes power and torque outputs for the hybrid’s petrol engine and electric motor individually and the powertrain is able to engage both simultaneously so there are overall output figures, as well. 

The pure-electric models are powered by an in-house developed permanently excited synchronous motor driving the rear wheels through a two-speed transmission, with a second 80kW drive unit added to the CLA350’s front axle for extra performance and all-wheel-drive traction. 

Here’s a panel to explain it all.

Under the bonnet is BMW’s (B58) all-alloy 3.0-litre twin-scroll turbo intercooled, in-line six-cylinder engine, driving all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and electronically controlled clutch pack, as well as an electronic limited-slip differential at the rear.

It features high-pressure direct-injection and BMW’s ‘Valvetronic’ system managing air flow to the intake side, to produce 285kW at a relatively high 5800-6500rpm. But the big punch is 500Nm of peak torque from just 1900rpm all the way to 5000rpm.

The M440i is also a mild-hybrid with a 48-volt starter motor-generator and supplementary battery able to give an 8.0kW kick at low engine speeds.

Hybrid CLAs are fitted with a 48-volt, 1.3kWh lithium-ion battery and at urban speeds where less than 20kW is needed, can drive using electric power alone, depending on conditions at speeds up to 100km/h. 

Official combined cycle fuel consumption is quoted at 5.4L/100km for the CLA180 and 200, which equates to a theoretical range of close to 800km, rising to 5.8L/100km for the 220 4Matic for a potential range of around 740km. 

On the roughly 150km launch drive through Melbourne's suburbs and up the Yarra Valley north-east of the city we saw an average of exactly 5.8L/100km in the CLA220.

Electric CLAs are underpinned by a specific new-gen EV platform boasting an 800-volt electric architecture and housing an 58kWh LFP battery in the 200 electric and an 85kWh NMC pack in the 350.

Maximum charge capacity is 320kW for a claimed 10-80 per cent charge time of 22 minutes. 

Claimed energy use for the CLA200 electric is 14.4kWh/100km with a range of 470km while the AWD 350 4Matic sits at 14.9kWh/100km with a range of 663km.

BMW’s official fuel economy figure for the M440i xDrive Gran Coupe, on the ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban cycle, is 8.2L/100km, the 3.0-litre turbo six-cylinder emitting 187g/km of C02 in the process.

Stop/start is standard, and we saw an average of 11.1L/100km over city, B-road and freeway running during a week with the car.

With the 59-litre tank brimmed (with minimum 95RON premium unleaded) that real-world test number translates to a range of around 530km.  

The CLA220 4Matic was the only option available for the drive program, but for the record, claimed 0-100km/h acceleration times for the hybrid models step down in roughly one second increments - 8.8 seconds for the CLA180, 8.0sec for the 200 and 7.1sec for the 220 4Matic.

Switch to pure-electric power and the CLA200 electric hits the same speed in 7.5 seconds, while the 350 4Matic electric smashes the five second barrier at a properly quick 4.9sec.

Mind you, the 350 4Matic electric weighs about 2.1 tonnes while the hybrids tip the scales at roughly 1.7 tonnes.

There’s plenty of performance in the 220 4Matic but power delivery is not always linear with the powertrain taking half a beat to pick up after you’ve applied some throttle. Which could be the interface between the combustion engine and the electric motor or the turbo on the engine.

The sports steering wheel is grippy and chunky in the hands, and while the steering itself is nice and accurate, road feel is modest. 

There are two settings for steering weight - Comfort and Sport. We tried both, and yes, you can feel where the car’s going but it’s not exactly an intimate connection between your hands and the front tyres on the tarmac.

Speaking of which, standard rubber on the CLA220 is 225/40 Bridgestone Turanza 6 on 19-inch rims and despite those relatively large wheels the car copes well with bumps and thumps and the coarse-chip surface of rural B-roads.  

Suspension consists of a newly-developed strut-based three-link set-up at the front and multi-links at the rear with all of the major components in alloy to minimise unsprung weight.

The car remains composed and balanced through corners and the sports seats in the 220 are grippy, supportive and comfortable. We spent a couple of hours straight behind the wheel without a hint of discomfort.

The CLA’s super-slippery shape manifests itself out on the highway with minimal wind noise at 100km/h and even more. The big tyres are also quiet so the cabin environment remains refined and peaceful.

Brakes on the 220 are vented discs on the front, solid rotors on the rear. And during some pretty challenging downhill twisty sections we leant on them quite heavily. Push hard and they will bite but are not overly aggressive.

The lane-keeping, driver-monitoring and other assistance features are all there, present and accounted for. But more than ticking the box, they work very well.

The media system is driven by a high-capacity unity engine which is often used in gaming and the graphics and animations are super-smooth. And the latest iteration of the Mercedes-Benz media system works nicely across the enormous screens.

All models feature a 360-degree overhead view and a reversing camera and the 11.2-metre turning circle is not small but not vast. The car is easy to manoeuvre and park.

BMW says the M440i xDrive Gran Coupe will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.7sec, and I reckon the threshold for a properly quick car is sub-five seconds.

The 3.0-litre turbo six develops its peak power of 285kW between a relatively lofty 5800-6500rpm, but the big number is a solid 500Nm punch of pulling power delivered between 1900-5000rpm.

Squeeze the throttle pedal pretty much anywhere in the rev range and the response is glorious. Rapid acceleration accompanied by raucous engine noise and rorty exhaust note (albeit with some synthetic support). Various pops and bangs in the Sport settings add extra entertainment.. 

The eight-speed auto gets some electric support from the mild-hybrid system to fill the torque gap on up shifts, and the result is a conventional torque-converter transmission that behaves like a dual-clutch.

Shifts are seamless in general driving, and satisfyingly quick in a more aggressive mode, the wheel-mounted paddles dialing up the fun in manual changes. 

Suspension is double wishbone front and multi-link rear with the standard ‘Adaptive M Suspension’ built around an adaptive damper set-up.

The change between the ‘Comfort’ setting to the ‘Sport’ or ‘Sport+’ calibration is close to instant and makes a discernible difference, especially in terms of ride comfort.

I found the best ‘Individual Sport’ arrangement to be damping in Comfort, with the steering engine and transmission in Sport. The car flows so beautifully through corners with urgent response from the powertrain.

By all means dial up the suspension if you’re having a real crack, but the car feels superbly balanced, stable and predictable in Comfort (front to rear weight distribution is 50:50).

The electrically-assisted variable-ratio steering is nicely weighted with good road feel, and the grippy sports steering wheel is a nice point of contact.

The xDrive AWD system’s default setting is rear-biased, although it will push most of the drive forward when required. But the RWD feel is unmistakable. 

The M440i weighs in at around 1.9 tonnes but feels lighter and more nimble than that figure would typically indicate.  

A standard electronically-controlled M Sport limited-slip differential puts the power down confidently. I have a favourite LSD test corner on my regular evaluation drive, a sharply twisting and rising left-hander.

Rolling into it in a low gear before planting the throttle mid-corner, the car simply hunkers down without a hint of fuss (or traction loss) as it rockets out the other side.

Optional M Sport front seats ($2000) provide comfort and firm location in equal measure and in terms of ergonomics BMW knows how to focus on the driver and set-up an efficient environment. Key controls are perfectly positioned and simple to operate.

I have an issue with the ‘Lane Departure Warning’ function, however, which is too quick to intervene and overly intrusive when it does so. I turned the ‘Steering Intervention’ function off. You can dial down steering wheel vibration warnings, too.

The standard M Sport brakes feature big vented rotors front and rear, with fixed four-piston front calipers doing the bulk of the work. They’re strong but don’t bite or release too aggressively. It’s easy to grease in a smooth application. 

Active crash-avoidance tech in the M440i xDrive Grand Coupe is impressive with AEB standard, as well as lots of assistants and warnings, namely: ‘Steering and Lane Control Assistant’, ‘Cross Traffic Warning’ (front and rear), ‘Lane Keeping Assistant’ (with ‘Lane Departure Warning’ and ‘Lane Change Warning’), ‘Crossroads Warning’, ‘Evasion Assistant’, and ‘Parking Assistant Plus’ (including ‘3D Surround View and Reversing Assistant’).

If an impact is unavoidable there are six airbags on-board (driver and front passenger front and side, plus side curtains) as well three top tethers and two ISOFIX positions for child seats in the second row.

Plus an ‘Intelligent Emergency Call’ function automatically dials back-to-base if the car has been involved in a crash, and a comprehensive first aid kit is on-board. 

The BMW scored a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment in 2019.

The CLA is covered by Mercedes-Benz Australia’s five-year/unlimited km warranty with roadside assistance included. On top of that, there’s an eight-year/160,000km warranty on the drive battery in electric models.

That general warranty is in line with Audi, BMW and other premium players, but it’s worth noting an increasing number of brands in the mainstream market are stepping up to longer seven, eight and even 10-year cover.

Hybrid and electric variants have the same 12-month, 25,000km recommended service interval with a five-year schedule for the hybrids equating to an average of $1342 per workshop visit over that period. Reduced mechanical complexity in the EV models lowers that number to $859. But neither is especially cheap in the context of class competitors.

The M440i Gran Coupe is covered by BMW’s three-year/unlimited km warranty (including paintwork), as well as 12-year/unlimited km anti-corrosion (perforation) cover. 

That’s off the premium market pace now with Genesis, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz at five years/unlimited km and Lexus set to join them from January 1st, 2022. 

That said, roadside assistance is provided for the duration of the main warranty, but it’s worth noting “rattles and squeaks” are only covered for one year.

Service is condition-based, the car telling you when maintenance is required, and a range of service packages are available. The basic plan covering a 4 Series for five years/80,000km comes in at $1750.