Mercedes-Benz CLA200 vs Nissan Navara

What's the difference?

Mercedes-Benz’s Gordon Wagener is a car design rock star. He’s the guy that shapes the three-pointed star’s design strategy and a decade ago introduced the concept of ‘sensual purity’ as a key driver of the way the brand’s cars should look and feel. And this is the latest expression of that thought, the second-generation (C118) CLA four-door Coupe.

Wagener’s influence is critical here because the CLA is one of the most fashion-focused offerings in the ever-broadening Mercedes-Benz range.

But does the drive match the creative style? We got behind the wheel of the first model to arrive, the entry-level CLA 200, to find out.

Developing a new motor vehicle from scratch costs billions which is why manufacturers are increasingly sharing vehicle platforms and technology to spread these ever-increasing costs across two (or more) strategically aligned automotive brands.

This ‘badge engineering’ strategy is becoming popular in the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment as evidenced by partnerships between Ford and Volkswagen with their Ranger/Amarok and Transit Custom/Transporter pairings, Isuzu and Mazda with their D-Max/BT-50 duo and Chinese contenders MG and LDV with their U9/Terron 9 tie-up.

Mitsubishi and Nissan have recently established a similar relationship, with Mitsubishi’s Triton donating its underpinnings for the latest Nissan Navara. We recently spent a week with Nissan’s new entry-level model grade to assess its credentials from a tradie’s perspective.