Mercedes-Benz CLA200 vs Toyota Fortuner

What's the difference?

The Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 is sleek, well-equipped, and beautifully engineered. That said, it’s pricey. You can get a car that’s 80 percent as good for 50 per cent of the price. But getting that extra 20 percent in terms of refinement, dynamic ability and design sophistication is what you’re paying for. If you’ve got the extra dough, top dollar buys you a spot on the top shelf.

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

The Toyota Fortuner is a family friendly wagon and a very capable 4WD, but it’s looking and feeling decidedly old, especially when cross-shopped against the current highly competitive 4WD wagon market in which vehicles are increasingly stylish, sophisticated and packed with driver-assist tech (that isn't clunky) and standard features (that are extensive).

The Fortuner is practical and easy to live with as a daily driver, and in GXL spec it makes a lot of sense as a functional not flashy off-road tourer, but it’s far from the best family 4WD wagon around.

Until a next-generation Fortuner possibly arrives, there are plenty of Toyota fans who’d happily settle for a current Fortuner – if they haven’t already.

While the way a car looks is a subjective call, and as always, your thoughts are welcome in the comments below, I’m putting it out there… this is a beautiful machine. And Gordon Wagener’s not pulling any punches, either. He thinks it has the potential to become, “a modern design icon.”

The long bonnet, cab-rear, wide-track proportions sit within a slightly larger footprint. The new CLA is marginally longer, wider, lower overall, and has a lengthier wheelbase than the model it replaces. And the car’s intricate mix of gently curved surfaces and hard lines is expertly managed, with a standard AMG body kit, complete with 18-inch rims, adding just a hint of macho intent.

The angle of the shoulder runs from this character line, virtually unchanged up to the roof, and the inward slope of the side glass (car designers call it tumblehome) is quite pronounced. And the sweeping curve at the top of the front guards is defined by hard strakes on the outer edges of the bonnet.

The rear view is arguably the CLA’s most appealing angle with the intersection of the sloping turret, boot, and rear guards neatly resolved.

It’s super slick aerodynamically, as well, boasting a Cd of 0.23, running a close second to it’s A-Class sedan sibling (0.22) which Merc claims as the world’s most aero-efficient series production four-door.

But what about the inside? Well, the biggest visual feature is the customisable MBUX media and data interface, expressed dramatically through a pair of 10.25-inch widescreens.

The info available and number of configurations offered is mind-blowing. It’s very 2019 and spot-on target for the digital generation.

Piano black surfaces around the dash and console lift the tone (but pick up the fingerprints) while the signature turbine-style vents add another flash of visual interest without compromising function.

Other highlights include front seats with racy one-piece backs (reflected on the top of the outer rear seats, as well), frameless doors enhancing the coupe feel, and neatly detailed stitching around the dash and doors.

The GXL is 4795mm long with a 2745mm wheelbase. It is 1855mm wide, 1835mm high and has a listed kerb weight of 2185kg. It has a 11.6m turning circle.

Not a lot has changed in terms of the Fortuner’s looks over the years and while it stubbornly retains that pleasingly non-offensive exterior of most modern SUVs, it does manage to not be totally bland.

The GXL is a body-on-frame 4WD based the HiLux, so it’s no sports car in appearance whether you gaze at it from the front, side, rear or from a bird’s eye view, but it doesn’t look like a block of rotten wood, so unless you’re looks-obsessed, then you should be okay driving this around.

The Fortuner interior is looking dated and the standard dark grey fabric cloth seats, though well-suited to coping with day-to-day messes and spills, don’t do the cabin any favours either, and – you know what? – I don’t mind any of it. Note our test vehicle on this occasion had black leather-accented seats as part of its GXL Option Pack, but I've spent time in cloth-seat Fortuners.

Despite a two mm drop in overall height, the CLA’s front headroom has been extended by 17mm, and there’s lots of room up front, with storage running to two cupholders in the centre console, a lidded bin/armrest between the seats (including twin USB ports), an overhead sunglass holder, decent door pockets with room for bottles and a medium-size glove box.

There’s also a mat for wireless device charging at the front of the centre console, complete with another USB input (just in case).

But what does that sexy, sloping roofline do for space in the rear?

Sitting behind the driver's seat set to my (183cm) position, there’s adequate legroom, but despite Merc claiming an extra 3.0mm of headroom, my noggin made firm contact with the headliner.

It’s worth remembering this is a coupe-style four-door, with the packaging compromises a swoopy roof brings. You could call it a ‘2+3’, with a couple of doors added to make access to the back seats easier.

A centre fold-down armrest incorporates two cupholders, again there are generous pockets in the doors with room for bottles, map pockets on the front seatbacks, and adjustable ventilation outlets set into the back of the front centre console are a welcome inclusion.

There are three belted positions across the rear, but the adults using them for anything other than short journeys will have to be good friends and flexible. Kids will be fine.

Boot volume is a healthy 460 litres (VDA), which is down 10 litres on the first-gen car, but the aperture has been widened by no less than 262mm, and a 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat opens up extra space. There are tie-down hooks, a 12-volt outlet and elasticised storage pockets either side of the load space to further enhance useability, plus a cargo net is included.

No news on towing capacity at this stage, and don’t bother looking for a spare, the tyres are run flats.

The Fortuner’s cabin has a comfortably familiar feel to it and, thankfully, this interior is all about function not fashion.

It’s a practical space, with standard cloth seats (as mentioned our test vehicle has the Option Pack leather-accented seats, but I’ve spent enough drive time in Fortuners with cloth seats to know how those cope with the mess and dirt of everyday life), carpet floors with rubber mats, and durable plastic surfaces everywhere.

Up front, there’s an 8.0-inch multimedia screen (too small, not clear and bright enough) and that system has USB-connected Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (no wireless anything), and a 4.2-inch colour driver’s display, which is too small, too basic and part of an outdated mix of analogue and not-new-enough digital instrumentation.

There are the usual storage spaces – including a glovebox, a centre console, a tray for your smartphone, pop-out cup-holders on the outboard edges of the dash – and a USB port and a 12V socket for charging purposes.

The Fortuner’s three rows are in a 2-3-2 seat configuration. The 60/40 split-fold second-row seat has a one-touch, tumble feature. The 50/50 third-row seats are able to be stowed away, sort of. When folded to each side they protrude into the load space, reducing the size of what would otherwise be a more useable cargo area.

It’s reasonably comfortable in the second row; I sat behind my driving position and I had adequate head and knee room.

The second row has cup holders in the fold-down armrest, ceiling-mounted controls for the aircon, and two ISOFIX and three top-tether anchor points.

All three rows get aircon – with ceiling-mounted vents – and there are a few storage spaces in the third row, but no cup-holders. 

In terms of comfort, it’s ordinary back here; the seats are flat and unsupportive – and, for anyone other than children, the space is tight. 

Boot space is listed as 200 litres with the third-row seats in use, and in that area there are cargo hooks and a 12V socket.

Stow away the third-row and cargo space increases to 716 litres. But the seats still jut into the cargo area, greatly reducing your actual useable load space, and they also obscure a lot of driver vision to the rear.

With the second and third rows out of the way you have a listed 1080L of cargo area.

Our test vehicle is the GXL, the mid-spec variant in a line-up topped and tailed by the base-spec GX and the top-shelf Crusade.

The GXL has a starting price of $58,895 plus on-road costs.

Standard features onboard this seven-seat 4WD wagon include a 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), a six-speaker sound system, digital radio, manually adjustable seats and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Exterior paint choices include Glacier White (no extra cost) or premium paints Frosted White, Graphite, Stunning Silver, Eclipse Black, Feverish Red, Phantom Brown, and Saturn Blue, which all cost $675 extra.

Our test vehicle has the Option Pack, which includes black leather-accented seats and eight-way power-adjustable front seats.

The CLA 200 is powered by Merc’s 1.3-litre (M 282), direct-injection four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine driving the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission (with paddle shifters on the wheel).

It’s the product of a joint development with Renault, and outputs are 120kW at 5500rpm and 250Nm at 1620rpm, which is pretty impressive for such a small capacity unit.

The single turbo features an electronically controlled wastegate and flexible charge pressure control to optimise boost across the entire rev range (rev ceiling is 6300rpm), with an equal focus on power, step-off throttle response and fuel efficiency.

Every Fortuner in the line-up has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 150kW and 500Nm – and that’s matched to a six-speed automatic transmission.

In terms of performance, the Fortuner is not going to set any hearts a-flutter: it’s sluggish off the mark, it takes a heavy right boot to make it feel like anything other than lacklustre on the move, and the six-speed auto downshifts quite harshly at times, especially when going up or down long, gradual inclines on the highway.

However, the 4WD set-up is effective, with adequate low-range gearing, a quietly efficient (but a tad clunky) off-road traction control system, and a rear diff lock.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 5.7L/100km, the CLA emitting 130g/km of CO2 in the process.

At just over 1.4 tonnes it’s fairly hefty for its size, but at partial load between 1250-3800rpm two of the engine’s four cylinders shut down to improve economy. ‘ECO’ mode dampens performance in the name of improved economy, plus stop-start is standard.

And over roughly 200km of freeway, city and suburban running we saw an average of 7.5L/100km courtesy of the on-board read-out.

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded, and you’ll need 43 litres of it to fill the tank, which at our real-world average delivers a range of approximately 575km.

The Fortuner has official fuel consumption of 7.6L/100km.

On this test I recorded 9.6L/100km.

Going by my on-test fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 833km from this Fortuner’s full 80-litre tank.

So, despite the engine’s small capacity the addition of a turbo means peak torque (250Nm) arrives at just 1620rpm. Power delivery is linear and mid-range acceleration is healthy. Claimed 0-100km/h acceleration is 8.2sec, which is neither sluggish nor particularly fast, but performance is more than adequate around town and on the highway.

The seven-speed dual-clutch auto shifts smoothly, but not particularly rapidly, although a switch to manual mode and use of the wheel-mounted paddles means you can be more selective about which ratio you’re in and for how long.

Standard suspension set-up is strut front, multi-link rear, with many of the components made from aluminium to reduce unsprung weight, and the CLA feels nimble through twisting backroad bends.

Our test car was optioned with the AMG Exclusive Package, which includes adaptive dampers. And no surprise ‘Sport’ mode is severe, and the fillings in your teeth (unless you’re one of those strange people that don’t have any) will be in danger of rattling loose over anything other than a billiard table smooth surface.

By contrast, ‘Comfort’ lives up to its name with a supremely compliant ride without any sacrifice in terms of balance and (taut) body control. The standard 18-inch rims, shod with 225/45 rubber, don’t put a disenable dent in proceedings, either.

The electro-mechanical steering points accurately and delivers a good connection with what’s happening at the front wheels. Assistance is subtle.

Brakes are vented discs up front, with solid rotors at the rear. Purely in the interests of a full and well-rounded review we enthusiastically pushed through some lengthy B-road sections, and the pedal remained firm and consistent.

In short the CLA is a refined city coupe that doubles as a comfortable touring car.

On-road, the Fortuner offers up a pretty standard driving experience for a ute-based wagon. It’s on the HiLux ladder-frame chassis, and it has a firm ride, bordering on harsh. Having said that, you do get used to it soon enough and the Fortuner's coil-spring suspension set-up takes most of the sting out of surface irregularities, except for the more severe dips and bumps.

The Fortuner’s driving position offers plenty of visibility – although the A-pillars are bulky and the third-row seats block vision to the rear when they’re folded up to the sides of the cabin.

This 4WD wagon is generally quiet, although there’s noticeable wind-rush noise around the wing mirrors and engine noise builds to a diesel shriek when you use a heavy right boot as is regularly required.

Steering – reach- and rake-adjustable – is adequately light and sharp, and the Fortuner, with its 11.6m turning circle, is reasonably nimble in suburban areas.

Acceleration, from a standing-start or for overtaking, is laggy but available power and torque come in handy during general driving, making the Fortuner more agreeable all-round than previous versions.

The six-speed auto is generally right for the job, but it downshifts harshly, especially when going up or down long, gradually sloping highway stretches. That happens enough for it to be on the wrong side of annoying.

Some aspects of the Fortuner’s driver-assist tech is annoying: active cruise control is too abrupt and pre-emptive, consistently miscalculating the space between the Fortuner and the vehicle in front as accurately as most of its rivals. This clunky application of tech to real-world scenarios works against the Fortuner. 

While driving a lightly corrugated and rutted dirt track o the way to our set-piece off-road tests, the Fortuner’s ladder-frame chassis yielded a stiff, firm ride, bashing and bouncing over any and all surface imperfections. Airing down the Yokohama Geolandar ATs (265/65R17) from 38 psi (pounds per square inch) to 26 psi takes some sting out of the ride.

The Fortuner is a very capable 4WD with standard off-road measurements, including ground clearance (216mm), approach angle (29 degrees), departure angle (25 degrees) and rampover angle (23.5 degrees). It has a listed wading depth of 700mm.

The Fortuner’s switchable part-time 4WD system has two-wheel drive (H2), and high- (H4) and low-range (L4) four-wheel drive. There’s ample low-end torque on offer – on tap across a broad rev range – for controlled low-speed 4WDing and the unfussed turbo-diesel engine keeps the Fortuner ticking along, without any hassle. 

Engine braking is good, keeping the Fortuner to a sustained and composed momentum on downhill runs.

The off-road traction control system is an effective set-up, limiting wheel-spin and sending much-needed torque to the tyres with some useable traction, with the aim to keep the vehicle moving along at a safe, controlled pace.

Besides that, the driver always has the option of engaging the rear diff lock for more traction action.

Wheel travel is decent for a wagon like this and if you can get the full suspension flex, and drop any mid-air tyres to the dirt for more traction, chances are you’ll be able to get moving along safely soon enough.

So, the mechanicals are fine – its 4WD set-up is very effective – but the Fortuner doesn’t have a whole lot of ground clearance (a claimed 216mm, standard for a contemporary 4WD wagon) and the side steps are prone to hitting on the edges of steep and deep ruts, but those factors are easily overcome through considered driving and tyres that are better suited to off-roading. 

The standard Yokohama Geolandar AT tyres are somewhat of a flaw in the Fortuner’s off-roading set-up. Sure, they’re technically all-terrains, but I reckon a better bet for you – if you’re planning to drive anything beyond formed trails – is to invest in a set of more aggressive all-terrains with greater sidewall bite. 

If you’re planning to use your Fortuner to tow anything, keep in mind that it has a 750kg unbraked towing capacity and 3100kg braked towing capacity. Remember: to be on the safe side, avoid going loading up to anywhere near those capacity figures.

Payload is 615kg (easily reached when you factor in people, pets, camping gear and more), gross vehicle is (GVM) is 2800kg, and gross combined mass (GCM) is 5900kg.

The Toyota Fortuner GXL has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2019. Note the ANCAP safety rating for the Fortuner is based on crash tests of the Toyota Hilux.

Standard safety gear includes seven airbags and driver-assist tech, including AEB with pedestrian (night and day) and cyclist detection (day only), active cruise control, lane departure alert, road sign assist and more.

The Mercedes-Benz range is covered by a three year/unlimited km warranty, which, like Audi and BMW continues to lag behind the mainstream market where the majority of players are now at five years/unlimited km, with some at seven years.

On the upside, Mercedes-Benz ‘Road Care’ roadside assistance is included in the deal for three years.

Service is scheduled for 12 months/25,000km (whichever comes first) with pricing available on an 'Up-front' or 'Pay-as-you-go' basis.

For the CLA, pre-payment delivers a $500 saving, with the first three services set at a total of $2050, compared to $2550 PAYG. Fourth and fifth services are also available for pre-purchase.

A five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty covers the Fortuner, which is par for the course these days.

If you stick to the relatively short servicing schedule – six months or 10,000km with at authorised dealerships – Toyota says it will cover the engine and driveline for up to seven years. All warranty elements are subject to terms and conditions, so make sure you’re fully aware of those.

Capped-price servicing applies and, for our test vehicle, it was $290 per appointment for the first five, then $377.38, $813.93, $572.55, $478.93 and $377.38.