Omoda 9 vs Mercedes-Benz CLA250

What's the difference?

VS
Omoda 9
Omoda 9

2026 price

Mercedes-Benz CLA250
Mercedes-Benz CLA250

2020 price

Summary

2026 Omoda 9
2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA250
Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 4, 2.0L
Fuel Type
-

Premium Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
-

6.7L/100km (combined)
Seating
0

5
Dislikes
  • High price for new brand
  • Derivative looks
  • Ride and handling need refinement

  • Confused nav
  • Modest rear headroom
  • So-so warranty
2026 Omoda 9 Summary

Does Australia need yet another new car brand?

It’s the question I keep asking myself seemingly every other week as a new brand announces its intention to join the other 70 odd marques already competing for a slice of the Australia new-car market.

Chery made a successful re-entry into the Australian market in 2023, quickly establishing itself as a value-led brand. Earlier this year it launched Jaecoo, its more premium, adventure-focused offering and announced it would be spun-off into separate showrooms alongside the new Omoda brand.

The first Omoda-badged vehicle has now arrived, the Omoda 9 Virtue SHS (Super Hybrid System), which will join the almost-as-new Jaecoo J7 and J8 in the growing number of dealers around Australia.

So, does Australia need Omoda? Does the Omoda 9 Virtue SHS make a compelling case, in the same way the sharply-priced Chery models have? 

Read on for our verdict.

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2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA250 Summary

If you're after a hot hatch with a boot, you can't have one because it wouldn't be a hatch anymore.

What you can have is this little beast - the new, second-generation Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S, a small coupe-style sedan sharing its high-performance DNA with the hot as bubbling lava A 45 S hatch.

Packing 300kW – that's just over 420hp – and 500Nm its 2.0-litre engine is claimed to be the most powerful series production turbo four ever made.

And Australian deliveries are scheduled for early 2020, with a likely price tag in the mid-$90k bracket.

Mercedes-AMG invited us to the car's global launch in Madrid, Spain, where we got behind the wheel on road and track.

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Deep dive comparison

2026 Omoda 9 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA250

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