What's the difference?
This is the new Tesla Model Y L, of course, but before we even start I need to ask you a very important question.
How often, honestly, do you use all seven seats in your seven-seater? Or if you only have five seats, how often is there a human in every single one?
Rarely, if ever?
Yep, me too. So stick around, because this is, by far, the best family SUV seating layout. And one where there’ll finally be no fighting over who gets stuck with the dodgy seat.
And as a result, the six-seat Tesla Model Y L might just be among the best all-electric SUV offerings around.
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.
If you like the five-seat Model Y, then you'll like the six-seat L version even more. I think this the best example of Tesla's electric SUV to date, and the cabin layout just makes a lot of sense, and would suit plenty of families who don't need to squeeze someone into a compromised middle seat.
Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number of automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
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.