 So if you guys welcome back to another one, if you're new to this channel, I am Gold Penningham doing new car truck SUV reviews on YouTube. And today, we are in the new 2022 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, courtesy of Mercedes-Benz of Hagerstown in Hagerstown, Maryland. For more information on their inventory, please feel free to check out the link in the description box below. And so we are in this one today because this thing has an excellent design with a fastback type back end, which I absolutely love. And it's essentially got all of the luxury you would expect from Mercedes-Benz, of course, as well, including this amazing ambient lighting, which really looks even better since the sun is not out today. But anyways, in this video, we will be testing out and going over everything about this one from acceleration to braking, steering wheel ride quality, sound system exhaust clip, all of that fun stuff. So having said all of that, what do you guys say? Let's just go ahead and jump right into it. And as always, let's start with pricing. And so there will essentially be two different configurations for the CLA 250. You got the front wheel drive setup. That one starts at $38,200. And then there is the four-matic all-wheel drive, which of course is the one we have today starting at $40,200. But regardless of what setup that you go with, the power plan on this thing will be the same. Powering the Beast is a two-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder, putting out 221 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, 258 pound-feet of torque coming in at 1,800 RPM. Power sent to front wheels are all wheels through a seven-speed dual clutch with paddle shifters, which you guys know we will test out here in a little bit. Zero to 60 time is going to come in at approximately 6.3 seconds for the four-matic all-wheel drive version. MPG numbers coming into 25 in the City 36 highway for the front wheel drive, 24 City 33 then on the highway for the all-wheel drive. But before we do any kind of fun acceleration or paddle shifter tests, I did want to mention to you guys, the drive modes, it's labeled Dynamic Select. That button is located just to the left of the touchpad controller. If you were to hit that, you got Individuals, Sport, Comfort and Eco, adjusting things like the shift points, the throttle response, the steering sensitivity and the engine start-stop system as well. So if I just put it in that Eco driving mode, it obviously is going to shut off the engine when I come up to a red-lighter stop sign. But let's say, for instance, if I put it in Sport, it's not going to do that because it wants that power constantly. But anyways, having now gotten all of that out of the way, what do you guys say? Let's go ahead and throw it in that Sport driving mode real quick. Let's find a straightaway. Let's put the paddle shifters to the test here first and let's see how quickly they are going to react for us. So we are in manual shift mode here. Quick, dang quick. Yeah, that'll work. That is fun, man. A lot of times the paddle shifters are there just for maybe do some engine braking when it snows out, but these things are dang quick. So definitely no disappointment when it comes to the paddle shifters. But now let's go ahead and get back full control here. Let's put the acceleration here to the test in this super wet, rainy snowy day this morning and let's see how quickly we can get the new CLA 250 here up to speed. All right, in three, two, one. And it grips. Dang does it grip. There was no slipping. This thing is plenty quick. Definitely not good avidity issues emerging onto the highway whatsoever. That's Sport mode, man. That's fine. Definitely a very, very quick car on what's even more impressive, like I said, since we have the Formatic all-wheel drive, you guys could probably hear the rain in the background. There was no slipping whatsoever. I love that. That's a safety feature, man. Gotta stay safe out there. But anyways, to go along with that acceleration as always, braking is equally important. So upfront, you will find 13 inch ventilated front discs in the back, 12.6 inch solid rear discs. As far as that 60 to zero stopping distance goes, that is going to commit at 121 feet, which it's plenty fine. Really, when it comes to the braking feel, feels perfectly fine. Definitely even on the firmer side of things, which I personally appreciate. It gives you a better feeling of being in control. Anyways, then touching on suspension and handling. Up front, you're going to get an independent McPherson strut front suspension. In the back, independent multi-link rear suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars. Did want to also mention though, there's a couple different AMG packages that come available as options for the CLA250. If you were to go with one of those, it's going to give you a lowered comfort suspension, in case you were curious. So a little more aggressive appearance. And typically because of the lower suspension, you're going to get a little bit better handling with that with one of those two particular packages as well. But as far as ride quality goes, it's been perfectly fine in my short test drive here today. So definitely no issues there. Steering feel is noticeably weightier in the sport driving mode. I can also attest to that. So it gives you a better feeling of being in control, a little better driver feedback there, which is always nice. As far as cabin noise goes, I'm currently going 52 miles per hour. It's certainly not all that bad. It's mostly just rain noise at this point, because it's raining so hard today. But anyways, then touching on visibility, I can see perfectly fine out the back. I did want to also mention rain sensing, quite chill wipers, very handy today. And they do come standard across the board. But that about wraps up the performance segment of this review guys. Let's now go ahead and take a look at the exterior of our brand new 2022 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250. All right. So here she is, you guys. The new 2022 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 finished in rose gold metallic. A $750 paint option in case you were interested. I think it looks staying good, but you guys know I like different and unique colors and this is definitely one of them. So I'm a fan personally, but let's go ahead and start up front of the CLA here. Aluminum trim grill accent does come standard. That's what we of course have today. But did want to mention with the AMG packages, you do get a diamond block front grill finished in chrome. So that is not what we have, but that is available if you wanted to go that route. Unique front fascia also comes with those AMG packages as well. Aluminum accent on the lower portion of the front bumper, you guys can see that. That also coming standard. Illuminated star emblem, we have that today. That is an option that gives her $450. I think it looks so stinking cool. And I've seen Mercedes-Benz with that illuminated star before and I've always liked it. It definitely makes a statement. So for that reason, I'm personally a fan to the sides. LED headlights, of course, coming standard. They do come with the automatic feature and LED daytime running lights coming with that as well. Did want to mention another option for the front though that is going to be the exterior lighting package that goes for $900. With that one, you get automatic high beams and an adaptive front lighting system or adaptive LED headlights. Essentially the way that works is when you're going around at bend at night, those headlights are going to swivel based on the direction of your steering angle. Better help illuminating what is around that bend. So you're less likely to hit a deer or moose or possum or aliens or whatever it is. So that is pretty cool as well. But that pretty much rounds out the front end of this one. Let's now go ahead and make our way to the side of the CLA. All right, so now since we are around to the side of this one, there is a coupe-like silhouette with the frameless door glass. I personally love it. The frameless door glass always is a coupe-like design in itself. So I'm definitely a big fan of that. Chrome windows surrounds do come standard. Of course you guys can see that. When it comes to the side mirrors, they are body-colored power adjustable side mirrors. They will be heated with LED integrated turn signals then as well. Taking a look down at the wheel configuration, 18 inch multi-spoke alloys coming standard. However, there are several 19 inch wheel designs available. I also wanted to mention that as well. Also wanted to mention slight little difference when it comes to the AMG packages. The side skirts are a slightly different design but either way, they're body-colored either way which is definitely a good thing. But that pretty much rounds out the side profile of this one. Let's now go ahead and make our way to this fastback tail end of the CLA. All right, so this is probably my favorite part of this car because there aren't that many cars with this fastback type design that have four doors at least. So I do like that. But don't want to mention, we do have an optional rear spoiler that goes for $300. It's pretty good on the back. Honestly, I think it would look good either way but it does look good back there. LED tail lights do come standard as well which is definitely a safety feature there. Rear diffuser coming with the AMG packages. Otherwise, you're gonna get that matte black finish towards the bottom like we currently have here. And just below it all, of course, you will find integrated dual exhaust outlets finished in chrome. So having said that, I do believe you guys know what we have to do next. As always here is that exhaust clip. All right, so now since we are around to the back of the CLA 250, when it comes to opening that rear hatchback there, there is a button on the key fob. There is a button on the driver's side door and there's actually a button within the Mercedes-Benz emblem. Essentially, just press in on the upper portion of the Mercedes emblem and that is going to open it up for you. But once it opened up, carging capacity comes in at 11.6 cubic feet. If that was not enough space, there is a 40, 20, 40 split essentially meaning the rear seats do fold down for quite a bit of extra cargo space then if you needed it. There is cargo lighting back there. There are some tie-down anchors as well, which I was surprised to find because typically you just find them in SUVs. And if you lift up underneath of that cargo floor there, you will actually find a little bit of in-floor storage, which is always nice to put like an ice scraper or something like that, especially here in Hagerstown because it did snow this morning. But anyways, then making our way up to the rear legroom, 33.9 inches is what that rear legroom comes in at for reference, I mean even six feet tall. This is how much space I have back there. There is a rear center armrest with cup holders that does come standard, of course. Rear ventilation as well, and there is a singular. There is one charging port for your phone back there in case you needed that. But then making our way up to the front seats and be text upholstery is going to come standard. There is a sport one piece designed to those front seats that is available. We don't have those today, but they are available for you there. Power adjustable front seats do come standard with memory settings for up to three different front people. I'll put it that way because the driver side has memory settings for three drivers. The passenger side also does. I think Mercedes really does this quite frequently whereas other manufacturers, I don't see it that often but I love that both driver and passenger can have their own memory settings for up to three different people. So that's pretty cool. Heated front seats go for $500. Heated and ventilated seats for $950. Multi-contour front seats, $760. Leather seating, $1,950 if you wanted to go that route. But overall, seating was plenty comfortable. I will say we do have most of those options that I just went over if he didn't ventilated seats, all that fun stuff. So definitely no issues with taking this thing on a long road trip. But then take a look at the steering wheel. It is tilt and telescoping. It is leather wrapped and you can get a heated steering wheel for an additional $250 if you wanted to go that route. Then make our way to the startup. Let me start by showing you guys the key here. Essentially all of your buttons are located on one side of the key. You got lock, unlock and the button to pop the rear hatch there. But it is all keyless entry with a push button. Starts all I'm going to do here, simply put my foot on the brake and press that engine start button located just to the left of the air vents. And so once started up, there's a couple of different gauge configurations. So the standard one is going to be a seven inch digital gauge cluster. However, there's a premium package that goes for $1,750. If you went that route, you are going to get what you're currently looking at which is a 10 and a quarter inch digital gauge cluster. And that's actually going to mirror the infotainment screen then as well, the seven inch design and the 10 and a quarter inch design. We'll get more into the infotainment later, but overall there are steering wheel amounts of controls found on the left side of the steering wheel. You can adjust between a bunch of different things. But my favorite part to adjust is the designs and display section of those gauges where you could choose between classic, sport, progressive and understated. So several different options there that where you can really tailor the look to your own liking, customize it to what you want it to look like, which I personally love. I love that Mercedes does that. So definitely a fan of the gauges there. But take a look at the overall interior quality. There's a panoramic roof that comes standard. There are garage door openers that goes for $280 for up to three different garage doors. And that comes with the frameless rear view mirror there as well. Dual zoom climate control coming standard. There are 64 colors of ambient lighting with illuminated vents that comes standard. And that's one of my favorite parts about every Mercedes I test drive, I feel like. They have the best ambient lighting design and illumination than any other manufacturer I have tested. So I'm a huge fan of that. Wireless phone charger is going to be available as well. Just in front of the cup holders, you have a little bit of rubberized storage there. There's a phone charging port, 12-volt power outlet. Of course you got your cup holders. Then within the center armrest, there's a little bit of storage and you actually have dual phone charging ports within that center armrest as well. But overall, everything is finished in extremely high quality. You got contrast stitching just above the ambient lighting up here. And the ambient lighting is incredible. Like I was saying, you have matte wood finishes, not only found on the doors, but just above the passenger side glove box. And a nice soft touch design just above the passenger side glove box too, with little circular indentations in it. And of course the air vents themselves look absolutely amazing as well. But to sum it up, it's finished like a Mercedes, which means it's absolutely wonderful. But now, let's go ahead and make our way to that infotainment screen I was mentioning. Like I said, two different setups. The seven inch screen which mirrors the gauges or the 10 and a quarter inch color touch screen display, which comes with the premium package. If both are touch screen displays, you can also adjust that by saying, hey Mercedes, you can also adjust that. How can I help? You see, you can also adjust it using a touchpad controller and buttons located just behind the cup holders there. But ultimately either screen are gonna give you Bluetooth and audio streaming. You're gonna get Android Auto, Apple CarPlay as well. Factory navigation system is going to be available with the multimedia package. It goes for $1,300. And that gives you that augmented reality navigation as well where it kind of turns as you get closer to the turn, which is pretty cool. Ambient lighting you can check out up there. Of course, there are a couple different themes, which is one of my favorite parts of Mercedes as well. Kind of tailors everything from opening and closing the panoramic roof to the ambient lighting colors to everything really. So I like the theme section. That's pretty cool. Of course you can check out your radio information up there. And by the way, eight speakers come standard, not bad for a standard sound system there, but there is an optional Bermester sound system that's available. We do have that one today. So, having said that, what do you guys say? Let's go ahead and turn to the radio and see what we got playing today. And let's test out the clarity of this one. 🎵 Long and it's and a truth. 🎵 That was actually regular FM radio and that sounded crystal clear, you guys. That Bermester sound system, it's really, really good. There was a ton of bass, perfect clarity. That was a really, really good sound system without a doubt for the CLA. But last thing I wanted to mention to you guys on the infotainment screen at least is when you do put this thing in reverse, you will find an extremely high definition rear view camera coming standard. Also, there is a parking assistance package that goes for $1,090. That's gonna give you that surround view monitor that you're looking at on the left side of the screen there, which is always is going to lead us into safety. And so front side side carrying airbags do come standard, driver's knee airbag as well. Also in the back, there is an optional rear side impact airbags that goes for $700, by the way, if you want to go that route. Also in the back, you got latch, AKA lower anchors to tether your children for the rear car seats, rear child door locks, tire pressure monitoring system, but also coming standard, active brake assist. Mercedes-Benz emergency call service, attention assist, blind spot assist, cross wind assist, and adaptive braking technology then as well. Then one last final package, an option I wanted to mention for you guys is the driver assistance package. It goes for $1,300. This essentially gives you all of the advanced safety features including adaptive cruise control, active steering assist, evasive steering assist, active brake assist with cross traffic function, emergency stop assist, speed limit assist, lane keep assist, and lane change assist then as well. So overall, when it comes to my final thoughts, I do love the fastback styling on this thing. Like I said, the back end of the CLA is the best part of this thing, although there's really not a bad angle on the CLA, but the rear end of this one looks absolutely amazing. Great interior quality as well. Everything is finished in very high quality materials. Excellent ambient lighting, like I always say, there's tons of colors you could choose from and the ambient lighting is even in the air vents. It's done so freakishly well in this thing. As far as constructive criticism goes, we're only only got two things. I guess the rear seat headroom is a little snug back there. I guess I could say that, but also the pricing, it can get kind of pricey with this thing with all of the options. You guys could probably tell I was shilling a lot of options during this whole review, but anyways, let me know what you guys think of the CLA in the comments section below. I always love reading your comments. That is about it for this one. You guys, thank you so much for watching. Feel free to follow me on social media at the bottom of the screen if you want to see what's coming next on the channel before it actually gets to YouTube. Be sure to hit the subscribe and the bell notification button if you're in a new car reviews that is what we do here on this channel. After all, do appreciate you guys watching more than you know and I will see you guys all in the next video. Stay cool.