2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA Grows Into The Mini-CLS It Always Aspired To Be

An Australian news outlet broke the embargo for the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA, giving us an early look at the new compact four-door coupe.

Scheduled to be officially revealed at CES later today, the second-generation CLA has “evolution” written all over it. Mercedes’ designers decided not to mess with a recipe that worked well, so they focused on improving the previous model’s looks inside and out. And boy did they improve them.

From the outside, the car looks sleeker thanks to the elongated silhouette (the 2020 CLA is longer and has a stretched wheelbase) as well as the sharper LED headlights and taillights — the latter look like mini-me versions of the CLS’ taillamps. The CLA is 48mm (1.89in) longer, 53mm (2.08in) wider, and 2mm (0.07in) lower than the previous generation model, according to Australian website Redline (link deleted) picked up by Jalopnik.

The bigger footprint translates into much-needed improved rear passenger space, including more leg, shoulder and elbow room. Styling-wise, the interior is a huge step forward as the CLA is identical to the new A-Class, including the twin-screen MBUX infotainment system.

The CLA doesn’t just look smarter; it is also smarter to drive thanks to new driver assistance features that include emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control.

The car that will be on display at CES is the CLA 250, which is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 221 hp (224 PS) and 258 lb-ft (349 Nm) of torque. Obviously, other powertrains will be available when the CLA goes on sale later this year, with availability depending on the market.

The engines will come with manual and automatic transmissions, in front- and all-wheel-drive configurations. Whether a manual gearbox will be available in the United States is something we’ll probably learn later today during the car’s official world premiere.