Auto Focus spends a week with the Mercedes CLA 350 electric, an all-electric four-door sedan starting at $50,000. The test car, with brown leather, Burmester speakers, an electrochromic roof, and other options, lands around $65,000. It is dual motor, all-wheel drive, with around 350 hp and a 0-to-60 time of approximately 4.8 seconds. Claimed range is 312 miles, and real-world figures at 17% state of charge closely match the trip computer's projection.
A few features stand out. First, the charge port flap is motorized and contains two separate inlets: a NACS port on the right and a standard Level 2 AC port on the left. Neither requires an adapter at a Tesla Supercharger or a Level 2 station, which removes a step that many competing EVs still require. The frunk is usable; with the dividers removed, a carry-on bag fits. The rear axle runs a two-speed gearbox, and between 60 and 70 mph during hard acceleration you can actually feel the shift, a brief deceleration and reacceleration as the transmission moves to its highway gear. The front axle decouples for efficiency during normal driving. None of that is common in this class.
The suspension is notably smooth and quiet. Even on 19-inch wheels without double-glazed windows or active noise cancellation, the cabin stays composed over rough pavement. The optional Burmester speaker package at around $800 is described as worth it. The electrochromic roof can tint in sections from the touchscreen. A head-up display comes standard. The MBUX 4.0 software handles car settings well; Apple CarPlay is available and effectively instant to enable.
A few things fall short. The steering wheel has volume control but no next or previous track button, so skipping songs requires reaching to the primary screen or using a phone. The rear windows are controlled from the front door panel only, a minor annoyance. The back seat has a high floor and a sloping roofline that limits headroom and knee angle, making long trips less comfortable than the front. Physical HVAC buttons are not present in the center console, which some will miss.
Options in the segment are genuinely limited. The BMW i4 is being discontinued. The Model S is gone. The Lucid Air starts around $90,000. The CLA 350 does not try to out-perform any of them; it is smooth, quiet, well-built, and honestly ranged, and that combination is harder to find in this price bracket than it has any right to be.