The new CLA is the smallest electric car from Mercedes so far. However, the new car weighs more than an S-Class.
It hardly comes as a surprise. And yet. Because Mercedes' smallest electric car to date is heavier than an S-Class.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 4Matic with EQ technology, as the car is actually called in the model range, has a curb weight of a whopping 2,135 kilograms.
For comparison, the base version of the current S-Class, the six-cylinder S450 4Matic, weighs 2,070 kilos. Or 65 kilos less than the small electric car.
It doesn't get any better than the fact that the same S-Class, even with a long wheelbase, is lighter than the small electric car. When Mercedes states the weight of the S-Class, the Germans assume that the tank is 90 percent full.
What should make buyers look towards the electric CLA, according to Mercedes, is the car's range. According to the official WLTP calculation, the car can cover 790 kilometers on a single charge.
But then again – the WLTP standard has been criticized for being tailored to cars with combustion engines, where it doesn't say much about real fuel economy.
If it's space you're after, the electric CLA looks like a longer Shooting Brake.
Earlier this month, the German edition of Motor1 documented that Mercedes is testing the car. And it will actually be the Germans' first electric station wagon. Both BMW and Audi already have alternatives on the road if you can't wait that long.
The fact that electric cars weigh a lot is nothing new. But what is new is that electric car owners in several places around the world now have to cough up the extra weight.
In Canada, drivers in several provinces have already been charged an extra fee because their cars wear out the roads more. And in Norway's capital, Oslo, the city government is considering introducing the same model. Read more about it here .
