Four-Cylinder Diesel For Mercedes CLA and GLA Won't Cross The Pond
While your humble Editor-In-Chief was brake-torquing his mighty 560SL — about which more will be said in the near future — over to the liquor store to pick some Alizé for some morally-challenged females, Mercedes-Benz USA was holding quite a party for the CLA Press Drive. I’m reliably told it was the most upscale event in history to feature a vehicle priced head-to-head with the Ford Fusion. I’m also reliably told by the same people who told me about the event that the cheapest Benzo is the bee’s knees and just totally awesome in every respect.
We’ll see.
But there’s already one bit of off-message news emerging about the transverse-engined Teutonic travesty:
Let’s pause for a minute to consider the notion that isn’t willing to make their own four-cylinder entry-level diesels. Alright, that’s over. Why won’t the Renault four-banger come to the United States? Apparently the answer is the urea injection system that would be mandatory on these shores; it would simply cost too much to fit. Once upon a time, Mercedes-Benz would have built their own engine, made it comply with our regulations, and charged whatever they felt was fair — but that strategy no longer works in this market and it certainly wouldn’t work with a car that’s currently being advertised with “$29,999” all over it. Still, the idea that this car is priced and sliced so thin that there isn’t the margin to fit a French diesel is enough to give those of us who have owned the old Benzes pause. One wonders perhaps if the cost of doing so would have been more or less than the cost of fitting that abominable backlit SL-style star in the grille.
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- Poltergeist I expect this will go over about as well as the CR-Z did 15 years ago.
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- Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh A prelude is a bad idea. There is already Acura with all the weird sport trims. This will not make back it's R&D money.
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If I'm going to go German for low $30k, a loaded Jetta GLI or a manual transmission 320i with vinyl seats are looking much more compelling than this Hyundai-looking Benz.
I like, and sell both models you are interested in. Decision comes down to front or rear drive and how many options you are willing to give up to keep the 320i in your price range. For my money I would choose a base 320i with a stick and the sport package. A very sweet ride. A better alternative though is an A4 Quattro with a stick. More standard equipment than the 320i and just as fun to drive...oh, I do sell those too!