The Mercedes CLA EV marks the start of a new era in electric Mercedes design. The EQ cars and their various compromises will soon be gone, replaced by modern, 800-volt, software-defined EVs like the CLA 250+ with EQ Technology that arrived at my door for testing.
Yet the experience felt much like all of my recent Mercedes tests. I started off pleasantly surprised by the driving dynamics and plush seats, only to end up increasingly agitated by many of the design decisions. By the time the fleet company came to retrieve it, I was happy to watch it drive away.
