Mercedes-Benz is known for innovating from the top down, introducing new tech on high-end models like the S-Class and letting it gradually trickle down to less-expensive models. Now it’s changing things up.
Expected to go on sale in the United States later this year, the redesigned 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class will remain one of the automaker’s entry-level models while introducing Mercedes’ next-generation tech.
A new operating system that aims to make software-based features more common and more seamless, while the first-ever CLA EV (officially known as the CLA with EQ Technology) will take a big step forward in efficiency and charging performance. So this is a small car that’s a big deal for the future of one of the auto industry’s most storied brands.
Design rethink
Launched in 2014, the CLA brought a more expressive aesthetic to the Mercedes brand. That continues with the 2026 model, although the addition of an electric powertrain didn’t lead designers down the same aerodynamically-focused path that led to the controversial design choices of Mercedes’ EQ EVs.
Because it must share its platform with an internal-combustion model, the electric CLA still looks like a CLA. It’s a small sedan with a low roofline that aims for a sportier appearance, although dimensions have changed slightly. The new model is 1.3 inches longer than the previous-generation Mercedes CLA, 0.8 inch wider, and 1.1 inches taller. The raised roof, along with a 2.4-inch wheelbase stretch, should increase passenger space, but this fairly conventional looking sedan’s 0.21 coefficient of drag (Cd) is only a tick behind the more dramatically styled Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan.
Sharing its platform with a gasoline model, the CLA EV still looks like a CLA.
Integrating an electric powertrain did lead to compromise, though. The electric CLA stands a bit taller than its internal-combustion counterpart because engineers had to make room under the passenger-compartment floor for the battery pack. Designers compensated by giving the CLA a lower, stretched out grille, sheet metal creases along the sides, and bands connecting the headlights and taillights to hide some of that extra girth.
Probably more effective in diverting attention, though, is the illuminated grille that features a firmament of 142 Mercedes three-pointed stars. Made possible by the EV’s lower cooling needs, it’s accompanied by headlights and taillights that also resemble the Mercedes logo without replicating it, as that would run afoul of German regulations about the display of corporate logos.
A holistic approach to EV engineering
Its styling may not be as radical as the EQ models, but the CLA features more improvements under the skin, helping to maximize range while keeping the size of the battery pack in check. In the United States, that pack will have a capacity of 85 kilowatt-hours and nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry, but with a new recipe using less cobalt and more silicon, which should help boost energy density by 20%, Christoph Starzynski, Mercedes’ head of vehicle integration, told Digital Trends in a media roundtable.
Greater energy density means more range from a given battery volume, although Mercedes isn’t saying how far U.S.-spec models will go on a charge just yet. When that charge runs out, the CLA will be among the first Mercedes EVs that can DC fast charge from a built-in North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, allowing owners to plug into Tesla Supercharger stations without an adapter. A separate AC port for home charging sits alongside the NACS port, and bidirectional charging capability is built in as well, allowing the CLA to serve as an emergency home backup power source.
The CLA’s Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) also incorporates an 800-volt electrical system for quicker charging. Capable of DC fast charging at up to 320 kilowatts, the CLA can recover up to 186 miles of range in 10 minutes, Mercedes claims. The automaker is playing catchup here; 800-volt charging is already a feature of Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, and the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) used by the Audi A6 e-tron, Audi Q6 e-tron, and Porsche Macan EV.
The CLA features more improvements under the skin, helping to maximize range.
Another bit of hardware Mercedes is copying from its crosstown rival is a two-speed transmission for the rear axle, previously seen on the Porsche Taycan. The CLA isn’t a performance car like the Taycan, but Mercedes’ engineers felt an extra gear could help benefit efficiency without sacrificing powertrain responsiveness.
“You have a lot of advantages, especially at higher speeds,” Starzynski said. “But the idea behind the two-gear was also to give you the same advantage in the city.” That’s thanks to a lower first-gear ratio for standing starts in traffic, while the higher second gear helps maintain efficiency at highway speeds.
The base CLA 250 with EQ Technology uses a single motor attached to that gearbox, producing 268 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque, to scoot from zero to 60 mph in a Mercedes-estimated 6.6 seconds. The CLA 350 4Matic with EQ Technology adds a front motor for all-wheel drive, 349 hp, 380 lb-ft of torque, and a 4.8 second zero to 60 mph time.
Different packaging parameters
The CLA will also be sold with a mild-hybrid powertrain consisting of a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, assisted by an electric motor and 1.3-kWh battery pack. Engineers also had to find room for those components, but that’s partly why Mercedes chose the dual-powertrain strategy for this particular model and not one of its bigger cars.
“In this case, it’s a bit of a different story because the engine is basically smaller,” Starzynski said, adding that in compact cars like the CLA, Mercedes uses a more space-efficient transverse arrangement with the engine placed parallel to the axle, like in typical economy cars. “Of course you have to have more space for the powertrain for the classic one, but it’s not as extensive.”
Mercedes won’t be offering a CLA plug-in hybrid because it doesn’t anticipate demand
Juggling powertrain components, interior space, and crash protection with the longitudinally-mounted powertrains Mercedes uses in its larger cars required too many compromises, Starzynski said. That’s why, for example, Mercedes sells the similar-sized all-electric EQE sedan and the internal-combustion E-Class, rather than building one car with both powertrains. Deleting the large HEPA filter used in more expensive models like the EQE also left room for a front trunk — the first on a Mercedes since the rear-engine 130, 150, and 170 H of the 1930s.
Packaging flexibility only goes so far, though. Mercedes won’t be offering a CLA plug-in hybrid because it just doesn’t anticipate that many people raising their hands for one, Starzynski said, adding that the calculation is different for Mercedes’ bigger, pricier cars.
Fresh display and OS
The CLA debuts the fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system. For the first time in one of the automaker’s compact models, Mercedes is offering a dedicated passenger screen, slotted next to a central touchscreen and digital instrument cluster to create a wall of screens spanning the entire dashboard.
Also new is the in-house developed Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MBOS). The interface hasn’t changed much, but the new OS allows for deeper integration between infotainment features and a car’s core systems, Mercedes claims, enabling new features like face ID and mood-sensitive ambient lighting. It also helps the car juggle various third-party apps and data sets.
For example, Mercedes is using Google Maps data for its own navigation system rather than simply buying into Google Built-in apps like General Motors or Volvo. Mercedes claims it can offer better integration with its own vehicle data for route planning this way, which is important for planning charging stops. When using the built-in navigation system, you also still get an augmented-reality display that highlights where to turn. But now warnings from the driver-assist tech are integrated as well.
Apps aplenty
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto return, but a substantial amount of content can be accessed by built-in apps, including: Audible, Tidal, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and YouTube. Videos, along with gaming, can be accessed while parked or on the optional front-passenger screen while driving. As usual with passenger screens, polarization prevents the driver from seeing what’s on the screen.
ChatGPT and Google Gemini integration are included as well, handling general knowledge questions and points of interest, respectively. So if you ask a trivia question, ChatGPT will generate the answer, while Google will pull up restaurant recommendations and the like. But both chatbots work in the background, so you don’t need to select them individually. Just say “Hey Mercedes,” as in the automaker’s other recent models.
My experience with the CLA was limited to a few minutes sitting in a studio, so it was hard to confirm much other than the voice recognition system’s proficiency at delivering groan-inducing jokes (“What room has no walls? A mushroom) and that the number of third-party apps could trip up the infotainment system.
When the CLA launches, you’ll be able to open apps with the built-in voice recognition, but not control any functions within them. Mercedes hopes to add that capability with a future software update, but in a demonstration of the in-car video streaming capabilities, even the Mercedes experts on hand seemed to lose track of which combination of touchscreen controls and voice commands to use for playing media and adjusting audio volume.
Small car, big change
The CLA EV shows that Mercedes has learned from its earlier electric vehicles. While it still has some dramatic styling elements — like it’s starry-night grille — the CLA is packaged like a conventional car, and looks like it will improve on previous dedicated electric models in efficiency and charging performance despite sharing a platform with combustion models.
Mercedes is also keeping up to date on software, but real-world use will be needed to determine if the CLA’s elaborate intertwining of in-car systems and third-party apps is really worthwhile.
And while the CLA will be the poster child for all of this new tech, Mercedes hasn’t forgotten about SUV-loving Americans. Expect new versions of the GLA-Class and GLB-Class mini utes sharing the CLA’s MMA platform and electric powertrains to reach showrooms eventually as well. Together, these compact models will lead a bottom-up reimagining of Mercedes’ lineup.
