ALL-NEW CLA SIGNALS STEP CHANGE FOR MERCEDES EVS

We ride shotgun in the car set to usher in what Merc calls its 'EV 2.0' era

- FELIX PAGE

From the passenger seat, the thirdgeneration Mercedes CLA feels to all intents and purposes - finished.

Camouflage cloaks the finer design details outside and the obligatory black bed sheet shields the dashboard from view, but project leader Oliver Zolke says it's "99% there" ahead of a reveal in March and a launch around the summer. There's just "some homework" to do on the software and user interface.

Even with much still left to the imagination, it's clear just how similar this car will be to the pleasingly proportioned concept from last year-right down to the full-width digital display we can see peeking through the gaps in the sheeting.

Our first taste of Mercedes' crucial entrylevel model - and the new MMA architecture that underpins it comes in the form of the range-topping 4Matic version, equipped with a 268bhp motor on the rear axle and another with 107bhp at the front.

Mercedes has yet to confirm a combined output, but bank on around 375bhp.

It's one of two electric powertrains being introduced for the nextgeneration CLA, which is described as the first car of the 'EV 2.0' era for Mercedes, so dramatically different is it from the current EQE and EQS. The other forgoes the front motor for a lower list price. Expect low £40,000s for the version with the smaller, 58kWh LFP battery - and a higher maximum range of around 440 miles from the 85kWh NMC pack.