Mercedes-Benz has formally unveiled the all-new CLA Capturing Brake with EQ Expertise—its first-ever totally electrical property automotive. The brand new CLA Capturing Brake alerts a brand new period for the Stuttgart model but in addition plugs a niche available in the market the place rivals like BMW have but to step in—although not for lengthy. The spotlight is, after all, the vary: 761 kilometers (473 miles) and a flexible inside with as much as 1,290 liters of cargo house.
Capturing Brake Goes Electrical
The CLA Capturing Brake has all the time been about design coupled with a wagon’s usability. However now in its third iteration, it enters the electrical age, using on Mercedes’ new MMA (Mercedes-Benz Modular Structure) platform. This permits it to be supplied as each a totally electrical automobile (EV) and later, a 48-volt hybrid.
Two launch variants lead the cost: the 200 kW (268 hp) CLA 250+ Capturing Brake and the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive CLA 350 4MATIC with 260 kW (348 hp). The previous guarantees a class-leading WLTP vary of as much as 761 km, whereas the latter nonetheless delivers a formidable 730 km. Each characteristic an 85 kWh lithium-ion battery with silicon-enhanced anodes, 800V structure, and ultra-fast DC charging of as much as 320 kW. That’s sufficient to realize 310 km (193 miles) of vary in simply 10 minutes.
Expertise Galore Inside
The inside is is all about digital options. The MBUX Superscreen spans throughout the dashboard with non-obligatory triple-display functionality, together with a separate passenger display for streaming, gaming, or navigation. The system is powered by Unity’s recreation engine and supported by AI from Microsoft, Google Gemini, and ChatGPT4o. The outcome? In accordance with Mercedes, a voice assistant that learns, remembers, and even reacts to your feelings.
Add to {that a} 12.2-inch head-up show, customizable ambient lighting, heated seats, biometric login, and USB-C ports with as much as 100 watts, and the CLA Capturing Brake has loads of options for an entry-level product. The panoramic roof with electrochromic glass can change from clear to opaque in milliseconds. When night time falls, 158 embedded stars glow in concord with the ambient lighting.
Area Meets Sportiness
The Mercedes-Benz CLA Capturing Brake appears to be fairly sensible as nicely. Because of a 61 mm (2.4 in) longer wheelbase and taller roofline, rear passengers get pleasure from elevated headroom (+7 mm) and simpler ingress. The cargo house measures 455 liters with seats up and as much as 1,290 liters with them folded (40:20:40 cut up). There’s additionally a 101-liter frunk underneath the bonnet, and commonplace roof rails can assist as much as 75 kg. A braked towing capability of as much as 1,800 kg is obtainable as nicely.
Will BMW Convey A Rival Quickly?
The Munich-based model at present presents no direct electrical competitor to the CLA Capturing Brake. Whereas the iX1 and i5 Touring plug some gaps in BMW’s electrical property and crossover lineup, neither presents a compact, coupe-wagon design.
That might change quickly.
BMW is rumored to be engaged on an i3 Touring, a part of the Neue Klasse household, anticipated to debut after the Neue Klasse i3 Sedan. Based mostly on the identical EV-focused structure, the i3 Touring (codename NA1) could be BMW’s reply to this electrical property method—providing a low-roof, sporty different to extra conventional wagons. BMW can also be anticipated to include its “Coronary heart of Pleasure” central computing and Panoramic Imaginative and prescient show system to supply an ideal driving and digital person expertise.
The all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA Capturing Brake formally launches in Europe in March 2026 and can doubtless carry premium pricing to match its high-end specs and tools. Mercedes says extra variants—together with plug-in hybrids—will comply with, together with two SUV fashions on the identical MMA platform.
