Mercedes CLA, the most aerodynamic car in the world
This car has just set a new world record. It seems unbelievable, because although this Mercedes CLA has beautiful lines, the pictures do not show anything extraordinary. Yet! Of all the cars in production in the world, this slim sedan is the most aerodynamic. One is reminded of the Opel Calibra, which was exceptionally thin for its time with a Cx of 0.26. But today, or rather until yesterday, the thinnest car was another Mercedes, the E-Class coupe, with a Cx of 0.24. This new CLA is even thinner: its Cx is 0.23.
The standard CLA will have this Cx, and this is the model that was presented in Detroit, but in a few months we will discover the BlueEfficiency version, which with different spoilers will do even better with a Cx of 0.22. The modesty of the frontal area is also remarkable, with an SCx of 0.51 on the base CLA and only 0.49 for the BlueEfficiency. But what is absolutely incredible is that, despite this record value, the CLA still exhibits non-shocking lines. This shows that aerodynamics is a complex science: an old Opel Calibra looks even more subtle than this Mercedes CLA.
The advantage of aerodynamic finesse is that it reduces drag, and there are many factors, but one can imagine that this Mercedes will need less than 30 hp to reach 130 km/h. However, it is not a small car. The dimensions are 4.63 x 1.78 x 1.44 m, which will force the C-Class to grow. The first engine is a 1600 gasoline engine with 122 hp. With a 6-speed manual transmission, the CLA 180 reaches 210 km/h, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.3 seconds, with an average fuel consumption of 5.4 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 126 g/km. The even more refined BlueEfficiency version settles for 5.0 l/100 km and 118 g/km of CO2.
A more fuel-efficient diesel version is planned, as well as a formidable AMG version that will set records for power and torque per liter, but for now this base CLA is formidably impressive. We still wonder about rear headroom, but a gasoline sedan of this size achieving 5.0 l/100 km is truly outstanding. The starting price is 28,977 euros in Germany (with options) and first deliveries are scheduled for April.
