Meet the new 2019 Mercedes‑Benz CLA

What you can expect is a bigger baby. Despite being based on the new-gen A-class, ostensibly the firm’s most compact cars, Smart aside, the CLA is actually longer and wider than a C-class. Over the old CLA, the new one is a couple of inches (around 50mm) longer and wider, sitting on wider tracks and a slightly longer wheelbase.

The growth spurt has done more for the car’s looks – its proportions look better than ever while the CD has come down to an impressive 0.23 – than  its practicality. There’s more elbow and shoulder room inside, on official figures, but expect room to stretch out in the back and you are likely to be disappointed: the new version offers just 1mm more rear legroom. And while boot width has increased markedly, overall capacity is actually slightly less than before. The message is clear: the CLA puts its signature coupe style above all else.

It’s not difficult to understand why. Since the model’s arrival in 2013 its rakish looks have been its secret for attracting not just younger buyers to the Mercedes fold but also enticing a majority of them into the CLA from rival makes. In the US – where the CLA was the first A-class variant to go on sale – the model has been key in rejuvenating the Mercedes image. Two thirds of all sales have been “conquest sales” to buyers whose age is 10 years younger than the brand’s average, and it has been a similar picture in Europe. When seen against total CLA sales of 750,000 it is easy to understand how important a money-spinner this car has become to Mercedes.

The new CLA’s main job therefore is to entice and seduce more than most, and first impressions say it’s a success. Its stretched, curving form, shark nose, long “powerdome” bonnet and frameless doors add up to a big street presence for a compact car. It’s a presence we hope will come across just as strongly in the versions that do make it to the UK. Premium four-door cars with design wow factor that sell for £27,000 (entry cost of the outgoing CLA, the new one shouldn’t stray too far from that) are rare.

Will the rest of it live up to its looks? Judged by the class-leading A-class hatchbacks, yes. The new A’s impressive wide-screen dashboard display and easy-to-use operating systems and multitudinous functions are all of a look and quality tailormade for an elegant and sporty four-door coupe. Cleverness extends to gesture control – and even an ability to recognise whether it is driver or passenger making the gesture…

The drive too should tick the boxes with tweaks for the CLA that are said to bring more agility to what is already a fine riding and handling chassis. Unlike the base A-class hatches, all CLAs get the multilink fully independent rear suspension, for improved refinement. An active adaptive damping system is available as are wheel choices up to 19-inches.

Mercedes says that as a standard package the CLA is the sportiest of all the A-class range to drive, with AMG versions, probably both light and full-fat, yet to be confirmed but assuredly on their way. Expect a full range of both petrol and diesel engines, manual and dual-clutch automatic transmissions, front-drive for the cooking models and all-wheel drive for the better ones, including new AMG CLA35 and CLA40 hi-performance machines – the latter with more than 400PS and probably a £50k price tag.

No designery orange flashes though…