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The all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA has AI so smart it wants to be your friend
QUICK SUMMARY
The all-new Mercedes CLA debuts a new 800-volt charge system and infotainment with AI from ChatGPT and Google Gemini, plus cloud gaming and Xbox controller support.
With a battery capacity of 85 kWh, Mercedes says it has a range of up to 492 miles and can add 186 miles after just 10 minutes of charging.
The second generation of electric cars from Mercedes-Benz has arrived, with the all-new CLA – a car so clever and so packed with artificial intelligence that its makers claim it can recognise your emotions like a friend.
The new CLA might look like a regular update to an existing model on the outside, but under the skin, it’s an all-new car. Mercedes has installed an 800-volt electric architecture that unlocks faster and has more efficient charging. This lets the CLA fill its next-generation 85 kWh battery at up to 320 kW – or, in plain English, it can add up to 186 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
The total range is a claimed 492 miles, and Mercedes says the CLA can achieve an efficiency of just over five miles per kWh, partly thanks to the drivetrain’s efficiency but also owing to the CLA’s extra-slippery aerodynamics.
(Image credit: Mercedes)
To demonstrate just how far an efficient EV with fast charging can go, Mercedes conducted a test in 2024 that saw a prototype CLA cover 2,309 miles in just 24 hours. Driven at the Nardò test facility in Italy, the car averaged a little over 96 mph and stopped for 40 ten-minute battery charges to cover the distance.
Two versions of the CLA are available. The first is called the CLA 250+ and has a single 200 kW motor driving the rear wheels; it has 335 Nm of torque, a 0-62 mph time of 6.7 seconds, a top speed of 130 mph and a claimed efficiency of between 4.4 and 5.1 miles per kWh. The second version is called the CLA 350 with 4MATIC and has all-wheel-drive, 260 kW of power, 515 Nm of torque, a 0-62 mph time of 4.9 seconds, the same 130 mph top speed and a claimed efficiency of 4.2 to 5.0 miles per kWh.
Both cars feature a new two-speed gearbox. The first gear is used for accelerating from low speed, providing extra torque when towing, and delivering extra efficiency in slow town and city driving. The second gear takes over at higher speed to improve cruising efficiency on the motorway. It’s an approach to EV efficiency that makes a lot of sense, but has so far only appeared on a couple of electric cars, including the Porsche Taycan.
The new Mercedes-Benz CLA is the company’s first car to be fitted with a multi-source heat pump as standard, which uses waste heat from the drivetrain, battery and ambient air to help warm the cabin. It is also the first Mercedes EV from the modern era to have a frunk, with a generous 101 litres of storage under the bonnet.
(Image credit: Mercedes)
Most importantly of all, at least from a tech perspective, is how the CLA is also the first car to use the new AI-enhanced Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS). This promises continuous updates to all vehicle functions, including driver assistance, and Mercedes has pledged to keep the system updated for many years to come.
Driver and passenger interact with the system via Mercedes’ familiar ‘Superscreen’ dashboard, which extends across the entire width of the cabin and houses a 10.25-inch driver display, a 14-inch central touchscreen and, optionally, a second 14-inch screen for the passenger to interact with. More on that later.
The system interface features graphics created by the Unity Game Engine and has the look and feel of a giant iPad. The UI is crisp, bright, responsive and nicely laid out, with Mercedes placing an emphasis on ease-of-use. For example, the home screen is always just one tap away, and the interface shows a set of recently-used apps, making it easy to switch between media and navigation, for example.
AI powered by ChatGPT and Google Gemini
(Image credit: Mercedes)
Then there’s the artificial intelligence. The operating system combines AI from ChatGPT4o, Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini, plus integration with bespoke data from Google Maps, to create a comprehensive suite of AI systems and services. It’s possible to have complex, multi-turn conversations with the car, while an avatar styled on the Mercedes logo shows occupants when the AI is listening, thinking and speaking.
The carmaker even claims its AI can recognise the driver’s emotions and respond accordingly. Normally blue, the avatar will turn green if it senses a positive mood from the driver, and if it detects pronounced happiness or excitement it’ll become more vivid and colourful. Similarly, if it senses anger or sadness in the driver’s voice it’ll change to hues of orange and red.
I tried out the system and much prefer the simple logo-style avatar to the anthropomorphised cartoon characters used by some other manufacturers. While my brief time with the car in a studio wasn’t enough to dig deep into all the CLA has to offer, it was enough to see the car is overflowing with potential. Car voice control systems have lagged behind those of our phones and smart home devices for years, and it’s a gulf that has only broadened since the launch of ChatGPT.
(Image credit: Mercedes)
OpenAI’s chatbot shows how AI voice systems can have natural, human-like conversations. And, while I can’t see much use in a car sensing when its driver is excited, an improved ability to understand their intention is key to making car-based voice control more useful.
With that, they will become more appealing and, if they can prove themselves to be quick, accurate and reliable, I predict drivers will gradual shift away from battling with a touchscreen to simply stating what they want the car to do, whether that is to find a charger or explain how black holes work.
Light animations are used on the outside of the new CLA, too. The front grille houses 142 LED stars, each reminiscent of the Mercedes logo, which combine to greet and say goodbye to the driver with various animations.
Back to the interior tech, Mercedes has paid particular attention to making its AI better at conversations around navigation. The system uses data from Google Maps, but displays it using Mercedes’ own mapping and navigation interface and taps into the intelligence of ChatGPT and Google Gemini to help the system understand what you’re asking of it.
To determine a driving route, the system takes topography, route profile, ambient temperature and expected speed, plus the occupants’ heating and cooling needs, into consideration before plotting the best route. It also looks at battery level and traffic, plus the location, capacity, availability and payment functions of any charge stations that might be needed.
Mercedes adds: “The intelligent navigation recognises when a charging stop is necessary and plans it automatically to optimise overall travel time. Sometimes, two short charging stops with higher charging capacity may be more beneficial than one longer stop.”
Also new is how Mercedes has created an integrated charger reservation function, similar to what Tesla has also begun rolling out. Starting in Germany and the USA but likely to expand to more markets soon, the system is part of Mercedes’ MB Charge Public service, and lets drivers reserve a charger at the carmaker’s own charge stations. If using the car’s own navigation, it’ll automatically reserve a charger when you’re 15 minutes away.
Gaming on the go
(Image credit: Mercedes)
Remember the optional passenger display I mentioned earlier? Other manufacturers, including Porsche and Ferrari, have offered these for a while. But where their functionality is rather limited – with Porsche’s unable to give the passenger their own massage seat controls, for example, or individual access to CarPlay – Mercedes is going a step further.
The CLA’s 14-inch front passenger display provides access to video streaming services, including Disney+, and even cloud-based gaming from Boosteroid. This works either with a smartphone or a Bluetooth controller and gives the passenger access to console games via the car’s 5G data connection. I saw how the system connects to an Xbox controller and includes games like Forza Motorsport, but unfortunately, a lack of signal meant I couldn’t load up a game and try it for myself.
Unlike Porsche, which uses a special coating to prevent the driver from seeing the passenger’s display, Mercedes uses eye-tracking tech to turn the screen off if it spots the driver isn’t paying attention to the road ahead. Given how prone eye-tracking tech is to telling drivers off for merely glancing at the central navigation screen, I’m curious to see how well this works in the real world.
(Image credit: Mercedes)
The central screen also works with video streaming and gaming, but only while parked. Gaming with the Superscreen and optional 16-speaker Burmester surround sound system with Dolby Atmos and 850 watts of power will undoubtedly make charging much more fun than it is today.
There’s a lot going on here – and all of this is before we even take the CLA out for a drive. Naturally, I’m excited to see just how well the voice tech and cloud gaming work in the real world, where flaky 4G coverage is sure to get in the way.
Mercedes is confident that its mixing of systems – Gemini, ChatGPT, Google Maps and Microsoft Bing – combined with its own user interface, is the way to go. My limited time with the car suggested the tech isn’t perfect just yet, but it’s nothing a software update can’t fix, and it’s worth remembering the first customer cars won’t arrive until later this year.
After that, Mercedes is set to roll out several more new electric cars, all based on the same new 800-volt platform and all running the new AI-enhanced operating system.