X178

Mercedes built the third CLA so that the choice between petrol and electricity would not be a choice between two different cars. The X178 is dimensionally and visually the electric X174 — 4,720 mm long on a 2,790 mm wheelbase, frameless doors, flat roof to a near-vertical tailgate, standard fixed panoramic roof, MB.OS and the MBUX Superscreen inside. The differences are a grille that opens for cooling air rather than sealing over a battery, an exhaust, no frunk, and roughly 350 kilograms less mass.

Underneath is the same driveline as the hybrid coupé: the 1.5-liter M 252 from the FAME family, engineered by Mercedes-Benz and built in China, feeding an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission with a 22 kW motor and its inverter mounted inside the case. That makes short stretches of electric running, electric coasting and torque fill possible from a 1.3 kWh battery. Five designations arrived with the Shooting Brake’s November 2025 launch, from the 156 PS CLA 180 to the 211 PS CLA 220 4MATIC. Estate bodywork costs about 3 km/h of top speed and a tenth to 100 km/h.