AMG Premium Plus 220d

It’s Meh cedes but that’s ok!

There’s something of Meh about Mercedes for me.

I would liken them to a beautiful but shallow person… so it is with Mercedes.

It’s not like the CLA isn’t capable, because it is… it’s more that it really is just trading on its bling and glamour rather than its dynamic ability.

The 220d engine is strong and very capable. It feels far faster than its 7 second 0-60 claim. But it’s a rattley tractor of a unit, whose vibrations occasionally come through the cabin.

The drive is competent and composed. Its overly light steering is devoid of feel to almost Audi levels. The car suspension is very good and will cruise comfortably and happily on the motorway, but does struggle to maintain composure in quick turns and back roads. That being said, it won’t shake or bounce you about like some more sporty, firmer cars.

The practicality is decent. With folding seats and boot space all be more than adequate for general family requirements.

The interior is well appointed. The general ambience is one of high quality and class. The contoured seats look uncomfortable but are actually rather decent. Though a bit most adjustment would have been welcome.

The tech on offer is also very useful and adds to the high value feel of the car. This is a car that needs to be bought with as high a spec as possible to get the most from it.

The MBUX system is excellent to use and pretty much on par with iDrive. The augmented reality and front facing cameras all being rather useful as a pose to gimmicky.

But the stereo lets the car down. If you like loud bass with good clarity of sound, the upgraded Mercedes system sounds very sad and flat. An old Audi Bose system will smash this set up to bits.

By far the worst feature of this car is its DCT 8 speed transmission. In low gears it’s hesitant and jerky… you can feel the car deciding what to do when approaching a junction. This leads to instances where the car will over rev while it decides what it needs to do… however, in gear acceleration/deceleration (to 2nd gear) is smooth and linear.

Don’t get me wrong… it’s not that I don’t like the car. It’s a well built thing… but it isn’t exciting to me… it’s Meh... If you want driving thrills you won’t get it here… so far, from the cars I have owned, I have only found that in BMW’s.

It’s a car made for the TOWIE in us… in me. It’s blingy, it’s bright, it looks expensive, it’s practical, it’s quick, it has lots of gadgets, it’s got pretty graphics, and it’s decent to drive.

That should be enough… shouldn’t it?

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