Battle Of The Mighty Mites: Audi A3 Sedan vs Mercedes CLA Which Is The Better Entry Level Sedan?

Audi, no surprise. Benz must be overwhelmed with the sheer amount of negative reviews and poor finishes in comparos for this just released vehicle.

Based on its initial launch, the only thing that Benz might be overwhelmed with is fulfilling orders.

Ladies and Gents, I give you another killer of A4 sedan sales, and it comes from Audi themselves, the A3!

Benz was smart enough to make the CLA too impractical to cannibalize C class sales

Im sure Benz is less concerned with the reviews and more concerned with sales. In this case the CLA in the USA is flying off the lot. Audi will have trouble matching the volume of the CLA in the states. I think of it this way in AMERICA every publication sconcludes the Mazda 6 is better than the Camry and Accord go take a look at the sales numbers. Likewise once Benz offers more lower priced high volume models like BMW and AUDI watch their worldwide sales numbers take off.

*concludes*

The A3 sedan will not cannibalize A4 sedan sales. People who believe such a claim show little understanding of Audi's product positioning and range.

The A3 sedan is designed for younger (late 20 and early to mid 30-somethings) who don't need space for kids in the backseat. The A4 is an entry-level executive car for those who maybe slightly older and need extra space in the backseat for kids, pets, etc.

The win for the A3 sedan in this comparison test could have been predicted several months ago when initial reviews of the A3 sedan and Mercedes-Benz CLA first started being published.

Germanlover, Audi will not have trouble matching the volume of the CLA in the U.S. Audi has made huge sales progress in the U.S. market recently due to the surging popularity of the Q5 SUV.

Buyers cross-shop Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi and once the A3 sedan hits showroom floors early next year, buyers will be won over by the A3's significantly better interior quality than the Mercedes-Benz CLA, A4 resembling looks, better driving dynamics along with more technologically options than the CLA.

Say what you may GermanNut but the CLA was out for less than two weeks and sold more than 2,000 units. Audi is no match for Benz in the USA. I have read countless reviews where the a4,a6, and sometimes even the A8 beat the w221 s-class. Sales wise the Q5 may be popular in the USA but thats it. The c outsells the a4 by a large margin, the E outsells the a6. The s-class outsells the A8 and usually the benz is more expensive. Yes Audi sales may have surged. But they are no where near benz in the USA. And what may be most telling of your post is that the A3 looks like an A4. Why pay more?

The A3 also looks like the Jetta and Passat. Actually, it looks more like the VWs than the A4. So, a smart buyer will go for the better room and comparable price of a Passat vs. an A3. At least a smart buyer would. The advantage for Mercedes, is that it doesn't have a non-luxury brand in its own stable that it competes against.

The A3 also looks like the Jetta and Passat. Actually, it looks more like the VWs than the A4. So, a smart buyer will go for the better room and comparable price of a Passat vs. an A3. At least a smart buyer would. The advantage for Mercedes, is that it doesn't have a non-luxury brand in its own stable that it competes against

So...you have seen the A3 in person then? Funny because I have and it looks nothing like a VW...other than the fact that it has restrained styling that will no doubt stay fresh and age well. Unlike the Korean design inspired CLA.

Funny how you claim that the CLA is so Korean-inspired, but you don't see the familial resemblance of the A3 with its VW brethren. Selective and biased much?

The CLA does not need to be an excellent car. People will buy for the badge. It is pointless to measure a car's goodness by its sales volume.

What good is an excellent car that no one buys.