CAR WARS! The German Showdown We've ALL Been Waiting For — Audi A3 vs. Mercedes-Benz CLA

Audi wins ..but honestly that interior looks really cheap and minimalist to the extreme...I am 6.3 so I wont fit in the back seat of any of those but CLA looks a lot better than the A3....

Agreed, would not buy either, but the CLA makes the A3 look like a Jetta with an over-sized grill

The gap between the 2 vents of the Audi's interior makes it look bare or lacking. Just doesn't look special

Love the interior quality of the A3; what in the world is that NAV screen look alike "Garmin" doing in the MB. Build it into the dash or make it disappear. Come On MB (the wife owns a MB SUV and it doesn't look like this).

Hands down Audi. The Mercedes is garish and ugly to look at and the interior leaves too much to be desired.

The A3 Sedan will be sales leader of the segment. While some call its looks sedate and boring, many others like its resemblance to Audi's larger and more expensive sedans. Its driving dynamics are engaging, its technology best in class, it's standard equipment much higher and its interior of much higher quality.

I've seen this coming. These are both entry level cars and are going to introduce a "lower level" of luxury. They are not going to have what a C Class or an ATS or 3 Series or A4 have in terms of accoutrements as they establish the new price point. So neither are going to be the equal of their more established siblings, that they are to replace. That said, the A3 is much better looking and the driving dynamics are simply better and more engaging. Folks that buy the MB are buying the fact that its a Mercedes, and or if they're seeking a small luxury product. The A3 will appeal to a similar person but someone who wants a more complete package. The A3 has to have more due to the perceived prestige factor of the CLA. Leather is std on the A3 and probably $1800 more in the CLA, typical MB. I would wager if the CLA were any-other make, say a new Acura it would not do well whereas if the A3 were any-other make, it would indeed do well. Because the CLA is a Mercedes, and it doesn't stink, that factor alone will attract a significant number of buyers.

A3 is barely distinguishable from a Jetta. The CLA is visually far more striking. If you want an anonymous and semi-affordable midsize luxury sedan then I suppose an A3 is more fun than something like an ILX. The BMW 2-series is IMO somewhat ugly so it's not an option. Personally I'd take a CLA because I'd _want_ the attention.

tl;dr: The Merc looks more expensive than it is. The A3 looks less expensive than it is. I personally think that is a deal-breaker for the Audi, but to each his own.

I still prefer the Merc to look at. I'm seeing quite a few on the roads now.

You are right on GermanNut. Couldn't agree with you more. The A3 looks like a smaller A4. People purchasing an entry level luxury car want that luxury car to resemble the higher end models provided by that brand. That segment used to be the C class, 3 series and A4. I've driven both of these cars and the A3 is hands down better. It just feels more like an A4. The CLA looks like some kind of Mercedes experiment gone bad. Looking at it and sitting in it feels like a cheap Mercedes. It does have strong doors and good seats, but lots of plastic and it's cramped. Also, as I've mentioned before, if you don't pony up and get the sports package with the 18 inch amg wheels and body kit, the CLA is the ugliest luxury car on the road hands down. Don't waste your $35k on the CLA. Buy a CPO C-class.

I see the A3 killing the A4 sales, I do not see CLA affecting the C class sales , and the CLA and A3 are so different that almost no one will be cross-shopping them at all. Time will tell...

I thought this initially, but as the current owner of my 3rd A4, after looking at the A3, I can say I am not interested. I want the larger car, plus the price gap is not that big. Also, I cannot get a manual in the A3 which I think is weird.

What is your reasoning for this statement? Why would the A3 hurt the A4 but the CLA not hurt the C? Why would they not be cross shopped? The only thing you said that was correct was they are different but not "so different".... clearly they've been designed to compete against each other as with the 1 - 2 Series.... the Germans don't do many things willy nilly.

Because anyone paying attention would know there are drastic differences between the two cars, specifically rear seat room. Here's the bottom line. Between the A3 and A4, the major differences are price and trunk volume. Rear seat room is almost identical. Rear seat head and shoulder room are within an inch or thereabouts. If we're talking small children and/or car seats, head and shoulder room aren't priority.
The CLA has 8 inches less rear legroom than the A3/A4, and 6 inches less than the current C-Class. I'm assuming the new C will grow a bit in rear legroom, but I don't know. Still, there's enough of a variance between the C sedan and CLA that buyers requiring rear room would never go with the CLA. Not to mention if putting kids in/out of the rear seat is part of daily life, the lower roofline of the CLA wouldn't accommodate very easily. If the CLA "threatens" any part of the C sales, it's of the C coupe, but the C coupe isn't the majority seller.

A3 can be mistaken for A4, Jetta, Passat. CLA can be mistaken for CLS. Which one, again, would be considered more desirable, design-wise?

For me, it's the CLA 4Matic. Better, more interesting exterior design. Better designed interior. I don't need large back seats.

The A3 is yet more proof of Audi's designers' laziness or their fear of trying anything new besides a different size.
The CLA, on the other hand, is a controversial (design-wise) vehicle that represents something almost completely new for Mercedes, just like when the 190 series was introduced in the early 80s.
Without having driven either, my favorite is the CLA and I give kudos to Mercedes for constantly reinventing itself.

Hey cidflekken - I'm paying attention d$%k, the "bottom line" is the video says the A3 is the hands down winner... that said they've tested them both... so unless you've tested them as well your opinion is as worthless, actually probably more worthless than mine. I've at least seen both of them and sat in both. The CLA 250's mill is crap, its awkward looking, has zero rear seat head or leg room and from what they said, runs harshly. The A3 will not be mistaken for an A4 thats just stupid (for anyone paying attention)its about the same size as the late 90's A4, and they state its just a better driver than the CLA. There is more room in the back seat of the A3 but neither are welcoming for the passengers.

Folks that say either will take sales from their sibling are not paying attention. Both the C and the new A4 will be much more expensive and have better finishes, they're moving into A6/E Class pricing now so they must be better, plus the competition in that segment is heavy with the ATS and the upcoming Jag. Anyone shopping the new C unless they want a cheaper car, will not shop the CLA. Exactly the same for the upcoming A4 even though the A3 will likely have nearly the same quality of finishes. Regardless cid opinions are like @$$&0*#'s every one has them...

Agree with you. Cid is wrong. Matt is right too.

Agree with you.

Ah, spoken like a true 12 year old.

BTW, your question as to "why would you say that" (referring to the A3 stealing A4 sales) isn't even in correlation to your follow-up juvenile response to me, pointing out that the A3 won this comparison. Two very different scenarios, bucko.

If you had paid ANY attention, what I stated was that the A3 is too closely aligned to the A4 in size, therefore, making it a better buy. And the CLA isn't so closely aligned to the C that it would be considered a better buy or even an alternative buy. And between the two (A3 and CLA), there's 8 inches.....let me repeat that...8 inches...of difference in leg room. That is 5 inches MORE than the difference between an A4 and an A8. If you don't think that's substantial enough to think that these two aren't truly "head-to-head" competitors, then don't apply for any auto marketing job anytime soon.
Yes, Mercedes made the CLA rear seat almost unliveable...but that's why it's a 4-door COUPE, not SEDAN. That's like saying the Porsche 911 is going to takes sales away from the Porsche Panamera.

Yes, he was addressing Yonder with his original question, but addressed me with his tantrum.

"cid the kid"..haha. Guess you're still reading nursery rhymes yourself.

Mercedes made the first move so I am sure they are angling something. My first guess is that to reintroduce the A-class, they also introduced the CLA to share costs with? However, they wouldn't want it to steal sales from the C-class. It is then plausible that making the CLA that much inferior to the C-Class was intentional. Audi on the other hand reacted, not seeing the full picture, and introduced a marginally inferior A4.

If we refer to history, Audi and BMW do a much better job at smaller, less expensive vehicles. Mercedes' last experiment, that 3dr toad of a car, has disappeared from the roads. They languish in junk yards, where they have always belonged.
I'm just too old to consider "looking cool" as a selling point. Trust me, you is you regardless of what you drive.
I haven't seen or driven the Audi. The Benz interior is hardly better than the last gen A3, and the backseat is a joke. It's trans is confused and it rides bad. Cheap is cheap.

Agree with you.

I looked at the A3 this past weekend. A $22k Hyundai has a better interior than this thing...and the one I looked at had a sticker of over $39k. I thought the exterior was sharp looking though...too bad they had to cheapen it with that toy dash.

498 vs 443 Autobild had the A3 completely dominating the car in every category. In the states the A3 still will win, but not by as large of a margin. Mercedes has the people of the usa fooled.