When we found out the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA ($29,900 Base) wouldn’t be available stateside till September, we were willing to do anything to get our hands on it early; we even pondered selling our souls to the devil. Fortunately, we didn’t have to go quite that far. All we had to do was fly to the South of France for a day and half of driving. Yes, we spent 26 hours in the air to get 13 hours behind the wheel of this sub-$30,000 German ride — and nous avons aimé every minute of it.
OTHER GREAT MERCS: CLA 45 AMG | Behind The Wheel: SLS AMG | AMG 6×6
From Marseille to Saint Tropez and back, everywhere we traveled, people asked “Quelle voiture est-ce?” (What car is that?) Simply put, the CLA is a brand new car; it’s a younger sibling to the CLS — the pioneering four-door coupe that began the trend of modern sportbacks. The more complicated answer involves market placement, global conquest and pre-existing A-Class (Klasse) platforms, blah, blah, blah. On to what matters: price and performance.
At $29,900, its looks belie the price tag. Spotting the diamond grill, dinner-plate-sized star emblem, large openings under the LEDs and those aggressive power domes (raised lines) on the hood approaching in the rearview mirror is intimidating. And just try not to stare as the swept roofline, low profile rear end, sport package vents and outline taillights pass you. This car is beautiful. Unlike a casting call for the CW, however, looks will only take you so far in the auto world. We were handed the keys to a Jupiter Red 250 with optional sport package and had a go on the tight roads of quaint villages, through the hilly countryside and even found room to set the Distronic Plus (adaptive cruise control) on the freeway. Possibly because we were in another country, possibly because of jet lag and possibly because we love to drive hard, we absolutely wrung this car out — and we were shocked how well it performed.
72 Hours from LA to St. Tropez: The Stats
Hours in flight: 26
Hours behind the wheel: 13
Espresso shots: 10
Hours in airport lounges: 9
Pain au chocolats: 4
Crepes: 3
Bottles of Bordeaux (not while driving): 2
Wheels of cheese: 1
