[Dougdoescars]

I have no idea why I am even posting this on a BMW forum...but here it is

I am currently an owner of a 2014 435i M Sport. I've owned the car to close to two years and was purchased CPO from BMW Monrovia here in Southern California. As much as I love the car, the miles are beginning to really rack up (I sadly purchased it with higher miles because the price at the time was really good and it was already hard enough to just find a 435i M sport CPO) and the CPO warranty is coming down to its final year. I am looking to get rid of the vehicle before it depreciates too much in value and the CPO warranty is on its last legs, so with that I have been in the market for a new car.

Ideally, if I could get myself in an F80/F82 that would probably make me happiest, however at the moment that is not the most financially sound move to make, so I want to still stay within this price range. I have been a BMW boy all my life having owned an E92 335i/M3 and an F30 328i M sport and now this 435i, so even considering the CLA45 AMG sort of scares me, but I am always open to change.

I'm looking around and CPO CLA45's are just about the same price as what I bought my 435i for around 2 years ago, so making my monthly payment the same shouldn't be an issue (selling my car + a few extra bucks for the down payment should make it the same if not less in comparison to what I am currently paying).

Has anyone here had any experience with the CLA45 and can provide some input? I went to check one out and I absolutely loved the interior with the exception of its ugly ass AC vents and slightly cheap looking multimedia system (the steering wheel and seats were beautiful though). I plan on testing driving one this week as well.

I do get bored of cars frequently, but in my situation the only other option I would be doing is getting myself back into another 35i whether it be a 435i or a 335i since an F8x is not sustainable like mentioned earlier.

Help me out guys!

[jeffthx]

I don't personally have experience with both, but I have a friend who went from a 330 to a 435 to a GLA45 (not quite a CLA, but similar). He told me that he hated the GLA. In fact, he traded it in under a year for a Cayenne. He's now looking to get back into a BMW. For him, it was a matter of not liking the controls, not liking the way the car drove, and overall not feeling as into the drive as he did when he had a BMW. I think that the BMW is more sport-leaning, while the Mercedes is more luxury-leaning. It's obviously a very "personal preference" situation, but you can take it as a data point.

Jeff

[BEM-S4]

The CLA is FWD architecture garbage. If you want something with a star on the hood the C43 is the cheapest option that's even worth driving.

[cfm56d7b]

Ignoring many other differences for a moment, CLA45 features a 4-cylinder engine while 435 features a 6-cylinder engine. Regardless of HP rating, if you are used to a 6 cylinder engine the differences in engine behavior and throttle response will always be there for you to either accept or not. CLA45 design is literally a design only the designer could love.

[Dougdoescars]

Originally Posted by jeffthx

I don't personally have experience with both, but I have a friend who went from a 330 to a 435 to a GLA45 (not quite a CLA, but similar). He told me that he hated the GLA. In fact, he traded it in under a year for a Cayenne. He's now looking to get back into a BMW. For him, it was a matter of not liking the controls, not liking the way the car drove, and overall not feeling as into the drive as he did when he had a BMW. I think that the BMW is more sport-leaning, while the Mercedes is more luxury-leaning. It's obviously a very "personal preference" situation, but you can take it as a data point.

Jeff

I believe the GLA is quite different as it is an SUV at the end of the day and and SUV will always handle different in comparison to a coupe, but thank you for the input and I will keep it in mind.

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

The CLA is FWD architecture garbage. If you want something with a star on the hood the C43 is the cheapest option that's even worth driving.

the CLA45 comes with 4WD.

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Ignoring many other differences for a moment, CLA45 features a 4-cylinder engine while 435 features a 6-cylinder engine. Regardless of HP rating, if you are used to a 6 cylinder engine the differences in engine behavior and throttle response will always be there for you to either accept or not. CLA45 design is literally a design only the designer could love.

From a technical standpoint you're absolutely right, however I think its still best to just give it a test drive which I will be doing today. Thank you for your input!

[BEAR-AvHistory]

FWIW the CLA is rated #10 on the Consumer Reports worst cars in America list. Acura ILX is #1

[anotheran]

The cla43 drives a lot different than the cla. But yeah, why bother posting here. I'd personally go rs3 over cla43. If u're worried about depreciation buy a Toyota 4runner or highlander

[Gen13 F36]

I would start by driving all the car on your list. It could be CLA43 amg, s3, c43 etc.......drive all of them....which you like the most take it home😂

[Swappy]

Originally Posted by vincenttngo1

I believe the GLA is quite different as it is an SUV at the end of the day and and SUV will always handle different in comparison to a coupe, but thank you for the input and I will keep it in mind.



the CLA45 comes with 4WD.



From a technical standpoint you're absolutely right, however I think its still best to just give it a test drive which I will be doing today. Thank you for your input!

It is still a FWD based platform. Like X1/X2.

[Dougdoescars]

Originally Posted by anotheran

The cla43 drives a lot different than the cla. But yeah, why bother posting here. I'd personally go rs3 over cla43. If u're worried about depreciation buy a Toyota 4runner or highlander

I'm not worried about depreciation, I just figured I'd rather get rid of my 435i now while I can still get some money for it since I will be getting rid of the car eventually when the CPO warranty is out instead of driving it till the CPO is out and losing even more money on it, that's all. Was looking at the RS3's but its difficult to find one CPO since they're relatively new. I'm looking for another CPO vehicle at the moment.

Originally Posted by Gen13 F36

I would start by driving all the car on your list. It could be CLA43 amg, s3, c43 etc.......drive all of them....which you like the most take it home😂

I've driven pretty much all the cars that I would be interested in my price point and so far the CLA45 AMG and the F3x cars interest me the most.

[Dougdoescars]

I went ahead and test drove the CLA45 earlier and here is my impressions:

For those who are simply stating its a CLA and it drives like trash; I really think you should not compare the CLA250 to the 45 AMG as they drive completely differently. I've had a CLA250 as a loaner before and I agree it was pretty terrible but the CLA45 was quite enjoyable to drive. Moving forward with my thoughts:

The test drive was enjoyable. The car is very tight and feels quite zippy. Handling on the car felt far more tight than my 435i with m sport suspension, which is both a pro and a con. Driving the CLA spiritedly is quite fun, but since I primarily drive like a regular, boring person going from and to work, it isn't the most comfortable. I'm not too bothered by this since my E92 M3 was far more harsh.

I didn't push the car too hard as I didn't want to scare the dealer sitting next to me, but it was not as punchy as I thought. Throttle response and engine behavior as mentioned by cfm56d7b is completely different, and this is where I felt disappointed.

The car is quite small as well (pretty obvious, but I'll point it out anyways), but it did not bother me too much.

Exterior styling I think is magnificent on the 45 specifically, not the 250. I think it looks very clean overall, but is aggressive in the right areas. I still really enjoy the m sport f3x styling, so I'd be happy with either.

Interior styling is what really takes the cake. To each their own but I personally think the interior of the CLA45 was done beautifully (especially the seats). The AC vents are pretty ugly and the multimedia/radio area isn't as clean as the systems in BMW's, but everything feels much higher quality, and far less plastic-y. This is coming from someone who has had both an F30 and an F32.

With this being said I still don't know what I want to do lol. However I'm glad I had this little test drive experience to better help me weigh out my pros and cons, but I would definitely say the F30 335i and the CLA are neck and neck at the moment. Would love to get back into another 435i but the biggest thing I miss about my F30 328i was how practical it was with 4 doors.

Thanks for everyones input and please continue providing more because clearly I still don't know what I want to do lol

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by vincenttngo1

I believe the GLA is quite different as it is an SUV at the end of the day and and SUV will always handle different in comparison to a coupe, but thank you for the input and I will keep it in mind.

the CLA45 comes with 4WD.

From a technical standpoint you're absolutely right, however I think its still best to just give it a test drive which I will be doing today. Thank you for your input!

Do some research it's a FWD biased system that is GARBAGE. the C had a RWD biased system like BMW.

Suit yourself it's your car and your money but the ClA is a piece of shit.

[f30modern]

Have you looked into maybe getting a 435i RWD Grancoupe? The four door design looks amazing in my personal opinion. I’d love to get one with the M sport package in black or midnight blue.

[Dougdoescars]

Originally Posted by f30modern

Have you looked into maybe getting a 435i RWD Grancoupe? The four door design looks amazing in my personal opinion. I’d love to get one with the M sport package in black or midnight blue.

I definitely have and it actually is in my list of considerations now!

[cfm56d7b]

Glad you had a chance to drive CLA45 and experience the 4 cylinder Mercedes-Benz engine. That's where I feel is the decision point: either the engine works for you or it doesn't.

You might want to test drive 440i Gran Coupe with B58 engine. The risk of becoming a fan is quite possible.

[5ilver-5amurai]

Tough decision. I'd like to believe I don't have brand bias so maybe I can give you an objective opinion.

Here's some pros and cons to opting for a CLA as a replacement to your 435.

Pros:
- Straight line speed is definitely better in the 45, this thing is boosted outta the wazoo
- When equipped with the Performance exhaust, sounds spectacular. AMG makes some incredible exhausts.
- Eye of the beholder kind of thing, but I think the CLA looks aggressive, has some really sharp lines, and has more curb appeal than the 435.
- Still a Mercedes - like it or not, I've found that the 3-pointed star still has more appeal and allure to the masses than BMW.

Cons:
- The headroom in the back of the CLA makes it virtually unusable for anyone 6'0 or taller.
- The fit and finish of the CLA is lacking pretty hard. There is an abundant amount of cheap feeling plastic hidden in the cabin. The longer you live with it, the more you find.
- Even though it's AWD, the FWD bias of CLAs makes them handle differently than cars with a RWD bias.
- You will bottom out in this car...not saying I bottomed out in it going up my driveway...
- Full A-Class refresh coming soon. I'm not a fan of forking out big money on a car only to see it outdated in under a year. Personal opinion.
- Mercedes infotainment is definitely not as good as the iDrive.

[Dougdoescars]

Originally Posted by 5ilver-5amurai

Tough decision. I'd like to believe I don't have brand bias so maybe I can give you an objective opinion.

Here's some pros and cons to opting for a CLA as a replacement to your 435.

Pros:
- Straight line speed is definitely better in the 45, this thing is boosted outta the wazoo
- When equipped with the Performance exhaust, sounds spectacular. AMG makes some incredible exhausts.
- Eye of the beholder kind of thing, but I think the CLA looks aggressive, has some really sharp lines, and has more curb appeal than the 435.
- Still a Mercedes - like it or not, I've found that the 3-pointed star still has more appeal and allure to the masses than BMW.

Cons:
- The headroom in the back of the CLA makes it virtually unusable for anyone 6'0 or taller.
- The fit and finish of the CLA is lacking pretty hard. There is an abundant amount of cheap feeling plastic hidden in the cabin. The longer you live with it, the more you find.
- Even though it's AWD, the FWD bias of CLAs makes them handle differently than cars with a RWD bias.
- You will bottom out in this car...not saying I bottomed out in it going up my driveway...
- Full A-Class refresh coming soon. I'm not a fan of forking out big money on a car only to see it outdated in under a year. Personal opinion.
- Mercedes infotainment is definitely not as good as the iDrive.

This is a proper response! I deeply appreciate your input. I don't think I got the full experience driving it today so hopefully I can get another opportunity to drive one again...but for now everything is still 50/50