Mercedes adds power and tech to CLA and GLA range

Mercedes has announced a series of updates for its CLA and GLA ranges, including extra power and new cabin infotainment tech. The cars will be available to order from September 2015.

The updates are similar to those seen on the recent Mercedes A-Class facelift, although there are no styling revisions this time. On the outside, the only changes will be new ‘d’ badging on diesels, replacing the current CDI badge, and a new metallic green colour option.

The updates for the CLA bring the 4MATIC four-wheel-drive system to the CLA 200d and the CLA 220d Shooting Brake variants, while the CLA 250 Sport is given a 7bhp boost, up from 208bhp to 215bhp. It’s not clear whether efficiency is affected.

The GLA 220d benefits from the same increase in power, enabling it to go from 0-62mph in just 7.7 seconds. The GLA also gets the latest infotainment tech in the form of the new 7-inch (or optional 8-inch) touchscreen COMAND system with Mercedes’ ‘connect me’ connected services. New gloss black trim is also added to the dash.

Both models are now available with the Dynamic Select system, which will accompany the optional adaptive dampers, allowing the driver to adjust the suspension, engine and steering set-up of the car to four different modes: Comfort, Sport, Eco and Individual.

Mercedes has also announced that it will introduce Apple’s CarPlay smartphone integration system, alongside the MirrorLink set-up, on all models by early 2016.

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